IOWA FALLS, Iowa — No. 12 Hutchinson Community College had its kickoff against Ellsworth moved two hours to 3 p.m. on Saturday. Rain still drenched the grass field periodically throughout the contest.
Cadet Field was reduced to a pig sty as both teams tried everything to clean their cleats on and off the field.
ECC surprised HutchCC on the opening kickoff. The surprise onside was grabbed by the Panthers before it rolled out of bounds.
The Dragon defense held Ellsworth to a three-and-out.
The mud hampered Paris Chambers’ ability to move the Panther offense. Chambers came into the game as Ellsworth’s leading rusher from the quarterback position. He also came into the game with a high level of ball security. His 10 TDs and 2 INTs on the year looked good on paper, but the Dragon defense made him pay dearly with three picks.
The Panthers also fumbled the ball seven times and lost it three.
HutchCC (6-1, 3-0) scored the first points of the game with 4:46 left in the first quarter. Cam Jones returned to action for the Dragons and found Leroy Watson IV for his first TD grab of the year. The 8-yard pass capped a six-play 52-yard drive.
The lead was short lived as Chambers hit Drew Greenhaw across the middle of the defense. The short pass went for 55 yards and the score.
The Panthers (3-4) appeared to be in good shape after forcing a Dragon punt, however, Ben Rooney muffed the kick inside his own 5. Devon Henderson scooped the ball up at the 2.
In great position to break the tie, the Blue Dragons turned to B.J. Emmons, their premier goal-to-go finisher.
Unfortunately, Emmons lost the ball mid-flight in his patented plunge to the goal line. He fumbled the ball mere inches from pay dirt.
Ellsworth took over with a long field ahead. HutchCC forced a punt, but Austin Kneeland never got the kick away.
The wet ball slipped right through his hands and out the back of the end zone.
Hutchinson had another chance to score in the second quarter, but watched six points slip through the reach of Johnny Lumpkin. The tight end has been targeted more and more over the last few weeks and nearly pulled in his third TD of the season.
The backshoulder throw found Lumpkin over the top of the Panther defender, but Lumpkin lost that grip when he turned to secure the corner-of-the-end-zone landing.
The Blue Dragons got on the scoreboard again after Luke Niemeyer knocked through a 22-yard FG. That connection made him the all-time FG leader in Blue Dragon history. His 17th career field goal surpassed Michael Mesh for the most all time.
HutchCC added to the 5-point lead late in the second quarter on a Cam Jones sneak. It was the first of two rushing TDs for the quarterback on the day. Both came from one yard out.
After the score, a Panther penalty moved the ball to the 1. The Dragons opted to go for two, but the Jones/Lumpkin connection missed on a lob to the corner of the end zone.
Ellsworth opened the second half with a 5-play, 65-yard drive that only took two minutes. Tekendrick Roberson finished the drive with a 2-yard burst. Down 18-13, Ellsworth went for two, but the Chambers run failed.
Both teams struggled to gain footing on the muddy terrain. Both teams ran plays up the middle for little to no gain on a number of occasions.
Otis Williams finally broke free late for the Blue Dragons, but a couple of his long runs were brought back by penalties. Despite the lost yardage, Williams finished with 122 yards on 12 touches. Dezmon Jackson also added 73 yards for HutchCC, while B.J. Emmons tallied 70.
Hutchinson finished with 307 yards rushing and held Ellsworth to 118. That number was just 32 at the break and would have been much lower if Paris Chambers didn’t break free on a couple of long romps in the fourth. He had a 27-yard run in the closing moments that finished with his unintentional slide through the mud. The run saw multiple Blue Dragon defenders in position to make a tackle slide past Chambers.
Chambers had trouble finding footing in the pocket. He finished 10-for-24 with 149 yards, 1 TD and 3 INTs. He led all Ellsworth rushers with 81 yards.
Cam Jones threw for just 30 yards on six completions. He tossed one TD and was picked once in 14 attempts.
FINAL: Hutchinson 25 Ellsworth 13
Hutchinson has six wins for the first time since the 2014 campaign. The Blue Dragons return home next Saturday for a noon kickoff against Butler (4-2). The rivalry runs deep between the Grizzlies and Dragons. Butler’s only losses this year came at the hands of Coffeyville and Garden City. The Grizzlies stunned Highland last week 6-2.
