BLUE DRAGONS FALL TO NO. 13 BUTLER AT GOWANS

Hutchinson CC Sports Information

Turnover doomed the top-ranked Hutchinson Community College football team on Saturday at Gowans Stadium.

The Dragons turned the ball over six times, which led to 21 Butler points as the No. 13 Grizzlies upended the No. 1 Blue Dragons 27-22.

The loss snaps Hutchinson's second-longest Jayhawk Conference win streak in program history at 22 games. The Blue Dragons fell to 7-1 overall and 3-1 in the Jayhawk Conference heading into their second bye week of the season. The Dragons play host to Highland on November 9. The Grizzlies are now 5-2 overall and 4-0 in the KJCCC.

Almost all the numbers were in favor of the Blue Dragons. Hutchinson had 28 first downs to Butler's eight and the Dragons out-gained the Grizzlies 508-217.

But five interceptions and a lost fumble led to the Blue Dragons being a minus-5 in turnover ratio. Butler outscored the Blue Dragons 21-0 in points off turnovers.

Those turnovers put the Blue Dragons into a 27-10 hole with 13:52 to play in the fourth quarter, but the Dragons made a furious comeback late in the game.

Tre Brown caught a 32-yard touchdown pass from Christian Johnson to complete a three-play, 57-yard scoring march. The extra-point try failed and the Dragons trailed 27-16 with 12:51 left. After a Butler 3-and out, the Dragons quickly struck again to cut the margin to 27-22 when Johnson scored on a 4-yard touchdown run with 8:59 remaining. The Dragons had two more possessions, but they both ended on turnovers.

Blue Dragon running back Waymond Jordan Jr. moved on the doorstep of a 1,000-yard rushing season with his sixth 100-yard game of the season. Jordan rushed for 121 yards on 20 carries and a touchdown.

Johnson was 18 of 33 passing for a career-high 286 yards with a touchdown and five interceptions. Johnson also rushed for a career-high 98 yards on 24 carries and a touchdown.

Ja'Cory Thomas had five receptions for 88 yards. Derrick Salley Jr. had four receptions for 55 yards and Benson Prosper had four catches for 35 yards.

Defensively, Ja'Quel Mack had a team-high nine tackles. Kollin Collier had five tackles. Marshon Oxley had five tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and two quarterback sacks. Avian Rice had the only Blue Dragon takeaway with his second interception of the season.

Butler took the opening kickoff 59 yards on five plays and took a 6-0 lead on Mason McHugh's 1-yard touchdown run. DeMarcus Johnson blocked the extra point.

The Blue Dragons got on the board 49 seconds into the second quarter when Nestus Burger kicked a 32-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 6-3. Butler then scored 14 points in a span of 1 minute, 35 seconds to build a 20-3 lead with 4:08 left.

The Dragons answered with a 75-yard, nine-play scoring drive that was capped by Jordan's 1-yard touchdown run with 34 seconds remaining in the second quarter to cut the Butler led to 20-10.

Both teams didn't score in the third quarter, but the Blue Dragons out-gained Butler 96-42 in the third quarter and 170 to 15 in the fourth quarter.

GAME NOTES – Saturday's game was the 101st all-time between Hutchinson and Butler. The series is now 50-50-1. … The longest Jayhawk Conference winning streak in program history was 26 games from 1946 to 1950. … Head coach Drew Dallas coached in his 50th game as Hutchinson head coach. Dallas is 45-5 in his first 50 games. … This was the first game the Blue Dragons had five or more turnovers since committing seven turnovers in the 2021 season opener at Coffeyville on September 4, 2021. … Waymond Jordan Jr. now has 986 yards for the season. He is 14 yards shy of becoming the Blue Dragons' 20th all-time 1,000-yard rusher in team history. … Jordan now has 14 rushing touchdowns this season, which ties Larry Powell (1975) for fifth place on the Blue Dragon single-season touchdown list.