DRAGONS, REIVERS SET TO PLAY FOR NJCAA TITLE
Hutchinson CC Sports Information
For the fifth time in the last three seasons, the Hutchinson Community College football team will meet the Iowa Western Reivers - this time the teams will play for a national championship.
The No. 3-seeded Blue Dragons (10-1) and the No. 1 Reivers (11-1) will play in the 2024 Credit Union 1 NJCAA Division I Football Championship presented by Zurich Insurance. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, December 18 at West Texas A&M University's Bain-Schaeffer Buffalo Stadium in Canyon, Texas.
The game will be broadcast live on Blue Dragon flagship station KHUT-FM (102.9) and on sister stations KWBW-AM/FM (1450/98.5) beginning at 6:30 p.m. with Sean Boston (PBP) and Daren Dunn (Analyst) calling the action.
BLUE DRAGON FOOTBALL
No. 3 Hutchinson (10-1) vs. No. 1 Iowa Western (11-1)
2024 Credit Union 1 NJCAA Division I Football Championship
When: Wednesday, December 18, 2024
Where: Bain-Schaeffer Buffalo Stadium, Canyon, TX
Kickoff: 7:32 p.m.
Radio: KHUT-FM (102.9); KWBW-AM/FM (1450/98.5), 6:30 p.m. - Sean Boston (PBP); Daren Dunn (Analyst)
TV/Video: ESPNU, 7:30 p.m. - Chris Sylvester (PBP); John Kane (Analyst); Zach McKinstry (sidelines)
X: @bluedragonsport
CLICK FOR FULL BLUE DRAGON GAME NOTES (PDF Format)
The game will be televised nationally on ESPNU with Chris Sylvester (PBP), John Kane (Analyst) and Zach McKinstry (sidelines) on the call.
The Blue Dragons rolled into the national championship game - their third in the last five seasons - with a 63-21 semifinal victory at No. 2 Georgia Military on December 8 in Milledgeville, GA. Waymond Jordan Jr. rushed for 201 yards and two touchdowns, Ja'Cory Thomas caught two touchdown passes and the Blue Dragon defense shut out the Bulldogs in the second half, holding Georgia Military to 69 yards in the final quarters.
Iowa Western will play in its fourth-straight national championship game and bids for a three-peat - the Reivers lost to New Mexico Military in 2021, defeated Hutchinson in 2022 and East Mississippi last year. The Reivers advanced to the finals this season after defeating Northwest Mississippi 42-21 on December 6 in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Quarterback Hunter Dekkers was 17 of 30 passing for 174 yards. Running back Daniel Swinney rushed for 224 yards on 33 carries and two touchdowns to lead the Reivers in their semifinal.
The championship game will be a rematch between Hutchinson and Iowa Western of an instant classic played on September 7 in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The Blue Dragons held on for a 38-37 victory in a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup. The Reivers scored with 3 seconds remaining in regulation play. The Reivers went for two and missed preserving the Dragons' one-point win.
The Blue Dragons and Reivers are 5-5 all-time in series history.
The 2024 championship game will feature two National Player of the Year finalists in Hutchinson's Jordan and Iowa Western's Dekkers.
The Blue Dragons seek their second national championship in program history. Hutchinson defeated Snow College 29-27 in the 2020/21 national championship game on June 5, 2021 at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, Arkansas.