KEDZIOR POWERING DRAGON BACKFIELD IN SECOND GO-AROUND AT NATIONAL TITLE

By Billy Watson

Hutchinson CC Sports Information

Dylan Kedzior did not see much of the field during his freshman year two seasons ago.

The third-year sophomore, who was a freshman in Drew Dallas' first season as the head coach of the Hutchinson Community College football team in 2020, was a special teams player who made the most of the his time when he jogged with the unit onto the field. He did rotate through on offense - the Claremore, Oklahoma native rushed for 221 yards on 21 carries and two touchdowns.

Had the country only knew what was coming ...

Hutchinson went on to win the NJCAA Division I national championship, 29-27 over Snow Colllege, and soon backed that up with a 49-19 Jayhawk Conference playoff title win over Garden City and finally a 66-34 Salt City Bowl win over Hinds the next season – both in 2021 with the national championship in the spring and the bowl game in the fall.

With the Blue Dragons losing top running backs to NCAA programs – the national championship MVP Tye Edwards transferring to UT-San Antonio and Anwar Lewis transferring to Jacksonville State – the Blue Dragons had to find a new tailback to rely on.

Kedzior became the guy.

With 5:47 remaining in the fourth quarter of the fourth game of the regular season on the road at Coffeyville on September 24, Kedzior was inserted at running back and led the charge down the field, scoring the go-ahead and game-winning two-yard touchdown with 1:17 remaining in the game. The touchdown, looking back at it, seemed to be a season-defining moment for him and the Blue Dragons.

"It's been awesome getting to play this season," Kedzior said. "I'm so blessed to see the success that I've seen so far. It's been great."

And now Kedzior, who was a part of the national title-winning team in 2021, will return to Little Rock, Arkansas for the 8 p.m. kickoff Wednesday, Dec. 14 at War Memorial Stadium when top-seeded Hutchinson takes on the third seed Iowa Western, which the Blue Dragons snuck by against on November 12 in Council Bluffs in the final game of the regular season, 29-28.

"I'm extremely excited," Kedzior said. "It's something we've looked forward to all year and what we've been talking about since day one of camp. This has been the expectation the entire time. We're not going to settle for anything less. It's huge to be playing in this game. We're all ready, and we're counting down the days until Wednesday for sure."

This season, Kedzior has eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards, passing the mark with a 74-yard touchdown run in the NJCAA national playoff semifinal win over Coffeyville 38-7 last Saturday at Gowans Stadium. He ran for 156 yards that night as well. Kedzior had five games this season where he rushed for more than 100 yards, including one where he rushed for 230 yards and three touchdowns in the 27-19 win over Butler. He has 13 total touchdowns this season, including a 76-yard touchdown reception against Iowa Western.

In the big road win over the Reivers, Kedzior's long touchdown reception was designed for him to fake block for a screen and was wide open down the field. He totaled 212 total yards in the game.

Kedzior was honored as the Jayhawk Conference Offensive Player of the Week after the win over Coffeyville. He was also tabbed the conference Offensive Player of the Year, one of the top honors in the Jayhawk Conference along with Dallas earning the Coach of the Year pin – the second time in his three seasons with the Blue Dragons he has received the honor.

The 6-foot 205-pound back currently holds offers from Ball State, Eastern Michigan, UTEP, Old Dominion, Illinois State, McNeese State, Buffalo, Northern Iowa, North Carolina-Charlotte, Western Illinois, and St. Francis.

With under a week of preparation left before the lights turn on at War Memorial Stadium, Hutchinson and Iowa Western will be familiar with its schemes and players having played each other just in early November. Kedzior said they will find ways to put the ball in the end zone and learn from their mistakes in the first matchup. He added having the luxury of all three phases of the game being proficient for the Blue Dragons, especially in the last matchup against Iowa Western with a blocked punt by Jermaine Hamilton-Jordan and returned for a touchdown by Jaimelle Claytor.

"It's obvious that we have not only singular, but multiple playmakers in each different phase of the game," Kedzior said. "We've got game-changers at every position. That's just kind of what we do, that's Hutch football. It's the Hutch factory. You come in here with amazing players around you, (and) you're going to be forced to compete and produce on the field."

The national championship will be televised at 8 p.m. on ESPNU. The Blue Dragons look to end the year with two national championships in the past three seasons and put at stake its 17-game winning streak, the longest current win streak in the nation.

"It's great to see us all with the success as a team," Kedzior said, "going out there and rallying to try to win this natty."

Follow Blue Dragon Sports on social media for the latest news and updates in the Blue Dragon Athletic Department and the football team's journey to Little Rock.

Twitter: @bluedragonsport

Instagram: @bluedragonsports

Facebook: Blue Dragon Sports

Listen live: KHUT 102.9 FM

Watch: ESPNU