By DAREN DUNN
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — No. 2 Hutchinson Community College looked poised to take the game-winning kick with the wind Saturday afternoon at the end of regulation.
With the game knotted at 28, week two hero Rontavious Richmond fumbled for the second time. Iowa Central took over with 12 seconds and took a knee.
Overtime would not have been possible without a big extra point from Cole Segraves. The freshman kicker needed a 35-yard extra point with 10:17 left in the third quarter after Micah Woods caught a 36-yard touchdown pass and let the Iowa Central defense know about it.
The 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty was added to the try, but Segraves made good on the attempt.
It was not the last time he would be called upon to make a big kick into the wind and rain.
Hutchinson got off to a hot start after Woods caught the first TD of the day from Dylan Laible. The 15-yard strike tied Laible for the most touchdown passes in Dragon history. His 50th TD tied Luke Barnes.
The next 21 points belonged to No. 7 Iowa Central. Four quarterbacks played for the Tritons. Zach Marker started the day under center, but left after going 0-5 passing.
Justin Silverstein had better success. He only went 9 of 21, but notched two touchdown passes. One to Cal Weidemann to tie the game late in the first quarter and later in the second quarter on an 18-yard pass to Colton Hoag.
The two air strikes and a long TD run from Jadon Washington (69 yards), had the Dragon defense stunned.
Coach Drew Dallas said it was uncharacteristic of his defense to give up such a run.
"With the exception of the long run, we played good defense," Dallas said. Outside of the long run, the Dragons yielded 106 yards on the ground on 36 carries (2.94 yards per carry). The Dragons gave up 174 rushing yards in all and 198 through the air.
Dallas knew each Iowa Central quarterback had the ability to hurt his team in a different way.
Listed as an "athlete" on the roster, John Holcombe rushed for 36 yards and threw for another 49.
The final Triton to make an appearance at QB was Omarion Bartlett. He went 6 of 7 for 46 yards and rushed for another 36.
Hutchinson helped Iowa Central by giving up the ball four times (muffed punt, two fumbles and one interception).
"We gave them four extra tries and they took advantage of them," Dallas said about the turnovers. Iowa Central did not fumble or throw an interception, but did turn the ball over a few times on downs.
Dylan Laible's quarterback play was overshadowed by two big kicks from Segraves. Coach Dallas said the passing game was "kind of a blur at the moment" in his mind after the way Saturday's game ended.
Laible went 20 of 36 for 233 yards and a touchdown. His one interception was not his fault as it bounced off a receiver. His two touchdowns on the day put him atop Hutchinson's all-time touchdown passing list (51).
His second touchdown of the day knotted the game at 21.
Hutchinson went into the break down 21-14 after a Jaheim Simmons 1-yard run with 23 seconds left in the first half. The run came on 4th and 1. Iowa Central challenged the play, saying Simmons did not break the goal line. After review, the play stood.
Hutchinson withstood a 21-point run from Iowa Central and put on a 21-point run of its own.
The surge started with the Simmons goal-to-go run, continued with Woods' 36-yard grab and was capped with another run from Simmons.
This one came from 5 yards away to finish a 7-play, 64-yard drive.
Iowa Central had the only score in the fourth quarter.
It came with 3:57 left to play. Bartlett hit Cal Weidemann for the 7-yard score.
Tied at 28, Hutchinson had a chance to win the game in regulation.
The Dragons were driving behind Tre Bess and his 89 yards rushing. Bess put the Dragons in a first and goal-to-go situation, but exited the game with an injury.
Last week's rushing hero (Richmond: 158 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns, one receiving touchdown), fumbled the ball away with 12 seconds to go as Hutchinson tried to put the ball in the middle of the field for a game-winning kick.
Iowa Central played for overtime and lost the toss.
Hutchinson elected to play defense first and stopped the Tritons on a 4th and 1. Terry Kirksey had his biggest tackle of seven on the day when he stopped the run short.
Starting from the 25 yard line, Hutchinson moved the ball enough to put Segraves in position to make the game-winning kick.
Segraves missed from 40 and 41 in week one, but hit from 50 (on a play that was blown dead). Segraves hurt himself against Navarro and did not get to try the 50-yarder again in week one (Connor Gellender stepped in and left the attempt just short).
With the wind and rain in his face, and the game on the line, Segraves had to wait for his big kick after Iowa Central tried to ice him.
After the timeout, Segraves sent the 39-yarder sky high in the wind. The ball barely passed the crossbar and actually hit the calling official in the back as it inched over for the win.
It was the first walk-off field goal for Hutchinson since 2017 when Luke Niemeyer hit a game-winner through the same posts from 37 against Highland in OT.
FINAL/OT: Hutchinson 31 Iowa Central 28
Hutchinson (3-0) is off next week before heading to Coffeyville (2-0 as of this publishing) Sept. 24.
Marcello Bussey led Hutchinson with six receptions, Micah Woods had more yards with 73 and two touchdowns.
Jerrell Boykins, Javar Strong and Terry Kirksey each registered seven tackles.
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