INDEPENDENCE, Kan. — Erin Collins had another 100-yard game, Mason Schucker threw for two touchdowns and the Dragon defense held No. 5 Independence to 15 total rushing yards Saturday night as Hutchinson (2-0, 1-0) defeated the Pirates 37-27.

All of Hutchinson’s scoring came in the first half.

Jaylin Erwin opened up the scoring again for the Blue Dragons with a 26-yard TD reception from Mason Schucker.

Independence answered quickly with a touchdown strike of its own. Quarterback Chase Hildreth dropped a dime to Markiese King from 38 yards out. The reception capped a quick three-play spurt.

It was the only touchdown Indy would register in the first half.

From there, the Blue Dragon offense asserted its dominance. The Blue Dragon defense even got in on the scoring action.

Hutchinson’s 30-0 run started with Dezmon Jackson’s 29-yard run with 5:46 left in the first quarter. That 6-play, 74-yard drive answered Indy’s TD pass. Hutchinson’s first-half scoring run was capped with 2:17 left in the second quarter when Monty Montgomery picked off Chase Hildreth. Montgomery was almost tackled immediately, but had the presence of mind to turn and pitch the ball to teammate Kelvin Clemmons. Clemmons finished the pick-six by taking the ball 30 yards to the house.

“I told him it was a great play, but never do it again,” Head Coach Rion Rhoades said with a smile after the game.

During the scoring run, the Dragons got a 37-yard field goal from Sebastian Garcia; another TD pass from Schucker, this time from 12 yards out to Khalil McClain; and an Erin Collins 1-yard run.

Collins led the Dragons in rushing again this week with his 129 yards.

The second half belonged to the Pirates, but the damage had already been done.

Hutchinson took a 37-7 lead into the locker room.

The 20 points the Pirates put up on the scoreboard in the second half were not nearly enough to erase the deficit.

Chase Hildreth struggled for the Pirates and threw two interceptions in the first half alone.

He split time with Antoine Wright. It was apparent early that Wright was the running quarterback. Wright racked up 38 yards of rushing and temporarily gave the Dragons fits early with his read option. He started the Pirate scoring in the third quarter with a 14-yard run.

Despite a lack of accuracy at times, Wright found his range on a couple of deep passes to receivers late in the game. With :35 left in the third, he hit Roy Livingstone from 34-yards out. He gave Independence fans a little more hope when he found Ruben Flowers from 42 yards away.

That TD pass came with 3:34 left in the contest and wrapped up the scoring for both teams.

FINAL: 37-27

The Pirates made things interesting with a successful onside kick late. However, the Dragon defense held the Pirates to 1-of-17 on third down. Independence had a 50 percent conversion rate on third down a week ago at Dodge City. The Pirates fared slightly better on fourth down by completing 4-of-7 attempts.

The Dragons face No. 2 Iowa Western in Gowans Sept. 9 at noon.

The Reivers (2-0) are coming off a 26-20 victory against Iowa Central and are giving up an average of 13 points per game.

INDEPENDENCE, Kan. — The Blue Dragons (1-0) open conference play tonight at 7 against the No. 5 Independence Pirates (1-0, 1-0).

Hutchinson defeated Ellsworth 30-12 to open the 2018 season in Gowans Stadium. The Blue Dragon defense held the Panthers to four field goals in the red zone.

The Pirates opened the year in Dodge City with a Jayhawk Conference battle. The Pirates forced four fumbles, sacked the quarterback five times and held the Conquistadors to 1-of-12 on third down in a 38-20 victory.

Join Glen Grunwald, Steve Carpenter and Daren Dunn as they prepare you for tonight’s game:

LIVE STREAM THE GAME HERE

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — In his Blue Dragon debut, NC State transfer Erin Collins rushed for 104 yards and reached paydirt three times.

For Collins, the credit belongs to one group in particular:

 

The defense deserves a lot of credit, too. The Blue Dragons only gave up 53 yards of rushing to the visiting Ellsworth Panthers. The Blue Dragon D intercepted Panther quarterbacks on four occasions. Letayveon Beaton led the defense with two interceptions.

The Dragons gave up 212 yards to the Panthers overall, but made key stops to hold Ellsworth to four field goals. That effort was not lost on Head Coach Rion Rhoades:

 

Panther kicker Adijan Muhamedjic knocked in field goals from 35, 28, 31 and 22 yards away. His first field goal of the night gave Ellsworth its only lead of the game. His 28-yard field goal with 12:41 left in the second quarter pulled the Panthers within one — the closest Ellsworth would ever get again to Hutchinson.

