HUTCHINSON, (Ks) – The Jayhawk Conference champion Hutchinson Community College football team closes out one of the most successful seasons in program history on Saturday when it meets No. 19 Hudson Valley in the Salt City Bowl.
Kickoff is scheduled for 1:07 p.m. at Gowans Stadium.
The No. 4 Blue Dragons won their first conference crown since 1995, winning the Jayhawk outright for the first time since 1969, after a 24-6 victory over Independence on Nov. 8 capped an undefeated run through the league. At 10-1 coming into the bowl game, the 2014 Blue Dragons are tied for the most wins in program history.
Hutchinson will take on a Hudson Valley team which had a breakthrough season in 2014. The Vikings won their first eight games to start the season and come into Saturday’s matchup at 8-1. The 2014 Vikings, ranked as high as No. 17 this season in the NJCAA poll, produced the first winning season at Hudson Valley since 2006.
The Blue Dragons make their 19th overall bowl appearance and sixth consecutive. HCC is 10-6-2 in bowl games, winning a program-best six in a row dating back to the 2004 Heart of Texas Bowl.
Hudson Valley makes its third bowl appearance, the first since the 2003 Graphics Edge Bowl. The Vikings are 0-2 in bowl games.
The 2014 Salt City Bowl will feature an interesting matchup in Hutchinson’s No. 6-nationally ranked rush offense against Hudson Valley’s No. 6-ranked rush defense. The Blue Dragons average 260.7 yards per game on the ground. The Vikings allow 74.2 yards per game on the ground.
GAME 12: SALT CITY BOWL
HUTCHINSON vs. HUDSON VALLEY
Saturday, December 3, 2014
Gowans Stadium, Hutchinson, KS
Kickoff: 1:07 p.m.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
RADIO: KHUT-FM (102.9), KWBW-AM (1450), KWBW-FM (98.5), Noon airtime
VIDEOSTREAM: Blue Dragon Sports Network (BlueDragonSports.com), Noon
INTERNET AUDIO: Blue Dragon Sports Network (BlueDragonSports.com), Noon
TWITTER: @bluedragonsport
BLUE DRAGONS
Record: 10-1 (7-0 Jayhawk)
NJCAA Ranking: No. 4
Last Game: def. Independence 24-8 on Nov. 8
Coach: Rion Rhoades, 8th season
VIKINGS
Record: 8-1
NJCAA Ranking: No. 19
Last Game: Lost to Navy Prep 27-0 on Nov. 1
Coach: Michael Muehling, 4th season
The Coaches
Hutchinson: Rion Rhoades is in his eighth season with the Blue Dragons. He has a 62-28 record at HCC and 69-33 in his ninth season as a head coach. Rhoades is 5-0 in bowl games at Hutchinson.
Hudson Valley: Michael Muehling is in his fourth season with the Vikings. He has compiled a 12-25 record.
Blue Dragons Make 19th Bowl Appearance
The sixth-annual Salt City Bowl will be the Blue Dragons’ 19th bowl appearance and sixth consecutive in the program’s 83-year history.
The Blue Dragons are 10-6-2 in bowl games.
The Salt City Bowl is the eighth different bowl the Blue Dragons have participated in. HCC has won a school-record six-straight bowl games.
Last season, HCC defeated Dakota College 57-0. The Blue Dragons are 5-0 all-time in the Salt City Bowl.
Before 2009, the last bowl game HCC played in was the 2004 Heart of Texas Bowl against No. 14 Tyler Junior College.
Kicker Kevin Coleman kicked five field goals, including a school-record 47-yarder to lead the Blue Dragons to a 15-10 victory over the Apaches.
The Salt City Bowl will be the eighth time that Hutchinson has played a bowl game on its home turf. In addition the five Salt City Bowls, Hutchinson played in the 1947 and 1949 Salt Bowl.
This will be the 12th bowl that Hutchinson has played within the borders of Kansas. HCC has played two bowls in Hutchinson, the 1969 and 1970 Sterling Silver Bowls in Sterling, Kan., and the 1948 and 1949 Wheat Bowls in Wichita.
