SASKATCHEWAN, Canada.—The
Saskatchewan Rattlers, member club of the Canadian Elite Basketball League
(CEBL), have announced the signing of Canadian guard, Devontè Bandoo, ahead of
the 2021 CEBL season.

The combo
guard will make his professional debut for the Rattlers when they kick off
their season on June 7 against the Edmonton Stingers. 

Bandoo joins the Rattlers after a
stellar collegiate career that culminated with him playing his final two years
of eligibility at Baylor University. In his senior year with the Bears, Bandoo
was named the Big 12 Conference Sixth Man of the Year due to his impressive
play coming off the bench. During the 2019-20 season, Bandoo helped the Bears
achieve a school-record 23-game winning streak which earned Baylor a No. 1
ranking for five-straight weeks. In his final year with the Bears, Bandoo shot
a team-leading 38.5 percent from three-point range and averaged 7.6 points and
3.6 rebounds during a shortened season. Over the course of his two years with
Baylor University, the Mississauga, ON-native averaged 8.1 points, 2.8 rebounds
and 1.4 assists. Prior to transferring to Baylor, Bandoo played two years for
Hutchinson Community College in Kansas. The 6-foot-3 guard helped Hutchinson
Community College claim the 2017 NJCAA Division 1 national championship, where
he scored a season-high and team-leading 22 points in the championship game
against Eastern Florida State College. 

“Devontè is
someone we are really looking forward to having join our team for the upcoming
season”, said Rattlers General Manager Barry Rawylk. “In Devontè we have
another weapon that can open up opposing defences not only with his impressive
three-point shooting rate, but also with his ability to get to the basket. He
will not only bring incredible athleticism and shot-making ability to our team,
but he is also someone who will integrate nicely into the community. We are
excited to see Devontè take the next step in his career here in Saskatchewan
with the Rattlers.” 

“I’m excited
to be a part of the Rattlers organization”, said Devontè Bandoo. “I can’t wait
to play and learn from the coaching staff and my teammates. I look forward to
competing for a CEBL Championship with the Ratters.”

SASKATCHEWAN, Canada.—The
Saskatchewan Rattlers, member club of the Canadian Elite Basketball League
(CEBL), have announced the signing of Canadian guard, Devontè Bandoo, ahead of
the 2021 CEBL season.The combo
guard will make his professional debut for the Rattlers when they kick off
their season on June 7 against the Edmonton Stingers. Bandoo joins the Rattlers after a
stellar collegiate career that culminated with him playing his final two years
of eligibility at Baylor University. In his senior year with the Bears, Bandoo
was named the Big 12 Conference Sixth Man of the Year due to his impressive
play coming off the bench. During the 2019-20 season, Bandoo helped the Bears
achieve a school-record 23-game winning streak which earned Baylor a No. 1
ranking for five-straight weeks. In his final year with the Bears, Bandoo shot
a team-leading 38.5 percent from three-point range and averaged 7.6 points and
3.6 rebounds during a shortened season. Over the course of his two years with
Baylor University, the Mississauga, ON-native averaged 8.1 points, 2.8 rebounds
and 1.4 assists. Prior to transferring to Baylor, Bandoo played two years for
Hutchinson Community College in Kansas. The 6-foot-3 guard helped Hutchinson
Community College claim the 2017 NJCAA Division 1 national championship, where
he scored a season-high and team-leading 22 points in the championship game
against Eastern Florida State College. “Devontè is
someone we are really looking forward to having join our team for the upcoming
season”, said Rattlers General Manager Barry Rawylk. “In Devontè we have
another weapon that can open up opposing defences not only with his impressive
three-point shooting rate, but also with his ability to get to the basket. He
will not only bring incredible athleticism and shot-making ability to our team,
but he is also someone who will integrate nicely into the community. We are
excited to see Devontè take the next step in his career here in Saskatchewan
with the Rattlers.” “I’m excited
to be a part of the Rattlers organization”, said Devontè Bandoo. “I can’t wait
to play and learn from the coaching staff and my teammates. I look forward to
competing for a CEBL Championship with the Ratters.”

Rattlers sign 2020 Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year and former Blue Dragon, Devontè Bandoo

Shannon Del (Madden) Roberts, 62, of Hutchinson, died peacefully at Hospice House on March 29, 2021, with family by her side. She was born Dec. 8, 1958, in Hays, one of seven children born to Edward and Leona (Langrehr) Madden.

Shannon graduated from Hays High School and then moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado, to start a family. She relocated back to her family roots in Kansas in 1994, where she met Jim Roberts. They were married on Nov. 1, 1996, in Hays.

Jim and Shannon moved to Hutchinson that same year and made Hutchinson their permanent home. She graduated with a degree as a pharmacy technician from Hutchinson Community College and worked for many years as a pharmacy technician for the Dillon’s chain. Shannon loved her job and enjoyed meeting and socializing with the pharmacy customers.

“Sweet Shannon”, as she was called by friends and family, was known for her kindness and soft heart.&nbsp; She loved going out on the boat and being on the water, or being cuddled up in a chair with a good book and her dog Lily on her lap. Shannon enjoyed many summer family trips to Branson and area lakes. She loved her family dearly, her husband, two children, and three beautiful granddaughters.&nbsp;

Shannon is survived by: her husband, Jim Roberts of Hutchinson; son, Daniel Barfield and his fiancé, Corrine Cusme, both of Hutchinson; daughter, Magen Barfield Deneke and her husband Cody of Moundridge; granddaughters, Gracie and Paige Deneke, Elizabeth Barfield, and one on the way; mother, Leona Madden of Hays; siblings, Kim Porter (Doug) of Hutchinson, Shelley Lowen (Steve) of Corpus Christi, TX, Joseph Madden (Tammy) of Olathe, William Madden of Omaha, NE, Charles Madden (Lisa) of Falls Church, VA; sister-in-law, Theresa Madden of Hays; many beloved nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her father, Edward F. Madden, and a brother, Michael Madden.

Cremation has taken place. A memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m. Saturday, May 29, 2021, at Elliott Chapel. Friends may sign the memorial book from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday thru Saturday at Elliott Mortuary.

The service will be webcast and the link will be available below beginning at 1:30 p.m. the day of the service.

Memorials are suggested to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, in care of Elliott Mortuary, 1219 N. Main, Hutchinson, KS 67501

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1617249001779.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Shannon Del (Madden) Roberts, 62, of Hutchinson, died peacefully at Hospice House on March 29, 2021, with family by her side. She was born Dec. 8, 1958, in Hays, one of seven children born to Edward and Leona (Langrehr) Madden.Shannon graduated from Hays High School and then moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado, to start a family. She relocated back to her family roots in Kansas in 1994, where she met Jim Roberts. They were married on Nov. 1, 1996, in Hays.Jim and Shannon moved to Hutchinson that same year and made Hutchinson their permanent home. She graduated with a degree as a pharmacy technician from Hutchinson Community College and worked for many years as a pharmacy technician for the Dillon’s chain. Shannon loved her job and enjoyed meeting and socializing with the pharmacy customers.“Sweet Shannon”, as she was called by friends and family, was known for her kindness and soft heart.&nbsp; She loved going out on the boat and being on the water, or being cuddled up in a chair with a good book and her dog Lily on her lap. Shannon enjoyed many summer family trips to Branson and area lakes. She loved her family dearly, her husband, two children, and three beautiful granddaughters.&nbsp;Shannon is survived by: her husband, Jim Roberts of Hutchinson; son, Daniel Barfield and his fiancé, Corrine Cusme, both of Hutchinson; daughter, Magen Barfield Deneke and her husband Cody of Moundridge; granddaughters, Gracie and Paige Deneke, Elizabeth Barfield, and one on the way; mother, Leona Madden of Hays; siblings, Kim Porter (Doug) of Hutchinson, Shelley Lowen (Steve) of Corpus Christi, TX, Joseph Madden (Tammy) of Olathe, William Madden of Omaha, NE, Charles Madden (Lisa) of Falls Church, VA; sister-in-law, Theresa Madden of Hays; many beloved nieces and nephews.She was preceded in death by her father, Edward F. Madden, and a brother, Michael Madden.Cremation has taken place. A memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m. Saturday, May 29, 2021, at Elliott Chapel. Friends may sign the memorial book from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday thru Saturday at Elliott Mortuary.The service will be webcast and the link will be available below beginning at 1:30 p.m. the day of the service.Memorials are suggested to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, in care of Elliott Mortuary, 1219 N. Main, Hutchinson, KS 67501

Shannon Del Roberts | 1958 - 2021 |

Michael Jeremy Decker, 44, passed away March 28, 2021, at his residence. He was born June 12, 1976, in Hutchinson, to Joseph Frank and Geraldine Kaye (Petering) Decker.

Michael attended public school at Faris Elementary School and graduated from Hutchinson High School in 1998. He enjoyed attending Hutchinson Community College basketball games, the National Junior College Basketball Tournament, and Hutchinson Monarchs (formerly Hutchinson Broncs) baseball games. Michael was a member of New Covenant Presbyterian Church, Hutchinson.&nbsp;

He was born with a genetic disorder that resulted in him being very small and non-responsive during his early years. Michael slowly matured with the support of his church, community, doctors, therapists, public school personnel, and especially his family. He participated in the various programs and services offered by TECH Inc., such as the daycare program, for over 25 years. Michael lived with his parents until their deaths, and then lived with his sister and her family, and his niece and her family, until recently, when he moved into one of the TECH homes located in Hutchinson. His smile was contagious and his mischievous antics were enjoyed by everyone who came into contact with him.&nbsp; Michael had many friends and will be truly missed. If you have a memory that you would like to share with the family, please go to his obituary on the Elliott Mortuary website and enter the information in the online guestbook.

Michael is survived by: siblings, James Decker of Hutchinson, Renee (Kerry) Robinson of Hutchinson, and Kristy (Scott) Welchons of Rexford, MT; and numerous aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and caregivers.

Funeral service will be 10 a.m. Friday, April 9, 2021, at New Covenant Presbyterian Church, 700 E. 25th, Hutchinson, with The Reverend Craig Waetke officiating. Burial will follow in Memorial Park Cemetery, Hutchinson. &nbsp;Friends may call from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, April 8, 2021, at Elliott Mortuary. Family will greet friends from 9 a.m. until service time Friday, April, 9, 2021, at the church.

The service may be viewed online by going to the ‘New Covenant Presbyterian Church Hutchinson Facebook’ page, select ‘Videos’, and then select ‘Michael Decker Funeral Service’.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to New Covenant Presbyterian Church, Reins of Hope, or TECH Inc., in care of Elliott Mortuary and Crematory, 1219 N. Main, Hutchinson, KS 67501.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1617248583698.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Michael Jeremy Decker, 44, passed away March 28, 2021, at his residence. He was born June 12, 1976, in Hutchinson, to Joseph Frank and Geraldine Kaye (Petering) Decker.Michael attended public school at Faris Elementary School and graduated from Hutchinson High School in 1998. He enjoyed attending Hutchinson Community College basketball games, the National Junior College Basketball Tournament, and Hutchinson Monarchs (formerly Hutchinson Broncs) baseball games. Michael was a member of New Covenant Presbyterian Church, Hutchinson.&nbsp;He was born with a genetic disorder that resulted in him being very small and non-responsive during his early years. Michael slowly matured with the support of his church, community, doctors, therapists, public school personnel, and especially his family. He participated in the various programs and services offered by TECH Inc., such as the daycare program, for over 25 years. Michael lived with his parents until their deaths, and then lived with his sister and her family, and his niece and her family, until recently, when he moved into one of the TECH homes located in Hutchinson. His smile was contagious and his mischievous antics were enjoyed by everyone who came into contact with him.&nbsp; Michael had many friends and will be truly missed. If you have a memory that you would like to share with the family, please go to his obituary on the Elliott Mortuary website and enter the information in the online guestbook.Michael is survived by: siblings, James Decker of Hutchinson, Renee (Kerry) Robinson of Hutchinson, and Kristy (Scott) Welchons of Rexford, MT; and numerous aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and caregivers.He was preceded in death by his parents.Funeral service will be 10 a.m. Friday, April 9, 2021, at New Covenant Presbyterian Church, 700 E. 25th, Hutchinson, with The Reverend Craig Waetke officiating. Burial will follow in Memorial Park Cemetery, Hutchinson. &nbsp;Friends may call from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, April 8, 2021, at Elliott Mortuary. Family will greet friends from 9 a.m. until service time Friday, April, 9, 2021, at the church.The service may be viewed online by going to the ‘New Covenant Presbyterian Church Hutchinson Facebook’ page, select ‘Videos’, and then select ‘Michael Decker Funeral Service’.In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to New Covenant Presbyterian Church, Reins of Hope, or TECH Inc., in care of Elliott Mortuary and Crematory, 1219 N. Main, Hutchinson, KS 67501.

