Hutchinson CC Sports Information
The NJCAA's premiere national football rivalry renews itself on Saturday when the Hutchinson Community College Blue Dragons meet the Iowa Western Reivers.
The No. 2-ranked Blue Dragons (4-0) will play host to the No. 1-ranked and defending NJCAA national champion Reivers (3-0) in a 12:02 p.m. kickoff at Gowans Stadium.
The game will be broadcast on Blue Dragon flagship station KHUT-FM (102.9) and on sister stations KWBW-AM/FM (1450/98.5) with Sean Boston (play-by-play) and Rob Dreher (color) calling the action beginning at 11:30 a.m. The game will also be nationally televised on ESPN+ at Noon with Pat Strathman (play-by-play) and Gary Thomas (color) calling the action.
Saturday's matchup will be the fifth time the Blue Dragons and Reivers meet in a No. 1-vs.-No. 2 matchup and it's the eighth time that one of the teams was ranked No. 1 when playing the other. Hutchinson and Iowa Western have played in the NJCAA National Championship game three times since 2022.
The Blue Dragons enter Saturday's matchup after posting back-to-back Jayhawk Conference shutouts since 1982 following a 24-0 victory over No. 12 Butler last Saturday in El Dorado.
Hutchinson's defense has been stellar this season, allowing only 2.5 points and 106.5 total yards per game. The Blue Dragons have yet to a single 100-yard rushing or passing game this season.
Iowa Western has a comparable defense to the Blue Dragons. The Reivers are allowing 8.0 points and 244.0 total yards per game.
The Reivers come off a bye week after shutting out Dodge City 31-0 two weeks ago in Council Bluffs. Iowa Western has also shut out Highland 71-0 in the season opener and defeated Coffeyville 27-24 in overtime.
Both offenses have been prolific so far in 2026. The Blue Dragons are averaging 57.2 points and 475.0 yards per game. The Dragons rush for 231.8 yards per game and pass for 243.2 yards per game. Iowa Western is averaging 43.0 points and 407.7 total yards with 152.7 rushing yards and 255.0 passing yards per game.
Over the last eight seasons, the Blue Dragons and Reivers are the two winningest programs in the NJCAA. Iowa Western has 84 wins over that span and Hutchinson has 83 wins. The Reivers have won three national championships and the Blue Dragons have won two national championships in that span.
Saturday's matchup is just the 14th between Hutchinson and Iowa Western in a series that began in 2014. Six of those games have been one-possession games. The Blue Dragons lead the series 7-6, winning 4 of the last 5 and 6 of the last 8 games played.