BLUE DRAGONS DOMINATE SEASON OPENER WITH NO. 13 NAVARRO
Hutchinson CC Sports Information
Quarterback Dylan Laible threw five touchdown passes and the Hutchinson Community College defense did something on Saturday that hadn't happened since 1997.
The No. 3-ranked Hutchinson Community College Football team held a Navarro College team that averaged more than 504 yards and 40 points per game last season to 136 total yards and shut out the Bulldogs in a 42-0 season-opening triumph on Saturday at Gowans Stadium.
The Blue Dragon defense posted a shutout against a Navarro team that hadn't been shut out since the fifth game of the 1997 season (Navarro lost to Tyler 21-0), a span of 257 games.
Hutchinson's defense held the Bulldogs to 80 rushing yards and 136 yards through the air. The Dragons also forced five takeaways from the Bulldogs in the largest margin of victory in series history.
Offensively, Laible threw for five or more touchdowns in a game for the fourth time in his career. Laible now has 48 career touchdown passes, two shy of Luke Barnes' career record of 50 touchdowns
Laible completed 13 of 18 passes for 278 yards. Laible moved into 3rd place on the Blue Dragon career passing yardage list with 3,921 yards.
Back-up quarterback Collin Shields was 6 of 12 passing for 63 yards.
Marcello Bussey caught a career-high five balls for 85 yards and two touchdowns. Malik Benson caught two passes for 112 yards and a 90-yard touchdown. That play was the fifth-longest passing play from scrimmage in team history. Micah Woods caught two passes, both for touchdowns, for 68 yards.
Tre Bess and Ed Williams were the Dragons' leading rushers with 45 yards each.
The Blue Dragons amassed 521 total yards against Navarro – 180 rushing yards and 341 passing yards. Navarro had 123 passing yards and 80 rushing yards.
Defensively, the Blue Dragons got interceptions from Jaden Mosley, Montero Smith and Ja'Maric Morris. Terry Kirksey and Dylan Kedzior both had fumble recoveries.
The Blue Dragons scored on the opening drive of the season when Rontavius Richmond scampered 23 yards to the end zone to cap a three-play, 36-yard scoring drive for a 7-0 lead with 12;41 remaining in the opening quarter. The Dragons made it 14-0 late in the first quarter when Laible connected with Woods for a 50-yard touchdown pass.
Hutchinson broke the game open early in the second quarter with two touchdowns in a span of 17 seconds.
Laible connected with Bussey for a 48-yard scoring strike with 11:25 remaining in the second quarter after Kirksey recovered a fumble on Navarro's next offensive play, Laible and Bussey connected again for a 15-yard touchdown strike and a 28-0 lead with 11:08 remaining in the first half.
Just 3 minutes, 44 seconds later, Laible hit Benson in the flat and hit out-sprinted the Bulldog defense to the end zone for a 90-yard touchdown and a 35-0 Hutchinson lead with 7:24 to go.
Hutchinson had just one score in the second half when Woods caught Laible's fifth touchdown pass of the game on an 18-yard scoring reception. The Dragons led 42-0 with 12:09 remaining in the third quarter.
The Blue Dragons (1-0) are on the road for the first time next Saturday when they travel to Iowa Falls, Iowa to take on the Ellsworth Panthers.
GAME NOTES: Blue Dragon head coach Drew Dallas tied Andy Hill and Craig Jersild for sixth place on the Blue Dragons' coaching wins' list with 19. … Dallas is now 8-1 with the Blue Dragons in games against nationally ranked competition. … The Blue Dragons even the all-time series with Navarro at 2-2. … With Saturday's 90-yard touchdown pass, Dylan Laible and Malik Benson now own for of the top 12 longest passes from scrimmage in team history. … Benson moved past Cortez Braham and DeQuan Bowman into fifth place on the Blue Dragon career receiving yards list, now with 1,341 yards. … Benson now has sixth-straight 100-yard receiving games dating back to last season. He has eight 100-yard receiving games for his career. … The Blue Dragons are now 54-35-1 all-time in season openers. … The Dragons have won seven games in a row.