GARDEN CITY, Kan. — It came down to the final drive.
Rion Rhoades told his players after the game that they didn’t have to make games come down to the final possession. Rhoades told his team it was OK to win via blowout.
Three of HCC’s four games have been decided by eight or less points.
The Blue Dragons (3-1, 2-0) never trailed in the 31-28 victory over Garden City (2-2, 1-2) and even went up by 14 points with 7:51 left in the third quarter.
HCC used the passing attack to move the ball into the red zone twice in the first half. Both drives were capped by B.J. Emmons in the Power Dragon formation. Emmons had two touchdowns in the first half from just a half yard out each time.
Emmons finished the game with 4 TDs. Emmons led all rushers with 85 yards.
The Blue Dragon defense held dynamic running back Charles West at bay. Averaging 4.6 yards per carry coming into the game, West was held to 2.8 a carry and a total of 22 yards.
Terry Wilson led the Broncbuster rushing attack with 25 yards. It was his arm that hurt the Blue Dragons. He scorched the Blue Dragon secondary for 353 yards, but still managed to throw two interceptions. Wilson was also sacked four times.
His favorite target was the 6-foot-8 Nigel Kilby. The tight end lined up a lot at receiver and caught 11 passes for 122 yards. He came into the game with eight receptions for 92 yards on the young season. Kilby also caught 3 TD passes. His first came on a lucky deflection.
After HCC scored on its opening drive, Garden City marched the ball down the field in eight plays. It was capped on a 4th and Goal TD pass to Kilby. Wilson’s pass was deflected by another Broncbuster before bouncing into Kilby’s hands.
A defensive battled followed as HCC took a 14-7 lead into halftime. Emmons had his second TD run just before the half.
Garden City opened up the third quarter with an eight-play drive that covered 54 yards. Wilson once again found Kilby, this time on a 10-yard TD pass.
Hutchinson answered with a five-play drive that was capped by another short run from Emmons.
HCC got the ball back again and put together another five-play drive that finished the same way the first three did: with an Emmons’ short run.
Down 14, Garden City needed a quick answer.
The Broncbusters got it on a broken coverage from HCC. Wilson found Aaron Willis on the first play of the drive for a 65-yard touchdown.
After a pair of scores from each team to open the third, the defensive battle went back into effect.
Neither team would score in the final seven minutes of the third.
It was almost eight minutes into the fourth before HCC got a 27-yard field goal from Luke Niemeyer. That drive was set up by a Guy Victoria interception. His return finished in Garden City territory, but was marched back 15 yards by a penalty. HCC was in position to cap off another drive with a short Emmons’ run, but the snap got away from him, so the Alabama transfer took a knee on the 10.
Five more minutes came off the clock before the Broncbusters found the end zone on a six-play drive that took just over a minute. Wilson found Kilby again for a 10-yard TD.
With one timeout left, Garden City needed the ball back.
The Broncbusters performed an onside kick to perfection and got the ball back with two minutes to play.
Wilson found Daniel Davis on a couple of passes out of the backfield in dire situations. On third down, Davis was nearly tackled after a modest gain by Quen Head, but the sure-tackler missed and allowed Davis deeper position in Dragon territory. Another critical down saw Davis slip free of a Head tackle.
Down three and approaching field goal range, the Broncbusters were running out of time. HCC covered up Nigel Kilby and forced Wilson to look elsewhere downfield. Wilson nearly connected with Yatil Gant on a pass into the end zone, but Michael Witherspoon leaped up at the last minute to knock the ball away.
HCC needed one last stop on fourth down to secure the victory. Wilson dropped back and looked downfield. Before he could set his feet, four Dragons closed the pocket. Led by Jeffmario Brown, the Dragon defense sacked Wilson for the fourth time on the evening.
Cam Jones took a knee to finish the game.
Jones completed just nine passes in 21 attempts, but his air attack garnered 184 yards.
HCC held the Broncbusters to just 54 yards rushing. The Broncbuster passing attack hurt the Dragons for 353 yards. “I’m not a fan of bend, don’t break. I’d rather just stop them,” HCC’s Rion Rhoades said after the game. His defense did give up a lot of ground through the air, but was able to clamp down in crunch time.
Rhoades acknowledged the great play of Emmons with 4 touchdowns, but he was quick to credit the offensive line for opening up running room in the defense.
The Blue Dragons scored on all five possessions that drove into the red zone. Rhoades credited his quarterback, Cam Jones, with taking care of the football.
Garden City, the defending National Champions, have now lost back-to-back games. Before last weekend against Independence, the Broncbusters had not lost since Nov. 7, 2015.
Jeff Sims of Garden City was quick to note that his current team is not the National Championship team. Sims feels as though this year’s team is at point “A” of a journey that ends at “Z,” with “Z” being a National Championship. Despite feeling a sense of relief after last week’s loss, Sims thinks his team has a long way to go.
FINAL: HCC 31 GCCC 28
In the Rhoades vs. Sims matchup that started in the 2015 campaign, the road team is (3-0).
Hutchinson returns home next Saturday to take on Highland. The Scotties are off to a great start (2-1, 1-1). Highland’s only loss was by four in Week 2 against Garden City. Highland held the lead in that game before a Garden City TD with just over two minutes to play.
NEXT: Highland at Hutchinson – Sept. 23 at noon.
