MONTGOMERY, DEFENSE LEADS DRAGONS PAST CONQS

Hutchinson CC Sports Information

DODGE CITY – The Hutchinson Community College defensive unit continues to be offensive.

The Blue Dragon defense scored points in a game for the fifth time this season – getting a pair of touchdowns from linebacker Monty Montgomery – and No. 4 Hutchinson rolled into its bye week with a 45-7 victory over the Conquistadors at Memorial Stadium.

Hutchinson won its sixth-consecutive game to improve to 8-1 overall and move to 6-0 in the Jayhawk Conference. Both are the program's best starts to a season since 2014. The Blue Dragons are off next Saturday before a showdown with No. 2 Garden City at Noon on November 3 at Gowans Stadium. Garden City defeated highland 51-31 on Saturday in Garden City.

Leading 7-0, Montgomery struck for the Blue Dragon defense when he took the ball right out of the hands of a Dodge City ball carrier and sprinted 20 yards into the end zone for a touchdown. Montgomery scored his second touchdown of the game – his third in two weeks after an interception for a touchdown against Coffeyville – when he picked off Dodge City's Drew Harris for a 25-yard touchdown and a 35-7 lead with 10:18 to play in the third quarter.

Saturday was the second time this season the Blue Dragon defense has produced two touchdowns in a game. Hutchinson held Dodge City to 251 total yards (113 rushing, 141 passing) with four takeaways and three quarterback sacks. Dodge City was 2 for 15 on third down and 0 for 2 on fourth down. Dodge City was touched for big plays three times that totaled 142 yards. The Conquistadors had 109 total yards on their 55 other offensive plays.

The Blue Dragons held Dodge City to 0 of 2 on red-zone opportunities and Caliph Bryce blocked a 30-yard field goal.

The Blue Dragon offense produced a season-high 314 rushing yards, scoring three times and averaging 7.1 yards per carry. Hutchinson's passing game continued to have problems with three quarterbacks combining for 130 yards and one touchdown.

Sophomore running back Dezmon Jackson had his fourth-straight 100-yard game with a game-high 157 rushing on 17 carries with touchdown runs of 81 and 34 yards. Jackson now has 10 touchdowns for the season, including seven coming on runs of 20 or more yards and five of 50 or more yards. He has scored touchdowns in six consecutive games.

Freshman Drake Bolus rushed for a season-high 84 yards on nine carries. He had a hard-charging 55-yard run that set up his 4-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Montai Ellis had 39 yards. Khalil McClain rushed for 33 yards on 3 carries to go with receptions for 68 yards.

Blue Dragon quarterback Mason Schucker finished 9 of 23 for 111 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.

Hutchinson's first scoring drive was 99 yards in only four plays, the final 81 coming on Jackson's touchdown run with 11:32 to play in the opening quarter. The Dragons led 14-0 after one period after Montgomery's 20-yard fumble return to the end zone with 4:25 to play in the period.

Jackson broke through the left side for a 24-yard touchdown run in the second quarter to give the Dragons a 21-0 lead at halftime.

Hutch took its first possession of the second half 66 yards in six plays and scored when Schucker threw a bullet to Jaylen Erwin for a 23-yard touchdown pass and a 28-0 lead. Montgemery's pick-six 27 seconds later made it 35-0 with 10:18 left.

Dodge City's only score game on a 61-yard run by Anthony Watkins with 2:31 left in the third period to make it 35-7.

The Dragons added a Sebastian Garcia 40-yard field goal and Bolus 4-yard TD run in the fourth quarter to close out the scoring.

GAME NOTES – The Blue Dragons are 48-36-4 all-time against Dodge City, including 23-21-2 at Dodge City. … Garcia booted his second field goal of 40 or more yards this season. … The Blue Dragons blocked their fourth kick this season, second by Caliph Brice. … Clarence Hicks picked up his 10th quarterback sack to become the 12th Hutchinson player in history to reach 10 sacks in a season. … Dezmon Jackson had his fifth 100-yard rushing game this season and sixth of his career. …