Michael Jeremy Decker | 1976 - 2021 |

Sandra Sue Greenstreet, 79, of Hutchinson, died March 28, 2021, at The Arbors at Waldron Place Senior Living. She was born Dec. 17, 1941, in McPherson, to Clifford and Nellie (Oliver) Reusser.

Sandra graduated from Hutchinson High School and Adela Hale Business College. She worked for Kwik Shop Inc. for 20 years as a secretary. Sandra also worked as an herb specialist for Stejskai Enterprises and a CNA for Mennonite Manor. She was a member of Church of the Holy Cross in Hutchinson.

On Dec. 31, 1957, Sandra married Charles Warren. He passed away on April 8, 1977. On July 16, 1993, she married Lloyd Greenstreet. He passed away on Aug. 5, 1999.

Sandra is survived by: daughter, Denise Ericson (Craig), Nixa, Missouri; grandchildren, Daniel O’Neal, South Hutchinson, Jennifer O’Neal, Hutchinson, John O’Neal, Hutchinson, Krisinda Patterson, Great Bend, Chaz Scott and Chasity Dawson, Hamlet, North Carolina; 15 great-grandchildren; and one great great-grandchild.

She was preceded in death by: her parents; husbands, Charles Warren and Lloyd Greenstreet; son, James Warren; and brother, Clifford Reusser Jr.

Graveside service will be 1:30 p.m. Saturday, April 3, 2021, at Sunset Cemetery, Cullison, Kansas, with Father Aaron Spexarth officiating. Friends may call from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday at Elliott Mortuary.

Memorials are suggested to American Heart Association or Hospice and HomeCare of Reno County, in care of Elliott Mortuary, 1219 N. Main, Hutchinson, KS 67501.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1617248492497.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Sandra Sue Greenstreet, 79, of Hutchinson, died March 28, 2021, at The Arbors at Waldron Place Senior Living. She was born Dec. 17, 1941, in McPherson, to Clifford and Nellie (Oliver) Reusser.Sandra graduated from Hutchinson High School and Adela Hale Business College. She worked for Kwik Shop Inc. for 20 years as a secretary. Sandra also worked as an herb specialist for Stejskai Enterprises and a CNA for Mennonite Manor. She was a member of Church of the Holy Cross in Hutchinson.On Dec. 31, 1957, Sandra married Charles Warren. He passed away on April 8, 1977. On July 16, 1993, she married Lloyd Greenstreet. He passed away on Aug. 5, 1999.Sandra is survived by: daughter, Denise Ericson (Craig), Nixa, Missouri; grandchildren, Daniel O’Neal, South Hutchinson, Jennifer O’Neal, Hutchinson, John O’Neal, Hutchinson, Krisinda Patterson, Great Bend, Chaz Scott and Chasity Dawson, Hamlet, North Carolina; 15 great-grandchildren; and one great great-grandchild.She was preceded in death by: her parents; husbands, Charles Warren and Lloyd Greenstreet; son, James Warren; and brother, Clifford Reusser Jr.Graveside service will be 1:30 p.m. Saturday, April 3, 2021, at Sunset Cemetery, Cullison, Kansas, with Father Aaron Spexarth officiating. Friends may call from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday at Elliott Mortuary.Memorials are suggested to American Heart Association or Hospice and HomeCare of Reno County, in care of Elliott Mortuary, 1219 N. Main, Hutchinson, KS 67501.

Sandra Sue Greenstreet | 1941 - 2021 |

By STEVE CARPENTER - Hutchinson CC Sports Information

MANHATTAN, Kan. – The NJCAA No. 2-ranked Hutchinson Community College men's golf team overcome the toughest scoring conditions this spring to win its fourth-straight Jayhawk Conference-designated tournament in a row on Monday.

With sustained southerly winds howling at 40 mph and gusting to better than 60 at Colbert Hills Country Club, the Blue Dragons defeated Garden City by three strokes to win the first of three league designated tournaments this season.

Hutchinson won its second-straight team title and third overall tournament championship this season. The Blue Dragons won the Texas A&amp;M-Commerce Lion Invitational two weeks ago. The conference winning streak dates back to last season when the Blue Dragons won all three conference-designated tournaments.

Hutchinson shot team rounds of 309 and 323 on Monday. The Dragons had an eight-stroke lead after one round. Garden City made up five strokes in the second round with an afternoon 318. Barton was third in the 36-hole event at 651.

Harry Crocket led the Blue Dragons in the opening round with a 3-under 69. The Dragons did have to use one score in the 80s. The Blue Dragons used three card with 80 or above in the afternoon round in shooting a wind-aided season high of 323.

<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2020-21/bios/partridge_ben_nliv">Ben Partridge</a>&nbsp;was the low scorer for Hutchinson. He was third overall on Monday at 154 after rounds of 79 and 75.

<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2020-21/bios/crockett_harry_uzwd">Harry Crockett</a>&nbsp;had a tough afternoon round after the opening-round 69. Crockett shot an 86 in the afternoon round and finished fourth overall at 155.

Sophomore&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2020-21/bios/crockett_charlie_7tfw">Charlie Crockett</a>&nbsp;was seventh at 157 (78-81).

Individual golfer&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2020-21/bios/alonzo_addison_9qi0">Addison Alonzo</a>&nbsp;earned 0.75 conference points for a four-way tie for ninth place after shooting 163 (82-81).

<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2020-21/bios/mccrae_tradgon_n8mn">Trey McCrae</a>&nbsp;had rounds of 83 and 84 to finish at 167.&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2020-21/bios/rios-ceballos_cameron_hq9q">Cameron Rios-Ceballos</a>&nbsp;shot 172 with rounds of 89 and 83. Playing as an individual,&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2020-21/bios/hilton_charlie_zp4k">Charlie Hilton</a>&nbsp;tied for 12th at 164 (83-81).

The next Jayhawk Conference tournament will April 12 and 13 at Sand Creek Station in Newton.

By STEVE CARPENTER - Hutchinson CC Sports InformationMANHATTAN, Kan. – The NJCAA No. 2-ranked Hutchinson Community College men's golf team overcome the toughest scoring conditions this spring to win its fourth-straight Jayhawk Conference-designated tournament in a row on Monday.With sustained southerly winds howling at 40 mph and gusting to better than 60 at Colbert Hills Country Club, the Blue Dragons defeated Garden City by three strokes to win the first of three league designated tournaments this season.Hutchinson won its second-straight team title and third overall tournament championship this season. The Blue Dragons won the Texas A&amp;M-Commerce Lion Invitational two weeks ago. The conference winning streak dates back to last season when the Blue Dragons won all three conference-designated tournaments.Hutchinson shot team rounds of 309 and 323 on Monday. The Dragons had an eight-stroke lead after one round. Garden City made up five strokes in the second round with an afternoon 318. Barton was third in the 36-hole event at 651.Harry Crocket led the Blue Dragons in the opening round with a 3-under 69. The Dragons did have to use one score in the 80s. The Blue Dragons used three card with 80 or above in the afternoon round in shooting a wind-aided season high of 323.<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2020-21/bios/partridge_ben_nliv">Ben Partridge</a>&nbsp;was the low scorer for Hutchinson. He was third overall on Monday at 154 after rounds of 79 and 75.<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2020-21/bios/crockett_harry_uzwd">Harry Crockett</a>&nbsp;had a tough afternoon round after the opening-round 69. Crockett shot an 86 in the afternoon round and finished fourth overall at 155.Sophomore&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2020-21/bios/crockett_charlie_7tfw">Charlie Crockett</a>&nbsp;was seventh at 157 (78-81).Individual golfer&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2020-21/bios/alonzo_addison_9qi0">Addison Alonzo</a>&nbsp;earned 0.75 conference points for a four-way tie for ninth place after shooting 163 (82-81).<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2020-21/bios/mccrae_tradgon_n8mn">Trey McCrae</a>&nbsp;had rounds of 83 and 84 to finish at 167.&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2020-21/bios/rios-ceballos_cameron_hq9q">Cameron Rios-Ceballos</a>&nbsp;shot 172 with rounds of 89 and 83. Playing as an individual,&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2020-21/bios/hilton_charlie_zp4k">Charlie Hilton</a>&nbsp;tied for 12th at 164 (83-81).The next Jayhawk Conference tournament will April 12 and 13 at Sand Creek Station in Newton.

Blue Dragon Golf scores 4th straight KJCCC Tournament win

The Hutchinson Community College volleyball team has lost four five-set matches this season, all seemingly with funny bounces off the net cord that went against the Blue Dragons in those decisive sets.

Call it poetic justice, but with the 2021 season on the brink of abruptly ending in the fifth set of their Region VI Tournament opening-round match against Garden City on Tuesday at the Sports Arena, the net cord finally favored the Blue Dragons in the fifth set.

Hutchinson advanced to the Region VI Tournament semifinals for the 10th consecutive season with a thrilling 25-15, 19-25, 25-19, 21-25, 15-11 opening-round victory over the Broncbusters. The Blue Dragons, now 18-9, will take on 23-4 Barton in the semifinals of the Region VI Tournament at the Green House in Liberal. The match is set to begin 40 minutes after the conclusion of the Seward County-Colby match, slated for Noon. The Region VI championship match will be one hour after the completion of the Hutchinson-Barton match.

Garden City's Reagen Karlin had back-to-back kills to pull Garden City within 12-11 in the fifth set and forced a Blue Dragon timeout. After a slow offense start to the match, freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/briggs_shadee_xm04">Shadee Briggs</a>&nbsp;got the set on the next rally.

Taking her attack from the 10-foot line and trying to go high-hands off the Buster block, Briggs' attack was blocked and the ball rolled along the net cord with no Blue Dragon near to cover off the net. Somehow, the ball crawled on the cord long enough to go out, giving Briggs a kill and the Blue Dragons a 13-11 lead.&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/thorne_jenna_xncq">Jenna Thorne</a>&nbsp;served an ace for a 14-11 lead and Garden City's final attack went long on match point to finish the match.

Briggs, who had just two kills in the first two sets, had 13 kills over the final three – four kills in the fifth set – and finished with a double-double with 15 kills and 16 digs.

Thorne led the Blue Dragons with a match-high 21 kills with three total blocks and three aces.&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/head_kristina_5dlc">Kristina Head</a>&nbsp;had 16 kills and&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/larson_taegan_9xc6">Taegen Larsen</a>&nbsp;finished with nine kills.

The Blue Dragons had four players with 16 or more digs on a tremendous night for the Hutch back row. Libero&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/reeder_shelby_zpe9">Shelby Reeder</a>&nbsp;tallied 25 digs to lead the Dragons. Freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/lane_kenna_obyd">Kenna Lane</a>&nbsp;had a career-high 17 digs as did setter&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/price_chloe_rbgs">Chloe Price</a>&nbsp;and Briggs had 16 digs.

Price finished with a career-high 59 assists as Hutchinson posted 71 total kills in the fifth-set match.

Karlin had 17 kills, Tauja Durham had 13 and Alli Meng had 11 kills and three service aces to lead the Busters.

The Blue Dragons trailed 11-8 in the opening set and turned things around with an 8-1 run, which was capped by Thorne ace for a 16-12 Hutchinson lead. Larsen came up with a pair of big first-set kills at 18-13 and 20-14 after pounding down an over-dig. The Dragons closed on a 5-0 run with a Price dump for a kill, back-to-back Thorne kills, a Reeder ace and Thorne's fifth kill of the opening stanza on set point for a 25-15 win.

