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), Papa John Pizza Count Down to Kick Off statrs at 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.

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)

University of Kansas Athletics

LAWRENCE, Kan. – David Beaty, the wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator at Texas A&M, has been hired as the head football coach at the University of Kansas. Beaty arrives in Lawrence with more than 20 years of coaching experience, including two previous stints as an assistant coach with the Jayhawks.

Kansas will formally introduce Beaty at a press conference Monday, Dec. 8 at 9:30 a.m.

A native of Garland, Texas, Beaty takes over the KU program after spending the three previous seasons as the Aggies’ wide receivers coach. He also served as A&M’s recruiting coordinator during the 2013-14 seasons.

“I am very excited to be back at Kansas,” Beaty said. “I am especially excited that Clint Bowen has agreed to stay on as assistant head coach and defensive coordinator. Clint will be a huge part of our success going forward and I am fortunate to have him on my staff.”

“David Beaty is well-respected in the football community and brings to KU great vision, passion and energy,” Kansas Athletics Director Sheahon Zenger said. “He has a bright football mind and is known as one of the best recruiters in the nation.”

“I am pleased to welcome Coach Beaty back to the Jayhawk family,” Kansas Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little said. “He is an outstanding fit for the University of Kansas and his work to build a competitive football program will advance our athletics department and the reputation of KU nationally.”

Under Beaty’s tutelage, the Texas A&M wide receivers have been a record-setting group. With first-team All-American Mike Evans leading the way in 2013, the Aggies set team records for receiving yards, receiving touchdowns and completion percentage. Evans set the A&M record with 1,394 receiving yards and matched the receiving touchdowns record with 12. He also shattered and re-broke the single-game receiving record with 279 yards vs. Alabama and 287 yards against Auburn. Evans went on to become the Aggies’ first wide receiver to be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. Texas A&M was the only team in the nation with four 50-catch, 600- yard receivers in 2013.

In 2012, the Aggies had six wideouts who produced 19 or more catches, including more than 70 each by senior Ryan Swope and Evans.

Beaty came to Texas A&M after serving as offensive coordinator at both Kansas and Rice. He was the co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach at KU in 2011, and helped develop one of the Big 12’s top all-purpose threats in wideout D.J. Beshears.

Beaty spent the 2010 season as the offensive coordinator at Rice, where he helped the team average 28.7 points and 375.3 yards per game. Prior to his second stint at Rice, Beaty was the wide receivers coach at Kansas during the 2008 and 2009 seasons.

During his first tour at KU, he helped receivers Kerry Meier and Dezmon Briscoe develop into NFL-caliber players. Meier, who was taken in the fifth round of the 2010 NFL Draft, received All-Big 12 accolades in 2008 and 2009, while Briscoe, a sixth-round selection in the 2010 NFL Draft, was an All-American and first team All-Big 12 pick in 2009. In 2008 five different KU players produced a total of 15 100-yard receiving games. Among the school records set by KU wide receivers in 2008 were season receptions, game receptions, season yards, game yards, and season touchdowns.

Beaty spent the 2006 and 2007 seasons as the wide receivers coach at Rice. In 2006 he served as passing game coordinator as the team made its first bowl game in 45 years (the New Orleans Bowl). He had two players – Jarett Dillard and James Casey – drafted by NFL teams following the 2007 season. Dillard ranked in the top-25 nationally in both receptions and yards in 2007, and he led the nation in touchdown receptions (21) in 2006.

Prior to joining the Owls’ staff, Beaty was a successful head coach at MacArthur (Irving, Texas) High School from 2002-05, where his teams posted a 33-11 record and won two district titles. He earned several coach-of-the-year honors while at MacArthur.

Beaty began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Naaman Forest High School in Garland, Texas, from 1994-96. He was also an assistant at Garland High School from 1997-2000. Garland claimed the Class 5A Division II state title in 1999.

Beaty assumed his first head coaching job at North Dallas High School in 2001. He coached there for one season, posting a 6-4 record, before taking over at MacArthur.

Beaty is a 1994 graduate of Lindenwood (St. Charles, Mo.) College, where he played football and served as a team captain from 1992-93. He was a four-year starter at wide receiver and led the team in receptions for three-straight seasons. He played both football and soccer at Garland (Texas) High School where he graduated in 1989.

Beaty and his wife, Raynee, have two daughters, Averie (15) and Alexa (10).

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT DAVID BEATY

Texas A&M Head Coach Kevin Sumlin
“David is a great recruiter, a great coach and a great man. He was one of the first people I hired at Texas A&M and he’s been a huge part of what we’ve been able to accomplish here. He’s earned this opportunity to be a head coach, and I believe he will do a tremendous job with the Jayhawks.”