While Ellsworth lived off the kicking game, Rhoades was not pleased with the Blue Dragon effort in that department:

 

Hutchinson led by a touchdown at halftime and saw that margin drop to four with 11:58 left in the third when Muhamedjic nailed his final FG of the game. At 16-12, the Blue Dragons used the final quarter to put the Panthers away.

Erin Collins started his night with a 1-yard burst into the end zone with 4:15 left in the first half. He added a 9-yard TD early in the fourth quarter and capped off his night with a monster 46-yard touchdown run.

After trailing 3-0, Hutchinson quarterback Brandon George hit sophomore WR Jaylen Erwin on a 65-yard touchdown pass. George was 2-of-2 passing for 61 yards and the TD, but his promising night ended early when he sustained an injury during a rushing attempt. George dove between two Panther defenders and was slow to get up. He did not return to the game and his injury status is unknown.

Mason Schucker got most of the work at quarterback for the Blue Dragons. He went 13-of-30 for 97 yards and had an interception.

The Dragons finished with 348 total yards of offense and led 16-9 at halftime. Despite racking up nearly 350 yards, Rhoades felt his offense didn’t click until the final 46-yard run that put the game out of reach:

 

Collins’ electrifying 46-yard run with 4:05 remaining left no question about the game’s outcome.

FINAL: Blue Dragons 30 Panthers 12

The Blue Dragons hit the road next week to face the No. 5 Independence Pirates. Indy (1-0, 1-0) defeated Dodge City (0-1, 0-1) 38-20 to open the season. The Pirates won the Region VI Championship last year and were voted to repeat in 2018.

Game time is set for 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 1.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Blue Dragons used strong defense and interceptions by Letayveon Beaton to hold Ellsworth to four field goals.

Hutchinson (1-0) defeated Ellsworth (0-1) 30-12 Thursday night to open the 2018 season.

Coach Rhoades’ postgame show:

 

Hutchinson travels to No. 5 Independence next week.

[ By Jessica Sawatski ]

WICHITA, Kan. — For the first time, Wichita has been selected to host the 2022 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship Regional Rounds. Wichita was picked as one of four regional sites. The games will be held March 25-28, 2022.

Wichita State University will serve as the host for the event, which will take place at INTRUST Bank Arena, in partnership with Visit Wichita, Sedgwick County and the City of Wichita.

The last time Wichita served as host for the women’s tournament was for rounds one and two in 2011. In 2017, the Wichita State Volleyball team hosted NCAA first and second rounds for the first time in school history and in 2018, Wichita hosted men’s basketball first and second rounds.

“We’re thrilled to have an opportunity to not only host another NCAA event, but the Sweet 16 and Elite 8, where the winner will move on to the Final Four,” said WSU Associate Athletic Director and tournament manager Brad Pittman. “We’re grateful for the entities that pulled together to make this happen and look forward to another opportunity to showcase our university and community.”

Wichita was selected from a highly competitive group of qualified cities. Collaboration between the partners who submitted the bid and WSU’s basketball momentum helped position Wichita well, showing Wichita had the necessary facilities and a supportive community to successfully host the event.

“Being selected by the NCAA to host the NCAA Division I women’s Basketball Championship for a second time is an honor,” said A.J. Boleski, SMG General Manager for INTRUST Bank Arena. “We’re thrilled to once again showcase Wichita’s world-class facilities on a national stage.”

Visit Wichita is looking forward to welcoming basketball fans for 2021 men’s basketball first and second rounds, and then again in 2022 for women’s basketball regional rounds.

“This reaffirms Wichita is a basketball city, and also a great place to visit and explore,” said Susie Santo, president and CEO of Visit Wichita. “Just as we did earlier this year, Wichita will put our best foot forward and provide a fantastic welcome to sports fans from across the country.”

 

 

About Wichita State University

The mission of Wichita State University is to be an essential educational, cultural and economic driver for Kansas and the greater public good. Wichita State is a doctoral research university enrolling about 15,000 students and offering 59 undergraduate degree programs in more than 150 areas of study in seven undergraduate colleges. The Graduate School offers 45 master’s and 12 doctoral degrees that offer study in more than 100 areas.

About INTRUST Bank Arena

INTRUST Bank Arena, Wichita’s premier entertainment venue, is located in downtown Wichita. The Arena can seat more than 15,000 guests and hosts a variety of events including professional and collegiate sports, concerts, family shows and corporate functions.  INTRUST Bank Arena is owned by Sedgwick County Government, and managed by SMG, the world leader in venue management, marketing and development.

About Visit Wichita

Visit Wichita markets the greater Wichita area as a major convention and tourism destination, thereby enhancing the economic development of the city, county, region and state. Visit Wichita is led by president and CEO Susie Santo, and in 2017 travel and tourism contributed more than $1.1 billion in economic impact to the greater Wichita area.