Tied at 4-all in the second set, the Busters scored four in a row to force a Dragon timeout at 8-4. Trailing 11-5, Briggs had a kill, Larsen terminated twice in a row and Thorne had a solo block to pull the Dragons within 11-9. Unlike the first set, the Busters never led the Dragons catch them. Hutch had the set at 13-11, 15-13, 16-14 and a Head kill pulled the Dragons within 18-17. A Karlin kill on the next rally sparked the Busters to a set-clinching 7-2 run to knot the match a 1-1.

Leading the third set 11-10, the Dragons got kills from Head and&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/murrell_shelby_tlgr">Shelby Murrell</a>&nbsp;to take a three-point lead. Garden City scored on the next three rally to tie the set at 13-all. The Dragons answered that challenging with a 6-1 run to lead 19-14 after a&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/nelson_kersti_b4a9">Kersti Nelson</a>&nbsp;service ace, one of eight Dragon aces in the match. The Busters pulled within 19-17. Briggs stopped the surge with a tip over the block for a kill and a head kill. Hutchinson scored its final four points of the third set on Garden City errors for a 25-19 win and a 2-1 match lead.

With Briggs on fire, she had two early kills in the fourth set for an 8-4 lead. Garden City scored on 8 of the next 11 rallies to take a 12-11 lead on a Durham kill. Like the second set, the Dragons stayed close, but could never grab the lead. Trailing 22-18, Thorne had a kill, Murrell and Price had a double block and Garden City had an attack error to pull Hutch within 22-21. The Busters got two Angel Sherman solo blocks and a Remy Vargas ace to close out the set and take the match to the fifth set.

The Dragons trailed 5-3 and knotted the set at 5-all with a Briggs kill and Garden attack error. Down 6-4, Hutch had four consecutive points with kills from Briggs, Head, Larsen and Briggs again for a 9-6 lead. A Thorne kill made it 12-9 Hutchinson before Karlin's back-to-back kills pulled Garden City within 12-11 to force a Dragon timeout. The next point was Briggs' net-cord kill that made it 13-11.

By STEVE CARPENTER - Hutchinson CC Sports InformationThe Hutchinson Community College volleyball team has lost four five-set matches this season, all seemingly with funny bounces off the net cord that went against the Blue Dragons in those decisive sets.Call it poetic justice, but with the 2021 season on the brink of abruptly ending in the fifth set of their Region VI Tournament opening-round match against Garden City on Tuesday at the Sports Arena, the net cord finally favored the Blue Dragons in the fifth set.Hutchinson advanced to the Region VI Tournament semifinals for the 10th consecutive season with a thrilling 25-15, 19-25, 25-19, 21-25, 15-11 opening-round victory over the Broncbusters. The Blue Dragons, now 18-9, will take on 23-4 Barton in the semifinals of the Region VI Tournament at the Green House in Liberal. The match is set to begin 40 minutes after the conclusion of the Seward County-Colby match, slated for Noon. The Region VI championship match will be one hour after the completion of the Hutchinson-Barton match.Garden City's Reagen Karlin had back-to-back kills to pull Garden City within 12-11 in the fifth set and forced a Blue Dragon timeout. After a slow offense start to the match, freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/briggs_shadee_xm04">Shadee Briggs</a>&nbsp;got the set on the next rally.Taking her attack from the 10-foot line and trying to go high-hands off the Buster block, Briggs' attack was blocked and the ball rolled along the net cord with no Blue Dragon near to cover off the net. Somehow, the ball crawled on the cord long enough to go out, giving Briggs a kill and the Blue Dragons a 13-11 lead.&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/thorne_jenna_xncq">Jenna Thorne</a>&nbsp;served an ace for a 14-11 lead and Garden City's final attack went long on match point to finish the match.Briggs, who had just two kills in the first two sets, had 13 kills over the final three – four kills in the fifth set – and finished with a double-double with 15 kills and 16 digs.Thorne led the Blue Dragons with a match-high 21 kills with three total blocks and three aces.&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/head_kristina_5dlc">Kristina Head</a>&nbsp;had 16 kills and&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/larson_taegan_9xc6">Taegen Larsen</a>&nbsp;finished with nine kills.The Blue Dragons had four players with 16 or more digs on a tremendous night for the Hutch back row. Libero&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/reeder_shelby_zpe9">Shelby Reeder</a>&nbsp;tallied 25 digs to lead the Dragons. Freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/lane_kenna_obyd">Kenna Lane</a>&nbsp;had a career-high 17 digs as did setter&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/price_chloe_rbgs">Chloe Price</a>&nbsp;and Briggs had 16 digs.Price finished with a career-high 59 assists as Hutchinson posted 71 total kills in the fifth-set match.Karlin had 17 kills, Tauja Durham had 13 and Alli Meng had 11 kills and three service aces to lead the Busters.The Blue Dragons trailed 11-8 in the opening set and turned things around with an 8-1 run, which was capped by Thorne ace for a 16-12 Hutchinson lead. Larsen came up with a pair of big first-set kills at 18-13 and 20-14 after pounding down an over-dig. The Dragons closed on a 5-0 run with a Price dump for a kill, back-to-back Thorne kills, a Reeder ace and Thorne's fifth kill of the opening stanza on set point for a 25-15 win.Tied at 4-all in the second set, the Busters scored four in a row to force a Dragon timeout at 8-4. Trailing 11-5, Briggs had a kill, Larsen terminated twice in a row and Thorne had a solo block to pull the Dragons within 11-9. Unlike the first set, the Busters never led the Dragons catch them. Hutch had the set at 13-11, 15-13, 16-14 and a Head kill pulled the Dragons within 18-17. A Karlin kill on the next rally sparked the Busters to a set-clinching 7-2 run to knot the match a 1-1.Leading the third set 11-10, the Dragons got kills from Head and&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/murrell_shelby_tlgr">Shelby Murrell</a>&nbsp;to take a three-point lead. Garden City scored on the next three rally to tie the set at 13-all. The Dragons answered that challenging with a 6-1 run to lead 19-14 after a&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/nelson_kersti_b4a9">Kersti Nelson</a>&nbsp;service ace, one of eight Dragon aces in the match. The Busters pulled within 19-17. Briggs stopped the surge with a tip over the block for a kill and a head kill. Hutchinson scored its final four points of the third set on Garden City errors for a 25-19 win and a 2-1 match lead.With Briggs on fire, she had two early kills in the fourth set for an 8-4 lead. Garden City scored on 8 of the next 11 rallies to take a 12-11 lead on a Durham kill. Like the second set, the Dragons stayed close, but could never grab the lead. Trailing 22-18, Thorne had a kill, Murrell and Price had a double block and Garden City had an attack error to pull Hutch within 22-21. The Busters got two Angel Sherman solo blocks and a Remy Vargas ace to close out the set and take the match to the fifth set.The Dragons trailed 5-3 and knotted the set at 5-all with a Briggs kill and Garden attack error. Down 6-4, Hutch had four consecutive points with kills from Briggs, Head, Larsen and Briggs again for a 9-6 lead. A Thorne kill made it 12-9 Hutchinson before Karlin's back-to-back kills pulled Garden City within 12-11 to force a Dragon timeout. The next point was Briggs' net-cord kill that made it 13-11.

Blue Dragon Volleyball survive in 5 to advance in Region VI


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
HutchCC spokesperson Denny Stoecklein said the spring semester is headed down the backstretch.

"We're only four weeks away, really," Stoecklein said. "Commencement is on April 30th. One of the adjustments we made last fall was to eliminate spring break and move up the end of the semester by a week. Four weeks from this Friday, we're graduating and finals are over and the kids are finished."

Given the short period, it doesn't make sense to change procedure.

"It's the same as its been since August, which really wasn't drastically different as far as delivery method of courses. The vast majority of them are in person. We've made adjustments within classrooms and using facilities as classrooms that were never classrooms before, because they're larger and allow us to distance more students."

Students have overwhelmingly said they want to be in person.

"Most every college has offered online classes for years, for decades," Stoecklein said. "That delivery method has always been there for us. What we were seeing throughout the summer was between 60 and 70% of the credit hours our students enrolled in were face to face classes. They wanted to be in the classroom."

Stoecklein praised the staff and students for adjusting and also thanked Medicine Shoppe for making the Pfizer vaccine available to faculty and employees at the college. 

<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK
HERE</a>&nbsp;to
download the Hutch Post mobile app. 
<a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK
HERE</a>&nbsp;to
sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1588955468734.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>
By
NICK GOSNELL
Hutch
Post
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
HutchCC spokesperson Denny Stoecklein said the spring semester is headed down the backstretch."We're only four weeks away, really," Stoecklein said. "Commencement is on April 30th. One of the adjustments we made last fall was to eliminate spring break and move up the end of the semester by a week. Four weeks from this Friday, we're graduating and finals are over and the kids are finished."Given the short period, it doesn't make sense to change procedure."It's the same as its been since August, which really wasn't drastically different as far as delivery method of courses. The vast majority of them are in person. We've made adjustments within classrooms and using facilities as classrooms that were never classrooms before, because they're larger and allow us to distance more students."Students have overwhelmingly said they want to be in person."Most every college has offered online classes for years, for decades," Stoecklein said. "That delivery method has always been there for us. What we were seeing throughout the summer was between 60 and 70% of the credit hours our students enrolled in were face to face classes. They wanted to be in the classroom."Stoecklein praised the staff and students for adjusting and also thanked Medicine Shoppe for making the Pfizer vaccine available to faculty and employees at the college. 
<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK
HERE</a>&nbsp;to
download the Hutch Post mobile app. 
<a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK
HERE</a>&nbsp;to
sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.

About a month left of school at HutchCC

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Two Hutchinson High School seniors are members of the fourth class of Rudd Scholars and have received full-ride scholarships to Wichita State University.

          Adriana Owens and Kian Williams are among 30 Kansas seniors who will receive a four-year college scholarship as Rudd Scholars. The Rudd Foundation allows its scholars to choose from Emporia State University, Fort Hays State University or Wichita State University. Owens and Williams will attend WSU.

            The Rudd Scholarship covers all remaining tuition and fees, books and supplies and on-campus room and board, after other aid, grants and scholarships are applied to a student’s account. The expected value for the 30 new recipients over four years is approximately $1.1 million.

          With the additional 30 scholars, there are expected to be 103 Rudd Scholars in total this upcoming Fall 2021. This represents approximately a $4 million financial commitment to date since the program’s inception in 2018.

            “We are privileged to announce the exceptionally high-caliber, well-rounded students that were selected as Rudd Scholars this year,” said Darrell Swank, president of the Rudd Foundation. “By removing the financial burden associated with a college education, it is our hope that these individuals will be actively involved on campus, maintain good grades, graduate in four years debt-free and thus be well-positioned to pursue their passions and dreams in whatever vocations they desire.”

            Of the 30 new scholars, 19 will be attending Wichita State, seven at Fort Hays State and four at Emporia State. The scholarship is earned through a competitive selection process that includes the applicant’s grades, test scores, essays, letters of recommendation and, for the 50 finalists, a personal interview. This year’s process involved selecting the 30 winners from a record number of more than 1,300 students from all over the state who began the process.

            “We started the Rudd Scholar Program four years ago and continue to find extremely talented young women and men in our Kansas high schools, who possess the Midwestern values of grit, determination and work ethic, all qualities Mr. Rudd valued,” said Corri Roberts, director of the Rudd Foundation. “We believe by supporting these young leaders to continue their education in Kansas, they will follow their passions and give back to their communities and the state.”

In addition to living on campus and carrying a full load of classes towards their college degree, scholars will receive mentoring and coaching to help them graduate in four years and build essential academic and life skills. They will also participate in developmental activities outside the classroom, network with leaders in their future professions, build relationships among themselves and serve to help the next generation of scholars through an active and connected alumni association after graduation.

            “By this time next year, we will have over 100 Rudd Scholars on campus and supporting one another,” Swank said. “Our intent is that they will continue to network with each other after graduation as they continue on their trajectory of being positive contributors to our Kansas communities and society as a whole.”

