HUTCHINSON, Kan. — No. 11 Hutchinson (2-1, 1-0) started off Saturday the way it finished the first half last week against then-No. 5 Independence.

Mason Shucker hit Khalil McClain on just the second play of the Blue Dragons second drive for a 60-yard touchdown pass. The early 7-0 lead was immediately cut to 4 when Eddie Ogamba hit a 21-yard field goal. No. 2 Iowa Western’s (3-0, 1-0) third drive of the game stalled after 7 plays and 77 yards.

After Hutchinson’s first TD with 7:44 left in the first quarter, it was all Iowa Western. The Reivers reeled off 31-straight points. All five of Iowa Western’s drives that led to touchdowns consisted of six plays or more from scrimmage.

QB T.J. Starks started the game for Iowa Western and scored the Reivers first touchdown from 1-yard out just 1:10 into the second quarter. Starks finished the day passing 6-of-14 for 77 yards. He ran for 21 and the TD. He was soon replaced by Clay Beathard.

Beathard started the air attack for Iowa Western with 1:56 left in the first half. Beathard found Marcell Barbee from 33 yards away to close out the first frame. It was a connection that happened three times Saturday.

The Reivers only led 17-7 at the break, but Beathard came out throwing in the third. He found Marcell Barbee two more times in the third quarter: once from 26 yards out, then again from 10 yards away. The scoring run for Iowa Western began with the Ogamba FG at the 4:57 mark in the first quarter and did not end until 6 seconds remained in the third quarter.

Enter: Jaylen Erwin.

Erwin proved to be a deep threat in the passing game in Hutchinson’s first two contests. Erwin caught only three passes, but two of them were for touchdowns — long ones. Erwin had TD receptions of 65 and 56 in his first two contests.

This time, Erwin showed his long-play ability on a punt return. If not for an illegal formation the first punt-around, Erwin’s stellar return never would have happened. Iowa Western punter Hunter Pinegar pinned the Blue Dragons down at the 8 yard line with his first punt, but it was called back because the Reivers did not have enough players on the line of scrimmage.

Erwin did not waste the second opportunity. Like a bolt of lightning, Erwin exposed the sideline, then outraced the punter Pinegar when he circled back to the center of the field. Erwin’s 74-yard punt return gave Hutchinson some life to close the third quarter.

From there, the Blue Dragons went on a run of their own. A little trickery helped the Blue Dragons score with 12:42 left in the contest. Mason Shucker handed off to Khalil McClain, who promptly spotted Marquis Whitmire down the field. The 34-yard TD pass brought the Blue Dragons within 10 points.

A 13-play, 81-yard drive for Hutchinson would later stall with just 6:36 left in the contest. However, it led to a Sebastian Garcia 28-yard FG that cut the Reiver lead to 31-24.

Once down 31-7, the Blue Dragons used an 8 1/2-minute scoring run to make it a one-possession game.

On the Reiver’s next possession, the Blue Dragons held Iowa Western to five plays and a punt. That punt, however, was downed at the Hutchinson 2.

With just under 4 minutes remaining, the Blue Dragons had 98 yards and a Reiver defense between them and a tie ballgame.

On just the second play from scrimmage, running back Jonathan White was gobbled up in the end zone by Atlias Bell for a safety.

Now down by 9 points, the Dragons had to free kick the ball away from their own 20.

Despite the now two-possession contest, Hutchinson still had some life when it got the ball back after holding Iowa Western to 8 yards on three plays.

The chance at an improbable comeback looked even better when Shucker found big-play receiver Jaylen Erwin for a 39-yard strike. From the Reiver 8, Hutchinson could not punch the ball into the end zone. Hope ended when RB Dezmon Jackson was stopped just shy of the goal line on fourth down.

Jackson finished the game with 59 yards on 20 touches. The Blue Dragons were without star running back Erin Collins. Collins registered back-to-back 100-yard games in his first two appearances as a Blue Dragon. However, an undisclosed pregame injury sidelined Collins for the contest.

Collins had a boot on his lower leg and was seen using crutches on the sideline.

When asked about Collins’ availability going forward, coach Rion Rhoades said he had no idea “Without knowing what the injury is.”

“Don’t know, really, anything about his injury,” coach Rhoades said after the game, “other than they (the training staff) said he couldn’t go before the game.”

In Collins’ absence, the Blue Dragons rushed for just 16 total yards. Collins ran for 104 and 129 in his first two games, respectively.

Hutchinson had been solid against the opposing run game. Heading into Saturday, the Blue Dragon defense was giving up just 41 yards on the ground a game.

Hutchinson was without Clarence Hicks (unsportsmanlike penalties last week against Independence) defensively to start the game, then lost Jalen Pinkney before the close of the first half.

“Jalen Pinkney is a really smart guy,’ coach Rhoades said. “If you’d talk to him, he’s super intelligent, super friendly. But he made in impulse decision when he walked by the ref.”

 

Rhoades said the loss of Hicks and Pinkney definitely worked against the Dragons:

 

FINAL: Iowa Western 33 Hutchinson 24

Despite not having a receiving touchdown, Jaylen Erwin scored for the third-straight game with a 74-yard punt return. All of his touchdowns this season have come from 56-plus yards away.

Even though Dragon fans have only seen his big-play ability, Erwin says he still has the mid-range and short-range game to exhibit:

 

Iowa Western finished with 485 total yards of offense, including 363 yards through the air. QB Clay Beathard finished 19-of-31 passing with three touchdowns and one interception. Though he did not start, Gayflor Flomo led the Reivers in rushing with 68 second-half yards.

Jalik Jaggwe led Hutchinson in receiving with 69 yards on 11 grabs.

Mason Shucker threw the ball 45 times and hit his intended target 27 times. He finished with one touchdown and two interceptions.

Hutchinson is home again next week for a noon kickoff against Fort Scott (0-2, 0-2). The Greyhounds had Saturday off. While they are winless, the Greyhounds dropped a one-point decision to open the season at Highland and fell by just three points to Coffeyville a week ago.