HCC head coach Rion Rhoades played on the 1993 and 1994 Blue Dragon bowl-eligible teams that qualified for the Valley of the Sun Bowl.
Series History vs. Hudson Valley
This will be the first meeting ever between Hutchinson and Hudson Valley, which is located in Troy, NY.
This will not be the first game for Hutchinson against a school from New York, however. Back in 1969, Hutchinson played Nassau Community College in the Sterling Silver Bowl in Sterling, Kan. The Blue Dragons won that game 32-7.
Playing games against teams located north of the state of Kansas has been rare in the 83-year history of the program.
Saturday’s Salt City Bowl meeting with Hudson Valley will be only the 24th time in 808 games that the Blue Dragons will play against an opponent located north of Kansas.
Noting The Blue Dragons
+ The Blue Dragons are third in the Jayhawk Conference and 10th in the NJCAA in scoring at 41.8 points per game. The Dragons lead the league and rank sixth nationally in the NJCAA in rushing offense at 260.7 yards per game. The Dragons are averaging 229.6 passing yards per game and 490.4 total yards, which ranks No. 2 in the Jayhawk Conference and eighth in the NJCAA.
+ Defensively, the Blue Dragons are allowing 21.6 points per game, which is tied for first in the Jayhawk Conference. The Blue Dragons rank No. 1 in the KJCCC in rushing defense (99.5 yards per game allowed). The Dragons are tied for fifth in passing defense at 215.4 yards per game. HCC is second in the KJCCC in total defense at 314.9 yards per game.
+ The Blue Dragon running game has produced 11 100-yard rushers, 35 rushing touchdowns and an average of 5.4 yards per carry. HCC has two 200-yard rushing games in 2014.
+ Alvin Kamara is No. 5 in the nation and second in the Jayhawk Conference in rushing at 134.6 yards per game. Kamara became HCC’s 17th 1,000-yard rusher. He has 21 total touchdowns, 18 coming on the ground. Kamara has rushed for at least 100 yards in 8 of 9 games this season. He didn’t in the final two games of the regular season.
+ Running back Travis Custis had a career-high 201 yards and a 58-yard touchdown against Ellsworth. Custis is seventh in the Jayhawk at 67.2 yards per game with seven touchdowns. Bradan Smith had his first career 100-yard game on Sept. 27 against Dodge City and is now averaging 41.8 yards per game. Smith is averaging 5.5 yards per carry, Custis is at 5.8 per rush.
+ The quarterback situation will be different than at any point this season. The two-QB system of Dalton Demos and Kylen Binn will likely be altered with the injury to Demos suffered early in the Independence game. The Salt City Bowl will be Binn’s first start. He has completed 96 of 186 passes for 1,352 yards with 11 touchdowns and six interceptions. He threw for a season-high 296 yards against Independence. Demos was 97 of 176 for 1,118 yards with 14 touchdowns and three interceptions this season.
+ Fifteen different Blue Dragons have caught at least one pass this season. Anthony Autry and Bryce Harvey are tied for the team’s receptions lead. Autry leads the team with 526 receiving yards on 35 receptions with a team-high eight touchdowns. Harvey has 35 catches for 242 yards and two touchdowns. DeQuan Bowman has 31 receptions for 525 yards and four scores. Juwan Dickey has 26 receptions for 419 yards and five touchdowns.
+ Linebacker Lakel Bass is HCC’s leading tackler with 94 total tackles, including 7.5 tackles for loss, three fumble recoveries and three interceptions. Linebacker Darius Wright has 86 total tackles with 8.5 tackles for loss, three interceptions and two forced fumbles. Riley Hunsicker and Kyle Wilson has 78 tackles each.
+ The Blue Dragons have racked up 42 quarterback sacks this season, including a season-high seven vs. Garden City on Oct. 11. Jeremiah Ledbetter takes over the team lead with a Jayhawk Conference-leading 12.5 sacks. Marquavius Lewis has 11 quarterback sacks and has 20 quarterback hurries.