            For more information, contact Corri Roberts at (316) 847-4828, corri.roberts@ruddfoundation.org or find more information online at https://www.ruddfoundation.org/.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1617078738131.jpeg" alt="Adriana Owens-Kian Williams 3-26-21.jpg" />
 <figcaption>Adriana Owens-Kian Williams 3-26-21.jpg</figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Two Hutchinson High School seniors are members of the fourth class of Rudd Scholars and have received full-ride scholarships to Wichita State University. Adriana Owens and Kian Williams are among 30 Kansas seniors who will receive a four-year college scholarship as Rudd Scholars. The Rudd Foundation allows its scholars to choose from Emporia State University, Fort Hays State University or Wichita State University. Owens and Williams will attend WSU. The Rudd Scholarship covers all remaining tuition and fees, books and supplies and on-campus room and board, after other aid, grants and scholarships are applied to a student’s account. The expected value for the 30 new recipients over four years is approximately $1.1 million. With the additional 30 scholars, there are expected to be 103 Rudd Scholars in total this upcoming Fall 2021. This represents approximately a $4 million financial commitment to date since the program’s inception in 2018. “We are privileged to announce the exceptionally high-caliber, well-rounded students that were selected as Rudd Scholars this year,” said Darrell Swank, president of the Rudd Foundation. “By removing the financial burden associated with a college education, it is our hope that these individuals will be actively involved on campus, maintain good grades, graduate in four years debt-free and thus be well-positioned to pursue their passions and dreams in whatever vocations they desire.” Of the 30 new scholars, 19 will be attending Wichita State, seven at Fort Hays State and four at Emporia State. The scholarship is earned through a competitive selection process that includes the applicant’s grades, test scores, essays, letters of recommendation and, for the 50 finalists, a personal interview. This year’s process involved selecting the 30 winners from a record number of more than 1,300 students from all over the state who began the process. “We started the Rudd Scholar Program four years ago and continue to find extremely talented young women and men in our Kansas high schools, who possess the Midwestern values of grit, determination and work ethic, all qualities Mr. Rudd valued,” said Corri Roberts, director of the Rudd Foundation. “We believe by supporting these young leaders to continue their education in Kansas, they will follow their passions and give back to their communities and the state.”In addition to living on campus and carrying a full load of classes towards their college degree, scholars will receive mentoring and coaching to help them graduate in four years and build essential academic and life skills. They will also participate in developmental activities outside the classroom, network with leaders in their future professions, build relationships among themselves and serve to help the next generation of scholars through an active and connected alumni association after graduation. “By this time next year, we will have over 100 Rudd Scholars on campus and supporting one another,” Swank said. “Our intent is that they will continue to network with each other after graduation as they continue on their trajectory of being positive contributors to our Kansas communities and society as a whole.” For more information, contact Corri Roberts at (316) 847-4828, corri.roberts@ruddfoundation.org or find more information online at https://www.ruddfoundation.org/.

USD 308 announces Rudd Scholars

Hutchinson, Kan. – Hutchinson Community College will be hosting its Career Connections Job Fair Thursday, April 1, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Hutchinson Sports Arena.

Seventy-six area employers have registered to attend seeking employees for full-time, part-time and internship opportunities. A list of the employers currently registered is available at <a href="http://www.hutchcc.edu/careerfair">www.hutchcc.edu/careerfair</a>. The fair is free and open to the public.

To help job-seekers prepare, many free resources are available at CareerZone - <a href="http://www.collegecentral.com/hutchcc">www.collegecentral.com/hutchcc</a>. This resource is available not only to HutchCC students but to all community members as well. Current HutchCC students attending the fair who complete a survey are eligible to win an Apple iPad, Apple Airpods or a gift certificate to the campus store.

Attendees will be expected to wear masks and practice social distancing while within the Sports Arena.

The Job Fair is made possible through support from these sponsors: Hutchinson Community College, Radio Kansas, Greater Hutch, the Substance Abuse Center of Kansas, The Bradbury Group, FEMCO, Tyson, Conklin Cars and First National Bank of Hutchinson.

For more information, please e-mail CareerZone@hutchcc.edu or visit <a href="http://www.hutchcc.edu/careerfair">www.hutchcc.edu/careerfair</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1588955468734.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Hutchinson, Kan. – Hutchinson Community College will be hosting its Career Connections Job Fair Thursday, April 1, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Hutchinson Sports Arena.Seventy-six area employers have registered to attend seeking employees for full-time, part-time and internship opportunities. A list of the employers currently registered is available at <a href="http://www.hutchcc.edu/careerfair">www.hutchcc.edu/careerfair</a>. The fair is free and open to the public.To help job-seekers prepare, many free resources are available at CareerZone - <a href="http://www.collegecentral.com/hutchcc">www.collegecentral.com/hutchcc</a>. This resource is available not only to HutchCC students but to all community members as well. Current HutchCC students attending the fair who complete a survey are eligible to win an Apple iPad, Apple Airpods or a gift certificate to the campus store.Attendees will be expected to wear masks and practice social distancing while within the Sports Arena.The Job Fair is made possible through support from these sponsors: Hutchinson Community College, Radio Kansas, Greater Hutch, the Substance Abuse Center of Kansas, The Bradbury Group, FEMCO, Tyson, Conklin Cars and First National Bank of Hutchinson.For more information, please e-mail CareerZone@hutchcc.edu or visit <a href="http://www.hutchcc.edu/careerfair">www.hutchcc.edu/careerfair</a>.

HutchCC job fair Thursday

The Hutchinson Community College men's basketball team used a 24-5 run over the final 6:32 of the first half to defeat Garden City 86-64 on Saturday night at the Sports Arena.

The No. 23-ranked Blue Dragons clinched a tie for the program's 37th league championship with the victory. The Blue Dragons (15-4 overall) are 14-4 in the Jayhawk West and lead second-place Dodge city by two games with two games to play. The Blue Dragons did clinch the No. 1 seed out of the Jayhawk West for the upcoming Region VI Tournament because the Blue Dragons own the head-to-head tie-breaker with the Conquistadors.

Hutchinson will close out the regular season with a road trip to Barton on Monday and a home game with Colby on Wednesday.

The Blue Dragons led just 18-17 with 6:32 remaining in the first half.&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mbkb/2020-21/bios/robinson_chris_q1cl">Chris Robinson</a>'s layup with 5:43 to play in the first half started the decisive first-half run by the Blue Dragons.&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mbkb/2020-21/bios/baker_josh_lpkm">Josh Baker</a>&nbsp;then nailed a 3-pointer for a 23-17 lead. Then the lead went to double figures on a&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mbkb/2020-21/bios/okon_jaden_os3t">Jaden Okon</a>&nbsp;steal and layup for a 27-17 lead with 3:56 to go.

Still leading 32-22, the Dragons closed the 24-5 run with a&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mbkb/2020-21/bios/gabriel_stephen_ryjf">Stephan Gabriel</a>&nbsp;field goal and free throw. Then with 6 seconds to play,&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mbkb/2020-21/bios/bujdoso_isaiah_t7bk">Isaiah Bujdoso</a>&nbsp;went the length of the floor and scored with 1 second remaining to give the Blue Dragons a 37-22 lead.

The Blue Dragons built a 20-point lead at 47-27 on a Bujdoso score with 15:52 to play. Bujdoso then hit a 3-pointer with 8:49 left and Hutchinson had a game-high 25-point lead at 67-42. The Dragons shot 52.8 percent in the second half and outscored Garden City 49-42 in the final two minutes.

Bujdoso and&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mbkb/2020-21/bios/mayers_matt_jfk4">Matt Mayers</a>&nbsp;scored 15 points each to lead the Blue Dragons. Mayers added nine points and Bujdoso had four assists.

Okon and Baker had 11 points each. Baker was 3 of 6 from 3-point range. Okon added four rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Robinson had nine points and&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mbkb/2020-21/bios/kuath_majok_xrls">Majok Kuath</a>&nbsp;had eight points.

The Blue Dragons shot 46.4 percent for the game (32 of 69), going 6 of 19 from 3-point range and 16 of 24 from the free-throw line. The Dragons out-rebounded Garden City 43-37 and had only 10 turnovers. The Blue Dragons dished out 20 assists by eight different players and had eight blocked shots.

The Broncbusters were missing their leading scorer in Denver Jones, the No. 4-leading scorer in the KJCCC at 19.5 points per game. Jasman Sangba had 20 points and Rodney Lewis finished with 10 points to lead the Busters.

Garden City shot 43.1 percent (28 of 65), hitting 4 of 18 from 3-point range and 4 of 6 from the foul line. The Busters turned the ball over 17 times.

GAME NOTES&nbsp;-&nbsp; The Blue Dragons are now 139-49 all-time against Garden City. … This was all-time win No. 1,843 for the Blue Dragons. … This was the Blue Dragons' eighth game of 20 assists or more.

By STEVE CARPENTER - Hutchinson CC Sports InformationThe Hutchinson Community College men's basketball team used a 24-5 run over the final 6:32 of the first half to defeat Garden City 86-64 on Saturday night at the Sports Arena.The No. 23-ranked Blue Dragons clinched a tie for the program's 37th league championship with the victory. The Blue Dragons (15-4 overall) are 14-4 in the Jayhawk West and lead second-place Dodge city by two games with two games to play. The Blue Dragons did clinch the No. 1 seed out of the Jayhawk West for the upcoming Region VI Tournament because the Blue Dragons own the head-to-head tie-breaker with the Conquistadors.Hutchinson will close out the regular season with a road trip to Barton on Monday and a home game with Colby on Wednesday.The Blue Dragons led just 18-17 with 6:32 remaining in the first half.&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mbkb/2020-21/bios/robinson_chris_q1cl">Chris Robinson</a>'s layup with 5:43 to play in the first half started the decisive first-half run by the Blue Dragons.&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mbkb/2020-21/bios/baker_josh_lpkm">Josh Baker</a>&nbsp;then nailed a 3-pointer for a 23-17 lead. Then the lead went to double figures on a&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mbkb/2020-21/bios/okon_jaden_os3t">Jaden Okon</a>&nbsp;steal and layup for a 27-17 lead with 3:56 to go.Still leading 32-22, the Dragons closed the 24-5 run with a&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mbkb/2020-21/bios/gabriel_stephen_ryjf">Stephan Gabriel</a>&nbsp;field goal and free throw. Then with 6 seconds to play,&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mbkb/2020-21/bios/bujdoso_isaiah_t7bk">Isaiah Bujdoso</a>&nbsp;went the length of the floor and scored with 1 second remaining to give the Blue Dragons a 37-22 lead.The Blue Dragons built a 20-point lead at 47-27 on a Bujdoso score with 15:52 to play. Bujdoso then hit a 3-pointer with 8:49 left and Hutchinson had a game-high 25-point lead at 67-42. The Dragons shot 52.8 percent in the second half and outscored Garden City 49-42 in the final two minutes.Bujdoso and&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mbkb/2020-21/bios/mayers_matt_jfk4">Matt Mayers</a>&nbsp;scored 15 points each to lead the Blue Dragons. Mayers added nine points and Bujdoso had four assists.Okon and Baker had 11 points each. Baker was 3 of 6 from 3-point range. Okon added four rebounds, three assists and two steals.Robinson had nine points and&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mbkb/2020-21/bios/kuath_majok_xrls">Majok Kuath</a>&nbsp;had eight points.The Blue Dragons shot 46.4 percent for the game (32 of 69), going 6 of 19 from 3-point range and 16 of 24 from the free-throw line. The Dragons out-rebounded Garden City 43-37 and had only 10 turnovers. The Blue Dragons dished out 20 assists by eight different players and had eight blocked shots.The Broncbusters were missing their leading scorer in Denver Jones, the No. 4-leading scorer in the KJCCC at 19.5 points per game. Jasman Sangba had 20 points and Rodney Lewis finished with 10 points to lead the Busters.Garden City shot 43.1 percent (28 of 65), hitting 4 of 18 from 3-point range and 4 of 6 from the foul line. The Busters turned the ball over 17 times.GAME NOTES&nbsp;-&nbsp; The Blue Dragons are now 139-49 all-time against Garden City. … This was all-time win No. 1,843 for the Blue Dragons. … This was the Blue Dragons' eighth game of 20 assists or more.