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Wide Receiver Mike Evans
“Coach Beaty is one of the most genuine people I’ve ever known, and he really cares about his players. On the field, he’s a great coach with a lot of energy and he’s fun to be around. He will always push you to be your best.”

NFL and Kansas All-American Wide Receiver Dezmon Briscoe
“Coach Beaty is a players’ coach, but he knows when to be serious. He is not afraid to put his foot down and tell you what you are doing wrong. He won’t let you sit around and be mediocre. He wants greatness from you.”

“Coach Beaty developed me as a receiver, but he also developed me as a man. When he came to KU he took me under his wing and really helped me mature off the field. We have a great relationship and still communicate to this day.”

NFL and Rice All-American Wide Receiver Jarett Dillard
“Coach Beaty was a great mentor and coach for me during my time at Rice. He was a very valuable asset to our program. He helped develop me as a patient route runner and receiver who could handle the pressure that was going to come from defenses keying on me. It was a breath of fresh air to learn the game from someone who really understands both the mental and physical aspects of coaching football.”

David Beaty Coaching Experience
1994-97 Naaman Forest HS (Texas) Assistant Coach
1997-00 Garland HS (Texas) Assistant Coach
2001 North Dallas HS (Texas) Head Coach/Athletic Coordinator
2002-05 Irving MacArthur HS (Texas) Head Coach/Athletic Coordinator
2006-07 Rice Passing Game Coordinator/Wide Receivers
2008-09 Kansas Wide Receivers
2010 Rice Offensive Coordinator
2011 Kansas Co-Offensive Coordinator/Wide Receivers
2012 Texas A&M Wide Receivers
2013-14 Texas A&M Wide Receivers/Recruiting Coordinator

Personal Information
Hometown: Garland, Texas
Education: 1994 – Bachelor’s Degree from Lindenwood College
Family: Wife – Raynee and daughters Averie (15) and Alexa (10)

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Game 5 – No. 22 Hutchinson (3-1) at Hesston College (3-2) Date: Friday, November 15, 2014

Tipoff: 7 p.m. Site: Yost Center, Hesston KS (Capacity: 1,500) Radio: KWBW-AM/FM (1450/98.5) -Glen Grunwald (PBP), 6:50 p.m. Internet Video, Audio, Live Stats:  www.bluedragonsports.com, 6:50 p.m. Twitter: @bluedragonsport

HUTCHINSON, KS – The Jayhawk Conference champion Hutchinson Community College Blue Dragons will meet Hudson Valley Community College in the sixth edition of the Salt City Bowl.

Junior College bowl announcements were announced on Tuesday. The fourth-ranked Blue Dragons (10-1) will take on the No. 19 Vikings (8-1) at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 6 at Gowans Stadium.

Ticket information for the game and the Dec. 5 bowl banquet will be announced soon.

This will be the first time that Hutchinson and Hudson Valley have met in football. The only other time that Hutchinson and Hudson Valley have crossed paths in any sport came in 1970 in men’s basketball.

Hudson Valley Community College is an NJCAA football independent program located in Troy, New York. The Vikings had the best record this season among junior college football independents at 8-1.

Hutchinson claimed its first Jayhawk Conference football championship since 1995 this season, tying a program record for wins in a season with 10. The only loss HCC suffered came to an Iowa Western team that will play for the national championship this season against East Mississippi.

Hutchinson will be making its sixth-straight and 19th-overall bowl appearance. The Blue Dragons are currently on a program-best six-game bowl winning streak. The win streak started with Hutch defeating Tyler 15-10 in the 2004 Heart of Texas Bowl. HCC has since defeated New Mexico Military Institute (22-14), Eastern Arizona College (42-21); Lackawanna College (70-20), Iowa Central (41-21) and Dakota College-Bottineau (57-0) in the Salt City Bowl.

Hutchinson has an all-time bowl record of 10-6-2.

Hudson Valley will be making only its third bowl appearance in program history and first in 11 seasons. The Vikings are 0-2 in bowl games. Hudson Valley lost 17-14 to Iowa Central in the 1989 Coca-Cola Bowl in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Hudson Valley lost to Ellsworth 29-23 in the Graphic Edge Bowl in 2003.

The Blue Dragons will bring the No. 6 rushing attack in the nation into the game. HCC, with a deep stable of running backs, rushes for 268.0 yards per game. The Dragons score 42.1 points per game and allow 21.4. Defensively, HCC allows 106.5 rushing yards and 216.1 passing yards.

Hudson Valley averages 24.4 points and 341.6 yards per game offensively, getting 179.0 yards on the round and 162.6 yards through the air. Defensively, the Vikings are allowing 15.9 points per game and allow 242.9 yards, 74.2 on the ground and 168.7 in the air.

The Vikings started the season with eight consecutive wins before dropping a 27-0 decision to Navy Prep on Nov. 1.