Already armed with the knowledge that they will face each other in the Region VI semifinals, the 15th-ranked Hutchinson Community College football team and the 17th-ranked Coffeyville Red Ravens will battle for the right to play host to that matchup on Saturday night at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Coffeyville.
Hutchinson and Coffeyville have identical 6-2 overall records and 4-1 Jayhawk Conference marks. Saturday’s winner will earn the No. 2 seed for the Region VI playoffs and will play host to a semifinal matchup on 1 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 6.
In order for HCC to be the host, the Blue Dragons must do something it has never done – win at Veterans Memorial Stadium. Hutch is 0-7 in that venue. The last HCC win in Coffeyville came in 1999 at old Ise Athletic Field.
HCC lost a 28-10 decision to No. 4 Butler last Saturday; Coffeyville defeated Independence 45-20 last week.
The Coaches
Hutchinson: Rion Rhoades is in his fifth season with the Blue Dragons. He is 32-19 at HCC and 39-24 overall in his sixth season as a collegiate head coach.
Coffeyville: Darian Dulin is in his fourth season with the Grizzlies. He is 22-17 with the Red Ravens.
BLUE DRAGON FOOTBALL GAMEDAY
Game 9: No. 15 Hutchinson at No. 17 Coffeyville
When: Saturday, October 29, 2011
At: Veterans Memorial Stadium, Coffeyville, Kan.
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Live Radio: KHUT-FM (102.9), KWBW-AM (1450), 6:50 p.m.
Live Video/Audio: hutchpost.com, 6:50 p.m.
Live Stats: Available at kickoff (link)
Television: None
About the 2011 Blue Dragons
While fourth-ranked Butler’s defense was formidable, the Blue Dragons were their own worst enemy at times in suffering their first Jayhawk Conference loss of the season last Saturday.
Despite a season-high three turnovers and only a field goal in four trips to the red zone, the Blue Dragons did amass 281 total yards against the top scoring defense in the country. HCC had a season-low 71 rushing yards, though.
Hutchinson continues to be the NJCAA scoring leader at 52.9 points per game and is ninth in the nation in total offense at 478.5 yards per game. The Blue Dragons are 10th in the nation in rushing at 236.1 yards per game. HCC ranks 15th in the nation in passing offense at 242.4 yards per game.
Quarterback Elliott Alford continues to set a scintillating pace for the Blue Dragons. The new career Total Offense leader at HCC is third in the nation in passing accuracy at 67.2 percent (127 of 189) for 1,853 yards with 25 touchdown passes and only two interceptions.
All-American Cordarrelle Patterson has a team-high 45 receptions for 754 yards and 12 touchdowns. Patterson has accounted for 1,384 all-purpose yards (182 rushing, 754 receiving, 448 on kickoff returns) and 17 touchdowns.
Freshmen receivers Jatavious Stewart and Miguel Johns are also having great seasons. Stewart has 31catches for 480 yards and eight TDs. Johns had 27 receptions for 426 yards and three scores.
Redshirt freshman Deveon Dinwiddie is HCC’s leading rusher. Dinwiddie is second in the league and 13th in the NJCAA in rushing with 701 yards and a 5.9 yard per carry average and 11 touchdowns. Sophomore Derek Campbell has 283 yards and two TDs, Alford has 255 yards and four scores and freshman Terrell Lane has 248 yards and five TDs. HCC has 28 rushing touchdowns in eight games.
Defensively, sophomore safety Duane Sims leads the Blue Dragons with 67 tackles. Linebacker Tim Edmond is second with 55 tackles.
HCC is allowing 19.8 points, 169.6 rushing yards, 158.5 passing yards and 328.1 total yards per game. The Blue Dragons have forced 18 turnovers. Sophomore Spencer Vanderbogart has a team-high three interceptions. Freshman Beau Bell has a team-high four quarterback sacks.
On special teams, punter Kody Cook leads the Jayhawk Conference would be second in the NJCAA if he had enough attempts at 41.3 yards per punt. Kicker Michael Mesh is 53 of 58 on extra points and 2 of 4 on field goals. Patterson continues to lead the Jayhawk in kickoff returns at 49.8 yards per return with three touchdowns. Stewart is first in punt returns at 15.1 yards per return.
Scouting Coffeyville
After a tight 16-14 loss to Tyler on opening weekend, the Red Ravens reeled off five straight wins before falling 41-3 to Butler two weeks ago. Last week, Coffeyville won the Montgomery County rivalry game with Independence 45-20.
Offensively, the Ravens are led by Tyler Najee, who has thrown for 1,324 yards and has completed 53 percent of his passes (107 of 203) with six touchdowns and five interceptions. His favorite receiver is Jordan Jenkins, who has 43 catches for 554 yards and two touchdowns.
Jamarius Green and Hayden Groves are Coffeyville’s top rushers. Green has rushed for 577 yards and five touchdowns with a 6.7-yard-per-carry average. He is sixth in the Jayhawk Conference. Groves is 10th in the conference with 440 yards and five touchdowns.
Coffeyville is averaging 29.3 points per game offensively. The Red Ravens are averaging 219.5 yards rushing, 165.5 yards passing and 385 total yards per game.
The Ravens are second in the league in scoring defense at 17.0 points per game. Coffeyville is allowing 150.4 yards rushing and 139.1 yards passing per game.
David Cooper has a team-high 95 tackles and 12.5 tackles for loss. Martrell Spaight has 79 total tackles and 20 TFLs.
Briean Boddy has four interceptions and three passes broken up.
Defensively, Coffeyville has 19 takeaways.
Region VI Football Playoff Probabilities
The field for the 2011 Region VI Football Playoffs are set. Now it’s just a matter of settling the seeding.
Jayhawk Conference champion Butler, Hutchinson, Coffeyville and Dodge City will be the four teams advancing to the postseason. Butler will play Dodge City at Blackmore Stadium at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 6 in El Dorado. Saturday’s Hutchinson-Coffeyville game will determine the seeds and site for their rematch on Nov. 6.
The significance of an HCC win is clear in the numbers. The Blue Dragons have never lost a Jayhawk Conference/Region VI home game in team history at Gowans Stadium. Conversely, the Dragons are 0-7 at Coffeyville’s home, Veterans Memorial Stadium.
Series History vs. Coffeyville
This will be the 78th meeting between Hutchinson and Coffeyville in a series that dates back to 1932.
Coffeyville is one of two Jayhawk Conference teams – Garden City is the other – which Hutchinson trails in an all-time series with. The Blue Dragons are 19-54-4 against Coffeyville.
The Blue Dragons are 13-21-2 in games played in Hutchinson, but only 6-33 in games played at Coffeyville. Hutchinson is 0-7 in games played at Veterans Memorial Stadium.