Blue Dragon Men defeat Garden City, at brink of west KJCCC Crown

The No. 21-ranked Hutchinson Community College women's basketball team put together its best defensive effort of the Jayhawk Conference season and inched closer to the Jayhawk West title.

The Blue Dragons used that defensive effort to rally from an early eight-point deficit to defeat Garden City 54-42 on Saturday night at the Sports Arena.

Winners of six-straight games, the Blue Dragons improve to 17-3 overall and 16-3 in the Jayhawk West. The Blue Dragons lead second-place Seward County by 1.5 games with two games to play. Third-pace Barton trails by two games. Hutchinson travels to Barton on Monday night.

The Blue Dragons held an opponent to less than 30 percent shooting for the sixth time this season, limiting the Broncbusters (10-10, 9-10 Jayhawk West) to 28.3 percent from the field (13 of 46). That included 2 of 21 from 3-point range and Garden City turned the ball over 16 times.

Garden City led 18-13 after the first quarter, but the Blue Dragons allowed only seven field goals over the final 30 minutes of the game, limiting the Busters to 21.9 percent shooting after the first quarter.

<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2020-21/bios/ervin_kalyn_foze">Kalyn Ervin</a>&nbsp;hit a 3-pointer with 1:41 to play in the first quarter to take a 13-12 lead. The Busters answered with a 9-0 run and took a 21-13 lead after a Kealani Neves 3-pointer with 9:18 to play in the second quarter.

Katarina Zagorac's field goal with 5:33 to play in the second quarter gave the Busters a 25-21 lead. Those were the final points of the half for Garden City. The Blue Dragons went through their own scoring dry-spell that lasted 4 minutes, 52 seconds. That streak was snapped by an Ervin free throw with 1:52 to play in the second quarter. An Ervin steal and layup tied the game and the Dragons wound up with a 27-25 lead at halftime when&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2020-21/bios/gore_lojong_i68o">Lojong Gore</a>&nbsp;scored with 50 seconds remaining.

Aerihna Afoa scored on Garden City's first possession of the third quarter to tie the game at 27. That was Garden City's only field goal of the third quarter. K.K. Adams hit a 3-pointer on Hutch's next possession and the Blue Dragons had the lead for good, albeit only 36-30 after three quarters, holding Garden City to an opponent-low five points in the third period.

Leading 42-36, the Blue Dragons finally put the Busters away over the final 5:15 of the game. Gore's inside hope with 5:15 left upped the lead to eight. The Dragons achieved their first double-figure lead at 47-36 on an&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2020-21/bios/suttington_ishante_gbs8">Ishante Suttington</a>&nbsp;layup. The Dragons outscored Garden City 14-6 over the final 5:15 to finish off a season-series sweep.

The Blue Dragons finished shooting 40.9 percent (18 of 44), hitting 7 of 19 from 3-point range and 11 of 18 from the free-throw line.

Ervin scored a game-high 13 points to lead the Blue Dragons.&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2020-21/bios/alford_tor-e_j660">Tor'e Alford</a>&nbsp;had 11 points, six rebounds and four assists. Suttington had 10 points and four rebounds.

The Blue Dragons were out-rebounded 33-31, but committed only 12 turnovers.

Justis Odom had 11 points for Garden City. Neves, who had 22 points in the first game on March 6 at Garden City, was limited to nine points.

GAME NOTES&nbsp;– The previous Jayhawk Conference defensive low by the Blue Dragons was 44 points scored by Cloud County on February 6. … This was Hutchinson's seventh win in a row against Garden City. The Blue Dragons are now 74-19 all-time against Garden City. … This was the 31st time in the 93-game history between Hutchinson and Garden City that the Blue Dragons held the Busters to less than 50 points. … The Dragons are 4-2 when being out-rebounded in a game this season.

By STEVE CARPENTER - Hutchinson CC Sports InformationThe No. 21-ranked Hutchinson Community College women's basketball team put together its best defensive effort of the Jayhawk Conference season and inched closer to the Jayhawk West title.The Blue Dragons used that defensive effort to rally from an early eight-point deficit to defeat Garden City 54-42 on Saturday night at the Sports Arena.Winners of six-straight games, the Blue Dragons improve to 17-3 overall and 16-3 in the Jayhawk West. The Blue Dragons lead second-place Seward County by 1.5 games with two games to play. Third-pace Barton trails by two games. Hutchinson travels to Barton on Monday night.The Blue Dragons held an opponent to less than 30 percent shooting for the sixth time this season, limiting the Broncbusters (10-10, 9-10 Jayhawk West) to 28.3 percent from the field (13 of 46). That included 2 of 21 from 3-point range and Garden City turned the ball over 16 times.Garden City led 18-13 after the first quarter, but the Blue Dragons allowed only seven field goals over the final 30 minutes of the game, limiting the Busters to 21.9 percent shooting after the first quarter.<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2020-21/bios/ervin_kalyn_foze">Kalyn Ervin</a>&nbsp;hit a 3-pointer with 1:41 to play in the first quarter to take a 13-12 lead. The Busters answered with a 9-0 run and took a 21-13 lead after a Kealani Neves 3-pointer with 9:18 to play in the second quarter.Katarina Zagorac's field goal with 5:33 to play in the second quarter gave the Busters a 25-21 lead. Those were the final points of the half for Garden City. The Blue Dragons went through their own scoring dry-spell that lasted 4 minutes, 52 seconds. That streak was snapped by an Ervin free throw with 1:52 to play in the second quarter. An Ervin steal and layup tied the game and the Dragons wound up with a 27-25 lead at halftime when&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2020-21/bios/gore_lojong_i68o">Lojong Gore</a>&nbsp;scored with 50 seconds remaining.Aerihna Afoa scored on Garden City's first possession of the third quarter to tie the game at 27. That was Garden City's only field goal of the third quarter. K.K. Adams hit a 3-pointer on Hutch's next possession and the Blue Dragons had the lead for good, albeit only 36-30 after three quarters, holding Garden City to an opponent-low five points in the third period.Leading 42-36, the Blue Dragons finally put the Busters away over the final 5:15 of the game. Gore's inside hope with 5:15 left upped the lead to eight. The Dragons achieved their first double-figure lead at 47-36 on an&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2020-21/bios/suttington_ishante_gbs8">Ishante Suttington</a>&nbsp;layup. The Dragons outscored Garden City 14-6 over the final 5:15 to finish off a season-series sweep.The Blue Dragons finished shooting 40.9 percent (18 of 44), hitting 7 of 19 from 3-point range and 11 of 18 from the free-throw line.Ervin scored a game-high 13 points to lead the Blue Dragons.&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2020-21/bios/alford_tor-e_j660">Tor'e Alford</a>&nbsp;had 11 points, six rebounds and four assists. Suttington had 10 points and four rebounds.The Blue Dragons were out-rebounded 33-31, but committed only 12 turnovers.Justis Odom had 11 points for Garden City. Neves, who had 22 points in the first game on March 6 at Garden City, was limited to nine points.GAME NOTES&nbsp;– The previous Jayhawk Conference defensive low by the Blue Dragons was 44 points scored by Cloud County on February 6. … This was Hutchinson's seventh win in a row against Garden City. The Blue Dragons are now 74-19 all-time against Garden City. … This was the 31st time in the 93-game history between Hutchinson and Garden City that the Blue Dragons held the Busters to less than 50 points. … The Dragons are 4-2 when being out-rebounded in a game this season.

Blue Dragon Women grind out win over Garden City

EL DORADO –&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/bsb/2020-21/bios/gotreaux_hunter_hz3z">Hunter Gotreaux</a>&nbsp;drove in three runs and&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/bsb/2020-21/bios/mclaughlin_ben_izxd">Ben McLaughlin</a>&nbsp;added a two-run home run to lead the Hutchinson Community College baseball team to a third-straight Jayhawk West series victory in as many series on Saturday.

Hutchinson defeated Butler 6-4 in Game 1 of the teams' Jayhawk West doubleheader at McDonald Stadium, the Blue Dragons' third-straight win in the series. Hutch swept Butler on Thursday at Hobart-Detter Field. The Grizzlies dominated the final game of the series with a 12-2 seven-inning victory.

The Blue Dragons are now 15-9 overall and leads the Jayhawk West with a 9-3 record. Butler is now 9-6 overall and 7-5 in league play. The Blue Dragons play the Baker University JV on Tuesday as a site to be determined and will play Pratt next week – Thursday in Pratt and Saturday at Hobart-Detter Field.

GAME 1 RECAP Gotreaux had his career home run and three-RBI game to lead the Blue Dragons in Game 1. His two-run home run in the top of the second to give the Blue Dragons a 4-1 lead. His RBI single in the sixth wound up being a big insurance run. That run at the time game the Blue Dragons a 6-2 lead.

The Grizzlies scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth, but&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/bsb/2020-21/bios/delong_tyler_zy4q">Tyler Delong</a>&nbsp;shut the door on the Grizzlies for his third save of the season.&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/bsb/2020-21/bios/hornberger_luke_8hqc">Luke Hornberger</a>&nbsp;(1-1) earned the pitching win with 3 1-3 innings. He struck out two and allowed six hits and one run.

McLaughlin hit a two-run home run – his fourth of the season – in the top of the first to get the Dragons going. Gotreaux and&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/bsb/2020-21/bios/reetz_will_n5g4">Will Reetz</a>&nbsp;both had two hits to lead Hutchinson. Both the Dragons and Grizzlies had eight hits each in the game.

GAME 2 RECAP Butler starter Dylan Ritchie limited the Blue Dragons to two runs and five hits in the final game of the series. Richey struck out six and allowed two earned runs with five hits and two walks.

The only offense in game for the Blue Dragons was a third-inning RBI single from Gotreaux and a leading fourth-inning home run from&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/bsb/2020-21/bios/callahan_austin_vm9d">Austin Callahan</a>, his 10th of the season.

Gotreaux was 2 for 3 to lead Hutchinson.&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/bsb/2020-21/bios/argo_cade_c51h">Cade Argo</a>&nbsp;had a double.

Jonah Cox had two home runs and drove in four for Butler.

Four Blue Dragon pitchers gave up 11 hits, 12 runs, nine walks and two hit batsmen.

<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/bsb/2020-21/bios/schlotzhauer_ryan_gzmw">Ryan Schlotzhauer</a>&nbsp;(1-3) was the losing pitcher.

By STEVE CARPENTER - Hutchinson CC Sports InformationEL DORADO –&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/bsb/2020-21/bios/gotreaux_hunter_hz3z">Hunter Gotreaux</a>&nbsp;drove in three runs and&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/bsb/2020-21/bios/mclaughlin_ben_izxd">Ben McLaughlin</a>&nbsp;added a two-run home run to lead the Hutchinson Community College baseball team to a third-straight Jayhawk West series victory in as many series on Saturday.Hutchinson defeated Butler 6-4 in Game 1 of the teams' Jayhawk West doubleheader at McDonald Stadium, the Blue Dragons' third-straight win in the series. Hutch swept Butler on Thursday at Hobart-Detter Field. The Grizzlies dominated the final game of the series with a 12-2 seven-inning victory.The Blue Dragons are now 15-9 overall and leads the Jayhawk West with a 9-3 record. Butler is now 9-6 overall and 7-5 in league play. The Blue Dragons play the Baker University JV on Tuesday as a site to be determined and will play Pratt next week – Thursday in Pratt and Saturday at Hobart-Detter Field.GAME 1 RECAP Gotreaux had his career home run and three-RBI game to lead the Blue Dragons in Game 1. His two-run home run in the top of the second to give the Blue Dragons a 4-1 lead. His RBI single in the sixth wound up being a big insurance run. That run at the time game the Blue Dragons a 6-2 lead.The Grizzlies scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth, but&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/bsb/2020-21/bios/delong_tyler_zy4q">Tyler Delong</a>&nbsp;shut the door on the Grizzlies for his third save of the season.&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/bsb/2020-21/bios/hornberger_luke_8hqc">Luke Hornberger</a>&nbsp;(1-1) earned the pitching win with 3 1-3 innings. He struck out two and allowed six hits and one run.McLaughlin hit a two-run home run – his fourth of the season – in the top of the first to get the Dragons going. Gotreaux and&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/bsb/2020-21/bios/reetz_will_n5g4">Will Reetz</a>&nbsp;both had two hits to lead Hutchinson. Both the Dragons and Grizzlies had eight hits each in the game.GAME 2 RECAP Butler starter Dylan Ritchie limited the Blue Dragons to two runs and five hits in the final game of the series. Richey struck out six and allowed two earned runs with five hits and two walks.The only offense in game for the Blue Dragons was a third-inning RBI single from Gotreaux and a leading fourth-inning home run from&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/bsb/2020-21/bios/callahan_austin_vm9d">Austin Callahan</a>, his 10th of the season.Gotreaux was 2 for 3 to lead Hutchinson.&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/bsb/2020-21/bios/argo_cade_c51h">Cade Argo</a>&nbsp;had a double.Jonah Cox had two home runs and drove in four for Butler.Four Blue Dragon pitchers gave up 11 hits, 12 runs, nine walks and two hit batsmen.<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/bsb/2020-21/bios/schlotzhauer_ryan_gzmw">Ryan Schlotzhauer</a>&nbsp;(1-3) was the losing pitcher.