+ Blue Dragon special teams have seven blocked kicks this season. Jeremiah Ledbetter and Claude George have two blocked kicks each. Riley Hunsicker, Dominique Berry and Devonta’ Staples have the others. HCC has blocked three extra points, two punts and two field goals
+ HCC has 16 interceptions and 31 total takeaways.
+ Freshman placekicker Kassidy Lemons is 47 of 51 on extra points and 4 of 5 on field goals. Tymony Bonilla handled all the placement kicks in the first two weeks of the season. Bonilla was 10 of 10 on extra points and 3 of 3 on field goals, hitting from 21, 32 and 33 yards.
+ Punter Stetson Broce is fifth the Jayhawk Conference in punting at 38.2 yards per punt. He had a long of 71 yards against Dodge City on Sept. 27. Broce has eight punts of 50-plus yards and has downed 25 punts inside the opponent 20.
+ Anthony Autry is HCC’s top kickoff return man at 27.3 yards per return with one 89-yard return for a touchdown. DeQuan Bowman has returned 28 punts this season for an average of 7.2 yards per return.
Noting Hudson Valley
+ Hudson Valley began football in 1969, winning its first game in program history, 35-0 over Plattsburgh. The Vikings went 4-3 in 1969.
+ The 2014 Vikings tied a team record with eight wins, done four other times in 1980, 1996, 2003 and 2004.
+ Now an NJCAA Independent, the Vikings have three Northeast Conference championships, one Coastal Conference title and five Region VI titles in its history.
+ Offensively, the Vikings are averaging 24.4 points and 341.6 yards per game this season. They are averaging 179.0 rushing yards and 162.2 passing yards this season.
+ The 2014 Hudson Valley defense has been the strength this season ranking in the Top 10 nationally in three of the four major categories. The Vikings are sixth in scoring defense at 15.9 points per game. They are fifth in rush defense at 74.2 yards per game and seventh in total defense at 242.9 yards per game. HVCC allows 168.7 passing yards, with ranks 15th in the NJCAA.
+ Freshman quarterback Rafael Hidalgo is completing 54.2 percent of his passes (83 of 153) for 1,274 yards. He had nine touchdowns to two interceptions. Hidalgo is a threat to run with 145 rush yards and three TDs this season.
+ Hudson Valley’s top running back is sophomore Tyler Gagnon. He has 643 yards and a 4.3 yard-per-carry average with three touchdowns. Sophomore Elijah Udoh has 381 yards with five rushing touchdowns.
+ Sophomore Chris Osterman has a team-high 30 receptions for 638 yards and four touchdowns. Freshman Walter Ferguson has made 21 catches for 159 yards and one TD. Freshman Antoin Montgomery has 16 catches for 271 yards and four TDs. Craig Hardgers had 14 receptions for 279 yards and three touchdowns.
+ Sophomore linebacker Kevin Melder has a team-high 76 total tackles (8.4 per game). He’s had two fumble recoveries and two interceptions this season. Linebacker Tevon Town has 55 tackles and 5.5 quarterback sacks. Sean Copeland is third with 52 tackles.
+ Sophomore defensive end Ashton McKenzie has a team-high 11 quarterback sacks and 20 tackles for loss to go with two interceptions and two fumble recoveries. Chandler Foster has a team-high three interceptions.
+ Hudson Valley has 14 interceptions, 12 fumble recoveries and five blocked kicks.
+ Punter Dean Gazzelli averages 34.0 yards per punt with one blocked this season. He has had 14 punts inside the 20 and a pair of touchbacks. Gazzelli also does the placekicking. He is 14 of 18 on extra point and 0 of 5 on field goals.
+ Craig Hardgers leads Hudson Valley in kickoff returns at 16.8 yards per return. Chase Knight leads in punt returns at 11.0 yards per return.
(HCC Sports Information)