(HCC Sports Information)
The No. 9 Hutchinson Community College football team scored 60 or more points for the fifth time this season and the Blue Dragons won the 250th home game in the program history after defeating the Dodge City Conquistadors 63-6 on a rainy Saturday night at Gowans Stadium.
Hutchinson is now 250-116-14 all time in games played at home. HCC didn’t start playing at Gowans Stadium until 1934. HCC also won its 13th straight game at Gowans Stadium, which matches the second-longest home winning streak in Blue Dragon football history.
HCC also set the single-season home scoring record. Through four games in 2011 at Gowans Stadium, the Blue Dragons have scored 283 points. The old record was 232 points in seven games in 1995.
“That says that we play well at home,” HCC head coach Rion Rhoades said. “But we can’t relish this too long. We have to get ready for Garden City next week.”
The Blue Dragons won their fourth-straight over Dodge City and have outscored the Conquistadors 227-15 over those four games.
Redshirt freshman Deveon Dinwiddie had a 100-yard rushing game for the third time this season, going for 108 yards on 19 carries and three touchdowns. He scored his career-high fourth touchdown on a 4-yard touchdown pass late in the third quarter.
“Me coach talked to be about being patient,” Dinwiddie said. “Tonight I was just staying on my blocks and ran well. Our O-line did a great job today. Our screens really set up well.”
Sophomore quarterback Elliott Alford completed 19 of 28 passes for 278 yards and four touchdowns as he moved into fifth place on the HCC career passing list (2,867 yards) and second place in career touchdown passes (29).
Alford completed passes to eight different receivers, including sophomore Cordarrelle Patterson, who became the Blue Dragons’ career leaders in receptions with 85. He surpasses Lonnie Crittenden who held the record for 41 years.
“It feels good that I made a record,” Patterson said. “They were double-teaming me to keep me from the ball, but we have a lot of good players on this team who can make plays.”
The Blue Dragons (5-1, 3-0 Jayhawk West) rolled up 534 total yards with 240 yards coming on the ground and 294 yards in the air.
Freshman Miguel Johns had career highs of six catches and 101 yards, which included a 61-yard touchdown. Patterson finished six receptions for 84 yards. Freshman Jatavious Stewart had three catches for 49 yards and two touchdowns.
The Blue Dragons allowed 235 total yards, allowing a negative 1-yard rushing to the Conquistadors (2-4, 2-3). Dodge City quarterback Bryan Parnes was 27 of 45 for 205 yards and a touchdown and two interceptions.
One interception was returned by sophomore safety Spencer Vanderbogart, who returned it 47 yards for a defensive touchdown.
The Blue Dragons scored the first 27 points of the game, getting a first-quarter Dinwiddie 3-yard touchdown run. Six second into the second quarter, Dinwiddie scored from 4 yards out for a 14-0 lead. The Blue Dragons then marched 80 yards in 10 plays and took a 20-0 lead on sophomore Brandon Cameron’s first career touchdown from 2 yards out with 8:10 to play in the second quarter.
After Vanderbogart’s interception return for a touchdown gave HCC a 27-0 lead, the Conquistadors when on their only scoring drive of the game which was seven plays for 55 yards. Parnes put Dodge City on the board with a 17-yard touchdown pass to Logan Stephens. The extra point was missed and HCC led 27-6 with 5:08 to go in the half.
“It was hard to adjust to their tempo,” said Vanderbogart, who scored his first career touchdowns. “It always feels good when the defense can get its hands on the ball. It’s a big momentum boost when the defense can score. Everything goes your way when it does.”
“We love getting takeaways and to score,” Rhoades said.
The Blue Dragons showed their quick-strike capability with two touchdowns in the final five minutes to cap another huge second quarter. Alford connected with Johns for a 61-yard touchdown to cap a two-play, 69-yard drive that lasted 59 seconds. HCC then took a 41-6 lead when Stewart caught a 23-yard TD pass from Alford with 1:33 to play to finish off a three-play, 48-yard drive that lasted 1 minute, 10 seconds.
Hutchinson outscored Dodge City 34-6 in the second quarter, rolling up 212 yards in the period.
The Blue Dragons scored three third-quarter touchdowns, HCC’s 39th, 40th and 41st touchdowns at Gowans Stadium this season.
Dinwiddie scored from 8-yards out to go up 48-6. Stewart caught his second touchdown pass of the game from 19 yards out for a 55-6 lead. Dinwiddie then caught Alford’s fourth TD pass of the game to cap a six-play, 77 yard scoring march to go up 61-6 with 4:09 to play in the third period.
HCC’s only points of the fourth quarter came from the defense as Adrian Mack caught Parnes in the end zone for a sack and Parnes fumbled the ball out of the back of the end zone for a safety.
The Blue Dragons travel to Garden City for a 7 p.m. kickoff next Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Garden City.
GAME NOTES – The Blue Dragons have outscored opponents 151-44 in the second quarter. … HCC is now 43-33-4 all time vs. Dodge City. … Alford is now second in career touchdown passes with 29 third in career completions with 200, third in total offense with 3,371 yards and went from seventh to fifth in career passing yards with 2,967 yards, ,,, The Blue Dragons had the ball 39 minutes, 26 seconds. … The fewest points the Blue Dragons have scored at Gowans Stadium this season is 60 points.