Blue Dragon Baseball earns 3rd straight Jayhawk Conference series win

ARKANSAS CITY – Sophomore&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2020-21/bios/flanagan_teagan_t8g2">Teagan Flanagan</a>&nbsp;became the second Hutchinson Community College men's track and field athlete to qualify for the 2021 NJCAA Outdoor Championships on Saturday.

Flanagan won the Cowley Tiger Invitational 5,000 meters on Saturday to lead 16 Blue Dragon placers. Five Blue Dragon athletes, including Flanagan, earned NJCAA Top 20 marks for the season.

Flanagan, a three-time NJCAA Track and Cross Country All-American, won the Tiger Invitational 5,000 meters with a time of 14 minutes, 48.39 seconds. Flanagan posted the third-fastest time in the 5,000 in the nation this season and fourth-fastest 5,000 time in Blue Dragon Men's Outdoor history.

<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2020-21/files/O_-_Cowley_Invite.pdf">CLICK FOR FINAL COWLEY TIGER INVITATIONAL RESULTS</a>

Flanagan also placed second on Saturday in the 1,500 meters with a time of 4:02.71. That is the 12th-fastest time in the NJCAA this season.

Sophomore sprinter&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2020-21/bios/scott_jared_jivt">Jared Scott</a>&nbsp;ran the sixth-fastest time in the NJCAA this season in the 100 meters this season with a season-low 10.37 seconds in a fourth-place showing at Cowley.

Flanagan and Scott are the two Blue Dragons who have qualified for the NJCAA outdoor championships in May.

High jumpers Zach Biel and&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2020-21/bios/thiel_wyatt_1ibg">Wyatt Thiel</a>&nbsp;finished second and third, respectively on Saturday. Both Blue Dragons cleared season bests of 6 feet, 6 inches, which ties for fifth in the NJCAA this season.

<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2020-21/bios/cooper_antonio_3be3">Antonio Cooper</a>&nbsp;placed fifth in the Tiger Invite shot put with a top distance of 48-0.75. That mark is ninth in the NJCAA in 2021. Cooper also finished eighth in the discus with a threw of 123-4.

Other top performances by the Blue Dragons on Saturday were: + All-American&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2020-21/bios/johnson_erick_vwgv">Erick Johnson</a>&nbsp;was the Tiger Invitational runner-up in the triple jump with a leap of 43-0.5. + Three Blue Dragons played in the pole vault.&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2020-21/bios/eck_jake_jmcr">Jake Eck</a>&nbsp;was third at 12 feet, 8 inches.&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2020-21/bios/steinert_simon_yglp">Simon Steinert</a>&nbsp;was fourth at 12-2 and Raul Oduna was seventh at 11-2.25. +&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2020-21/bios/delaney_cameron_pdnz">Cameron Delaney</a>&nbsp;played fourth in the 3,000-meter Steeplechase with a time of 10:35.02.&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2020-21/bios/geissinger_aaron_vs2w">Aaron Geissinger</a>&nbsp;was sixth in the steeplechase in 11:03.13. +&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2020-21/bios/schrag_matthew_oj3w">Matthew Schrag</a>&nbsp;placed fifth in the 5,000 meters in a time of 17:11.07. +&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2020-21/bios/redford_carson_44a3">Carson Radford</a>&nbsp;placed seventh in the long jump with a top jump of 20-3. +&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2020-21/bios/flax_cody_303d">Cody Flax</a>&nbsp;was seventh in the shot put at 38-6.75. + Brennon Heckel placed eighth in the javelin with a throw of 118-4.

By STEVE CARPENTER - Hutchinson CC Sports InformationARKANSAS CITY – Sophomore&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2020-21/bios/flanagan_teagan_t8g2">Teagan Flanagan</a>&nbsp;became the second Hutchinson Community College men's track and field athlete to qualify for the 2021 NJCAA Outdoor Championships on Saturday.Flanagan won the Cowley Tiger Invitational 5,000 meters on Saturday to lead 16 Blue Dragon placers. Five Blue Dragon athletes, including Flanagan, earned NJCAA Top 20 marks for the season.Flanagan, a three-time NJCAA Track and Cross Country All-American, won the Tiger Invitational 5,000 meters with a time of 14 minutes, 48.39 seconds. Flanagan posted the third-fastest time in the 5,000 in the nation this season and fourth-fastest 5,000 time in Blue Dragon Men's Outdoor history.<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2020-21/files/O_-_Cowley_Invite.pdf">CLICK FOR FINAL COWLEY TIGER INVITATIONAL RESULTS</a>Flanagan also placed second on Saturday in the 1,500 meters with a time of 4:02.71. That is the 12th-fastest time in the NJCAA this season.Sophomore sprinter&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2020-21/bios/scott_jared_jivt">Jared Scott</a>&nbsp;ran the sixth-fastest time in the NJCAA this season in the 100 meters this season with a season-low 10.37 seconds in a fourth-place showing at Cowley.Flanagan and Scott are the two Blue Dragons who have qualified for the NJCAA outdoor championships in May.High jumpers Zach Biel and&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2020-21/bios/thiel_wyatt_1ibg">Wyatt Thiel</a>&nbsp;finished second and third, respectively on Saturday. Both Blue Dragons cleared season bests of 6 feet, 6 inches, which ties for fifth in the NJCAA this season.<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2020-21/bios/cooper_antonio_3be3">Antonio Cooper</a>&nbsp;placed fifth in the Tiger Invite shot put with a top distance of 48-0.75. That mark is ninth in the NJCAA in 2021. Cooper also finished eighth in the discus with a threw of 123-4.Other top performances by the Blue Dragons on Saturday were: + All-American&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2020-21/bios/johnson_erick_vwgv">Erick Johnson</a>&nbsp;was the Tiger Invitational runner-up in the triple jump with a leap of 43-0.5. + Three Blue Dragons played in the pole vault.&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2020-21/bios/eck_jake_jmcr">Jake Eck</a>&nbsp;was third at 12 feet, 8 inches.&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2020-21/bios/steinert_simon_yglp">Simon Steinert</a>&nbsp;was fourth at 12-2 and Raul Oduna was seventh at 11-2.25. +&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2020-21/bios/delaney_cameron_pdnz">Cameron Delaney</a>&nbsp;played fourth in the 3,000-meter Steeplechase with a time of 10:35.02.&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2020-21/bios/geissinger_aaron_vs2w">Aaron Geissinger</a>&nbsp;was sixth in the steeplechase in 11:03.13. +&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2020-21/bios/schrag_matthew_oj3w">Matthew Schrag</a>&nbsp;placed fifth in the 5,000 meters in a time of 17:11.07. +&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2020-21/bios/redford_carson_44a3">Carson Radford</a>&nbsp;placed seventh in the long jump with a top jump of 20-3. +&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2020-21/bios/flax_cody_303d">Cody Flax</a>&nbsp;was seventh in the shot put at 38-6.75. + Brennon Heckel placed eighth in the javelin with a throw of 118-4.

HutchCC Track and Field picks up 2nd National Meet qualifier

COLBY – Freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/sball/2020-21/bios/grimes_madison_qa73">Madison Grimes</a>&nbsp;had six combined hits on Saturday, but the Hutchinson Community College softball team continued to struggle and dropped a Jayhawk Conference doubleheader on Saturday at Colby.

Hutchinson fell 7-1 in the opening game and 16-7 in Game 2. The Blue Dragons drop to 12-12 overall and 4-6 in the Jayhawk East. The Blue Dragons have lost six games in a row.

GAME 1 RECAP The Blue Dragons took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third when Grimes doubled in&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/sball/2020-21/bios/williams_lexi_p2uv">Lexi Williams</a>.

Grimes went 2 for 4 in Game 1 with a double and RBI. Williams was 1 for 4, but reached base three times and stole three bases.

Colby tied the game at 1 in the fourth with an unearned run and took a 3-1 lead in the fifth on back-to-back two-out home runs from Laney Shireman and Allison Westbrook. The Trojans broke the game open with four runs in the sixth.

<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/sball/2020-21/bios/galliher_jordan_2rxp">Jordan Galliher</a>&nbsp;(5-2) started and took the loss in the pitching circle. Galliher worked 5 2-3 innings. She struck out five and allowed eight eights, six runs and walked three.

Colby out-hit Hutchinson 10-7.&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/sball/2020-21/bios/sterneker_carley_kxwf">Carley Sterneker</a>&nbsp;was 2 for 3 in Game 1 with a double.&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/sball/2020-21/bios/miller_haley_c81y">Haley Miller</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/sball/2020-21/bios/pennycuff_bailey_j9zj">Bailey Pennycuff</a>&nbsp;had Hutchinson's other hits.

GAME 2 RECAP Grimes was a perfect 4 for 4 with a double and four RBIs to lead Hutchinson's 13-hit attack. Grimes had RBI singles in both the third and fourth innings and ripped a two-run double in the top of the sixth.

Grimes' fourth-inning RBI single capped a three-run inning and tied the game at 5-all after the Blue Dragons trailed 5-1.

Colby pounded out 18 hits the second game. After Hutchinson tied the game at 5-all, the Trojans immediately grabbed the lead back on Megan Kenney three-run home run in the bottom of the fourth. Colby reached the eight-run mercy rule in the sixth on a Jennifer Williams grand slam to make it 16-7. Kennedy and Williams had six RBIs each.

Williams went 2 for 4 and stole her 29th base of the season, which ties her own Blue Dragon single-season stolen base record which she set in 24 games last season. Williams' 29th stolen base this season came in Game 24 for the Blue Dragons.

Miller and Pennycuff both had two hits each.

Mequela Guajardo (2-4) pitched 2 1-3 innings out of the bullpen and suffered the loss.

The Blue Dragons travel to Ottawa University on Wednesday to take on the Braves' JV team in Ottawa.

By STEVE CARPENTER - Hutchinson CC Sports InformationCOLBY – Freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/sball/2020-21/bios/grimes_madison_qa73">Madison Grimes</a>&nbsp;had six combined hits on Saturday, but the Hutchinson Community College softball team continued to struggle and dropped a Jayhawk Conference doubleheader on Saturday at Colby.Hutchinson fell 7-1 in the opening game and 16-7 in Game 2. The Blue Dragons drop to 12-12 overall and 4-6 in the Jayhawk East. The Blue Dragons have lost six games in a row.GAME 1 RECAP The Blue Dragons took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third when Grimes doubled in&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/sball/2020-21/bios/williams_lexi_p2uv">Lexi Williams</a>.Grimes went 2 for 4 in Game 1 with a double and RBI. Williams was 1 for 4, but reached base three times and stole three bases.Colby tied the game at 1 in the fourth with an unearned run and took a 3-1 lead in the fifth on back-to-back two-out home runs from Laney Shireman and Allison Westbrook. The Trojans broke the game open with four runs in the sixth.<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/sball/2020-21/bios/galliher_jordan_2rxp">Jordan Galliher</a>&nbsp;(5-2) started and took the loss in the pitching circle. Galliher worked 5 2-3 innings. She struck out five and allowed eight eights, six runs and walked three.Colby out-hit Hutchinson 10-7.&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/sball/2020-21/bios/sterneker_carley_kxwf">Carley Sterneker</a>&nbsp;was 2 for 3 in Game 1 with a double.&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/sball/2020-21/bios/miller_haley_c81y">Haley Miller</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/sball/2020-21/bios/pennycuff_bailey_j9zj">Bailey Pennycuff</a>&nbsp;had Hutchinson's other hits.GAME 2 RECAP Grimes was a perfect 4 for 4 with a double and four RBIs to lead Hutchinson's 13-hit attack. Grimes had RBI singles in both the third and fourth innings and ripped a two-run double in the top of the sixth.Grimes' fourth-inning RBI single capped a three-run inning and tied the game at 5-all after the Blue Dragons trailed 5-1.Colby pounded out 18 hits the second game. After Hutchinson tied the game at 5-all, the Trojans immediately grabbed the lead back on Megan Kenney three-run home run in the bottom of the fourth. Colby reached the eight-run mercy rule in the sixth on a Jennifer Williams grand slam to make it 16-7. Kennedy and Williams had six RBIs each.Williams went 2 for 4 and stole her 29th base of the season, which ties her own Blue Dragon single-season stolen base record which she set in 24 games last season. Williams' 29th stolen base this season came in Game 24 for the Blue Dragons.Miller and Pennycuff both had two hits each.Mequela Guajardo (2-4) pitched 2 1-3 innings out of the bullpen and suffered the loss.The Blue Dragons travel to Ottawa University on Wednesday to take on the Braves' JV team in Ottawa.

Blue Dragon Softball drops pair to Colby

HUTCHINSON, Kan.—New Hutchinson Community College football coach Drew Dallas had to wait more than 11,300 hours for his first game as a head coach. So what's an extra hour to Dallas to get his first win?

The No. 1-ranked Blue Dragons had to wait through a one-hour weather delay as halftime was ending, but it was worth the wait as Hutchinson downed Coffeyville 33-10 in the 89th season opener in Hutchinson football history on Friday night at Gowans Stadium.

The Blue Dragons took the opening kickoff 60 yards for the season's first score to grab the lead for good. Alfonso DeLeon booted a 28-yard field goal to end the first half with Hutchinson leading 19-3. After the rain delay, the Dragons marched 64 yards for a touchdown on the first possession of the second half and weren't threatened again.

Dallas became the ninth of 18 Blue Dragon football head coaches to win his Hutchinson debut. The Blue Dragons also extended their program-record winning streak in season openers to 13.

The Blue Dragons spread the wealth around as Hutchinson rolled up 235 rushing yards, out-gaining Coffeyville 411-205.

Redshirt freshman quarterback C.J. Ogbonna tallied 215 yards total offense and accounted for two touchdowns. Ogbonna completed 14 of 20 passes for 136 yards with a touchdown and interception. Ogbonna rushed for 79 yards on seven carries.

<a href="https://hutchinson.prestosports.com/sports/fball/2020-21/bios/edwards_tye_vovm">Tye Edwards</a>&nbsp;ran for a game-high 84 yards on 13 carries with a touchdown.&nbsp;<a href="https://hutchinson.prestosports.com/sports/fball/2020-21/bios/lewis_anwar_oe0l">Anwar Lewis</a>&nbsp;had five carries for 45 yards.&nbsp;<a href="https://hutchinson.prestosports.com/sports/fball/2020-21/bios/hoff_ronald_fr1w">Ronald Hoff</a>&nbsp;had 10 rushes for 44 yards and a score and&nbsp;<a href="https://hutchinson.prestosports.com/sports/fball/2020-21/bios/mcknight_corey_bj4q">Corey McKnight</a>&nbsp;had 26 yards on six carries.

<a href="https://hutchinson.prestosports.com/sports/fball/2020-21/bios/braham_cortes_6fw6">Cortez Braham</a>&nbsp;caught four passes for 41 yards.&nbsp;<a href="https://hutchinson.prestosports.com/sports/fball/2020-21/bios/thomas_ivan_quha">Ivan Thomas</a>&nbsp;had three coaches for 45 yards and a score to lead the Dragon receivers.

Tre Pinkney led Hutchinson defensive with 10 total tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks.&nbsp;<a href="https://hutchinson.prestosports.com/sports/fball/2020-21/bios/davis_jurriente_hvgl">Jurriente Davis</a>&nbsp;had nine tackles and&nbsp;<a href="https://hutchinson.prestosports.com/sports/fball/2020-21/bios/simmons_shamari_b54n">Shamari Simmons</a>&nbsp;had eight.&nbsp;<a href="https://hutchinson.prestosports.com/sports/fball/2020-21/bios/coleman_caleb_ugjg">Caleb Coleman</a>&nbsp;had the only Blue Dragon takeaway with an interception in the fourth quarter.

Defensively, the Blue Dragons held Coffeyville (0-1, 0-1) to 129 rushing yards and only 76 passing yards. Running back James Meeks led the Red Ravens with 54 rushing yards on eight carries. Receiver Bryce Childress had six receptions for 43 yads.

The Blue Dragons wasted little time to open the scoring with a five-play, 60-yard scoring march to open the season. Ogbonna finished the drive with a 30-yard touchdown run. After DeLeon's extra point, the Dragons led 7-0 with 12:56 to play in the first quarter. Coffeyville then converted three third downs on its opening drive, which stalled out when quarterback Kolbi Langhi was sacked by Pinkney and&nbsp;<a href="https://hutchinson.prestosports.com/sports/fball/2020-21/bios/westmoreland_davion_14in">Davion Westmoreland</a>. Coffeyville scored with a Skyler Seagraves' 29-yard field goal to cut the Dragon lead to 7-3 with 3:35 remaining in the opening quarter.

Two possessions later, the Dragons navigated a short field and drove 36 yards in seven plays. Edwards covered the final 6 yards for his first Hutchinson touchdown. The PAT snap was bobbled and Hutchinson led 13-3 with 11:37 remaining in the second quarter.

The Dragon defense forced a three-and-out. Hutchinson converted that and Lewis runs of 29 and 11 yards into a DeLeon 30-yard field goal with 6:07 to play in the second quarter and a 16-3 lead. The Dragons then survived their first turnover of the season by holding Coffeyville on downs at the Hutchinson 39. Using its two-minute offense, Hutch marched all the way to the Raven 11 and ended the first half with a DeLeon 28-yard field goal to lead Coffeyville 19-3 at halftime

Hutchinson boosted its lead to 26-3 on the first possession of the second half when Ogbonna threw his first career touchdown pass, 35 yards to Thomas with 12:43 to play in the period. Two possessions later, Coffeyville scored on a Star Thomas 20-yard touchdown run to cut the Dragon lead to 16.

The Blue Dragons immediately answered with a 61-yard, 11-play scoring march as Hoff scored from 2-yards out on the final play of the third quarter to give Hutchinson a 33-10 lead.

GAME NOTES&nbsp;– The Blue Dragons are now 53-34-3 in season-opening games and 63-24-2 in home openers. … The Blue Dragons have won five straight and 13 of the last 15 over Coffeyville. … Drew Dallas joins Bill Goldsmith, Steve Logan, Larry Hook, Sam Pittman, Andy Hill, Martin Harrell, Dave Wheeler and Craig Jersild as Blue Dragon head coaches to win in their first game. … The Blue Dragons still trail in the all-time series with Coffeyville 30-55-4.

By STEVE CARPENTER - Hutchinson CC Sports InformationHUTCHINSON, Kan.—New Hutchinson Community College football coach Drew Dallas had to wait more than 11,300 hours for his first game as a head coach. So what's an extra hour to Dallas to get his first win?The No. 1-ranked Blue Dragons had to wait through a one-hour weather delay as halftime was ending, but it was worth the wait as Hutchinson downed Coffeyville 33-10 in the 89th season opener in Hutchinson football history on Friday night at Gowans Stadium.The Blue Dragons took the opening kickoff 60 yards for the season's first score to grab the lead for good. Alfonso DeLeon booted a 28-yard field goal to end the first half with Hutchinson leading 19-3. After the rain delay, the Dragons marched 64 yards for a touchdown on the first possession of the second half and weren't threatened again.Dallas became the ninth of 18 Blue Dragon football head coaches to win his Hutchinson debut. The Blue Dragons also extended their program-record winning streak in season openers to 13.The Blue Dragons spread the wealth around as Hutchinson rolled up 235 rushing yards, out-gaining Coffeyville 411-205.Redshirt freshman quarterback C.J. Ogbonna tallied 215 yards total offense and accounted for two touchdowns. Ogbonna completed 14 of 20 passes for 136 yards with a touchdown and interception. Ogbonna rushed for 79 yards on seven carries.<a href="https://hutchinson.prestosports.com/sports/fball/2020-21/bios/edwards_tye_vovm">Tye Edwards</a>&nbsp;ran for a game-high 84 yards on 13 carries with a touchdown.&nbsp;<a href="https://hutchinson.prestosports.com/sports/fball/2020-21/bios/lewis_anwar_oe0l">Anwar Lewis</a>&nbsp;had five carries for 45 yards.&nbsp;<a href="https://hutchinson.prestosports.com/sports/fball/2020-21/bios/hoff_ronald_fr1w">Ronald Hoff</a>&nbsp;had 10 rushes for 44 yards and a score and&nbsp;<a href="https://hutchinson.prestosports.com/sports/fball/2020-21/bios/mcknight_corey_bj4q">Corey McKnight</a>&nbsp;had 26 yards on six carries.<a href="https://hutchinson.prestosports.com/sports/fball/2020-21/bios/braham_cortes_6fw6">Cortez Braham</a>&nbsp;caught four passes for 41 yards.&nbsp;<a href="https://hutchinson.prestosports.com/sports/fball/2020-21/bios/thomas_ivan_quha">Ivan Thomas</a>&nbsp;had three coaches for 45 yards and a score to lead the Dragon receivers.Tre Pinkney led Hutchinson defensive with 10 total tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks.&nbsp;<a href="https://hutchinson.prestosports.com/sports/fball/2020-21/bios/davis_jurriente_hvgl">Jurriente Davis</a>&nbsp;had nine tackles and&nbsp;<a href="https://hutchinson.prestosports.com/sports/fball/2020-21/bios/simmons_shamari_b54n">Shamari Simmons</a>&nbsp;had eight.&nbsp;<a href="https://hutchinson.prestosports.com/sports/fball/2020-21/bios/coleman_caleb_ugjg">Caleb Coleman</a>&nbsp;had the only Blue Dragon takeaway with an interception in the fourth quarter.Defensively, the Blue Dragons held Coffeyville (0-1, 0-1) to 129 rushing yards and only 76 passing yards. Running back James Meeks led the Red Ravens with 54 rushing yards on eight carries. Receiver Bryce Childress had six receptions for 43 yads.The Blue Dragons wasted little time to open the scoring with a five-play, 60-yard scoring march to open the season. Ogbonna finished the drive with a 30-yard touchdown run. After DeLeon's extra point, the Dragons led 7-0 with 12:56 to play in the first quarter. Coffeyville then converted three third downs on its opening drive, which stalled out when quarterback Kolbi Langhi was sacked by Pinkney and&nbsp;<a href="https://hutchinson.prestosports.com/sports/fball/2020-21/bios/westmoreland_davion_14in">Davion Westmoreland</a>. Coffeyville scored with a Skyler Seagraves' 29-yard field goal to cut the Dragon lead to 7-3 with 3:35 remaining in the opening quarter.Two possessions later, the Dragons navigated a short field and drove 36 yards in seven plays. Edwards covered the final 6 yards for his first Hutchinson touchdown. The PAT snap was bobbled and Hutchinson led 13-3 with 11:37 remaining in the second quarter.The Dragon defense forced a three-and-out. Hutchinson converted that and Lewis runs of 29 and 11 yards into a DeLeon 30-yard field goal with 6:07 to play in the second quarter and a 16-3 lead. The Dragons then survived their first turnover of the season by holding Coffeyville on downs at the Hutchinson 39. Using its two-minute offense, Hutch marched all the way to the Raven 11 and ended the first half with a DeLeon 28-yard field goal to lead Coffeyville 19-3 at halftimeHutchinson boosted its lead to 26-3 on the first possession of the second half when Ogbonna threw his first career touchdown pass, 35 yards to Thomas with 12:43 to play in the period. Two possessions later, Coffeyville scored on a Star Thomas 20-yard touchdown run to cut the Dragon lead to 16.The Blue Dragons immediately answered with a 61-yard, 11-play scoring march as Hoff scored from 2-yards out on the final play of the third quarter to give Hutchinson a 33-10 lead.GAME NOTES&nbsp;– The Blue Dragons are now 53-34-3 in season-opening games and 63-24-2 in home openers. … The Blue Dragons have won five straight and 13 of the last 15 over Coffeyville. … Drew Dallas joins Bill Goldsmith, Steve Logan, Larry Hook, Sam Pittman, Andy Hill, Martin Harrell, Dave Wheeler and Craig Jersild as Blue Dragon head coaches to win in their first game. … The Blue Dragons still trail in the all-time series with Coffeyville 30-55-4.

Blue Dragons win in Drew Dallas' debut, roll by Ravens

Jerry “Spider” Webb, 82, passed away Thursday, March 25, 2021 at his home in Hutchinson. Jerry was born May 29, 1938 in Hutchinson, Kansas, the son of Hazel (Anderson) Connery and grandparent’s Ed and Eudora Anderson. 

On October 25, 1959 he was united in marriage to Judy Huey in Hutchinson. To this union, they were blessed with two children, Eric and Cara. Jerry was a graduate of Hutchinson High School class of 1958. He then attended Hutchinson Community College. Jerry was in the Navy Reserve for eight years. He enjoyed his lifelong career as a machinist, working at Cessna for 19 years, Consolidated Manufacturing for 12 years and KMG for six years. He also owned and operated SMS Machine Shop. Jerry was an avid motor cross racer and was a state champion vintage motor cross racer. He enjoyed fixing up cars and would take them drag racing. He enjoyed racing with his son and grandson. He also had a love for dogs. Jerry was a member of the ROMEO Club, Prairie Pups Motorcycle Club and the Cheybogan Car Club. 

He is preceded in death by his great granddaughter, Shelby Jane Stowell. 

He is survived by his wife Judy; a son Eric (Eileen) Webb, a daughter, Cara Mullen; five grandchildren, Nicole (Tony) Hall, Todd (Stacy) Webb, Nate (Chelsey) Fehl, Dylan Fehl and Eranne Lenz; and seven great grandchildren, Kadi Hall, Baylee Hall, Dexter Webb, Peyton Hall, Harrison Webb, Cooper Fehl, Parker Fehl and several step grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m., Saturday, April 3, 2021 at Memorial Park Cemetery, 5905 W. 4th Ave, Hutchinson, KS with Pastor Linda Ewert officiating. Visitation will be held from 5 p.m. - 7 p.m., Friday, April 2, 2021 at Hutchinson Funeral Chapel, 300 E. 30th Ave. Hutchinson, KS. Memorials may be given to Hutchinson Humane Society and can be sent in care of the funeral chapel.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1616811764600.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Jerry “Spider” Webb, 82, passed away Thursday, March 25, 2021 at his home in Hutchinson. Jerry was born May 29, 1938 in Hutchinson, Kansas, the son of Hazel (Anderson) Connery and grandparent’s Ed and Eudora Anderson. On October 25, 1959 he was united in marriage to Judy Huey in Hutchinson. To this union, they were blessed with two children, Eric and Cara. Jerry was a graduate of Hutchinson High School class of 1958. He then attended Hutchinson Community College. Jerry was in the Navy Reserve for eight years. He enjoyed his lifelong career as a machinist, working at Cessna for 19 years, Consolidated Manufacturing for 12 years and KMG for six years. He also owned and operated SMS Machine Shop. Jerry was an avid motor cross racer and was a state champion vintage motor cross racer. He enjoyed fixing up cars and would take them drag racing. He enjoyed racing with his son and grandson. He also had a love for dogs. Jerry was a member of the ROMEO Club, Prairie Pups Motorcycle Club and the Cheybogan Car Club. He is preceded in death by his great granddaughter, Shelby Jane Stowell. He is survived by his wife Judy; a son Eric (Eileen) Webb, a daughter, Cara Mullen; five grandchildren, Nicole (Tony) Hall, Todd (Stacy) Webb, Nate (Chelsey) Fehl, Dylan Fehl and Eranne Lenz; and seven great grandchildren, Kadi Hall, Baylee Hall, Dexter Webb, Peyton Hall, Harrison Webb, Cooper Fehl, Parker Fehl and several step grandchildren.A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m., Saturday, April 3, 2021 at Memorial Park Cemetery, 5905 W. 4th Ave, Hutchinson, KS with Pastor Linda Ewert officiating. Visitation will be held from 5 p.m. - 7 p.m., Friday, April 2, 2021 at Hutchinson Funeral Chapel, 300 E. 30th Ave. Hutchinson, KS. Memorials may be given to Hutchinson Humane Society and can be sent in care of the funeral chapel.

Jerry “Spider” Webb | 1938 - 2021 |

By Steve Carpenter - Hutchinson CC Sports Information Director

Normally when a newly hired football coach takes over a program, the average amount of time from hiring to first game is about eight months.

New Hutchinson Community College football coach Drew Dallas will have waited 14 months … or 471 days … or 11,304 hours … you get the idea ... between his hiring and first game.

"It's been a long time," said Dallas, who finally starts his Blue Dragon head coaching career at 7 p.m. on Friday against the Coffeyville Red Ravens. "I'm looking forward to finally getting to watch my guys play and get into a game situation. It still feels like there is a lot of preparation yet to be done, but the excitement is there and it will crank up as we get closer to kickoff."

The 2020 football season was delayed and pushed back to the spring because of the Coronavirus pandemic. The Blue Dragons will now play an eight-game schedule seven their usually seven conference foes and non-conference opponent Arkansas Baptist on April 11. Five of the eight games will be played on Sundays this season.

Added to the intrigue of the 2021 spring season is the fact that on Monday the NJCAA announced that Blue Dragon football is the No. 1-ranked team in the preseason poll – the first time that's happened in program history and just the second time Hutchinson football has achieved a No. 1-ranking.

By Steve Carpenter - Hutchinson CC Sports Information DirectorNormally when a newly hired football coach takes over a program, the average amount of time from hiring to first game is about eight months.New Hutchinson Community College football coach Drew Dallas will have waited 14 months … or 471 days … or 11,304 hours … you get the idea ... between his hiring and first game."It's been a long time," said Dallas, who finally starts his Blue Dragon head coaching career at 7 p.m. on Friday against the Coffeyville Red Ravens. "I'm looking forward to finally getting to watch my guys play and get into a game situation. It still feels like there is a lot of preparation yet to be done, but the excitement is there and it will crank up as we get closer to kickoff."<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1616756714480.png" alt="HutchCC FB Information Box 3-26-21.png" />
 <figcaption>HutchCC FB Information Box 3-26-21.png</figcaption>
 </figure>The 2020 football season was delayed and pushed back to the spring because of the Coronavirus pandemic. The Blue Dragons will now play an eight-game schedule seven their usually seven conference foes and non-conference opponent Arkansas Baptist on April 11. Five of the eight games will be played on Sundays this season.Added to the intrigue of the 2021 spring season is the fact that on Monday the NJCAA announced that Blue Dragon football is the No. 1-ranked team in the preseason poll – the first time that's happened in program history and just the second time Hutchinson football has achieved a No. 1-ranking."We are going to get everybody's best shot," said Dallas, whose team is also the Jayhawk Conference co-favorites this season with Garden City. "If we don't take it and run with it, (the ranking) doesn't meet a darn thing. If you want it at the end of the year, you better earn it every week."The 2020-2021 Blue Dragons have 10 total starters returning from a 2019 team that went 10-2 and finished third in the final NJCAA Rankings. Hutchinson was a grand total of three points away from playing in a national championship game in 2019.Dallas was the offensive coordinator of that team. All the 2019 Blue Dragons did was score 538 points and average 44.8 points per game (both marks are No. 3 in Blue Dragon history), rush for 244.5 yards per game (4th most in team history), tied a single-season record with 42 rushing touchdowns and average 4.19.6 total yards per game (fifth in Blue Dragon history).Dallas will rebuild the offense around an experienced offensive line, but the skilled position players have little or no collegiate experience.Redshirt freshman C.J. Ogbonna and true freshman Dylan Laible will be the two quarterback tapped to start the season, and both will see time in Friday's game. The dual-threat Ogbonna has been in the Blue Dragon program and knows Dallas' offensive system, but hasn't seen playing time since 2018 in high school. Laible is more of a pocket-passing quarterback who stands 6-feet, 5 inches tall."Both will see game reps," Dallas said. "Both are extremely intelligent and I expect both will be good game managers. I'm confident in their abilities. It's just a matter now of getting them into game action."Whoever is throwing the football, he will have some experienced receivers to throw to.Cortez Braham played in nine games last season and caught 17 passes for 223 yards and two touchdowns. Cam Henderson had two receptions in six games. Dallas is also expecting redshirt freshman Emmanuel Mann and Tyrone Howell to be a big part of the receiver rotation.The Blue Dragons won't have a running back who touched the ball in 2019 as a Blue Dragon. Dallas is high on Georgia Military transfer Tye Edwards and freshman Ronald Hoff to make impacts. Dallas likes the depth at the running back position and expects to use multiple backs throughout the season.The tight end position will be manned by a pair of freshmen in Florida International transfer Ivan Thomas and freshman Tamauri Chislom.The offensive line will be anchored by right tackle Stevie Young at right tackle, Kingsley Ugwu and left tackle and Aric Harris at center. Young started all 12 games last season and Ugwu and Harris saw plenty of playing time in 2019. Freshman Brandon Hall and UT-Kingsville transfer Dennis Wilburn will likely start at the guards."This is our most experienced position on offense and our deepest," Dallas said. "I'm excited about the offensive line."The 2020-21 defense has a tough act to follow as the 2019 Blue Dragon defense was one of the best in the nation.The 2019 Blue Dragons allowed only 15 points per game, 88.2 rushing yards, 134 passing yards and 222.2 total yards per game. The Blue Dragons had 25 takeaways and produced 52 quarterback last season.Returning on the defensive line are tackles Demarco Roland and Jaylan Bass. Roland had nine tackles, including a sack in nine games played last season. Bass played in five games and had four tackles. Redshirt freshman Zy Strong and true freshman Daishon Folsom are the leading candidate to fill the defensive end spots.The Blue Dragons have two very experienced linebackers in all-conference returnee Gereme Spraggins and Jurrente Davis.Spraggins was the second-leading tackler in 2019 with 21 total tackles, 12 tackles for loss and a pair of quarterback sacks. Spraggins also had two fumble recoveries and an interception. Davis came on strong in the last half of 2019 and finished with 45 tackles and seven tackles for loss. Also in the mix will be R.J. Evans, Tre Pinkney and Quitman Kincaid at the linebacker spot."Gereme and Jurrente at linebacker have a lot of reps between them," Dallas said. "The experience we have at linebacker is huge."Ro Torrence is the most experienced cornerback returning. Deonte Stanley also saw time last season. Torrence played in five games last season in limited duty. Jalik Thomas and Shamari Simmons are also in line for playing time at cornerback.The Dragons will have new faces at both safety positions as four players will primarily rotate in the secondary. Freshman Caleb Coleman, Marquise Gilbert, De'Angelo Sapp and De'Sean Spencer will carry the primary load early.Freshman Alfonso Deleon, freshman Caleb Brickhouse and C.J. Moya are all in line to do the kicking and punting duties this season."Alfonso has a really strong long and all three are really good kickers," Dallas said. "You will likely see all three of those guys on Friday night."Henderson will likely be the Dragons' No. 1 punt returner while Thomas and Matt will see time returning kickoffs.The Blue Dragons look to improve what was a sub-par special teams season in 2019.