EDITOR'S NOTE: Hutchinson Community College Head Football Coach Drew Dallas was a quarterback at Salina High School Central and Kansas Wesleyan University. This was his first year as head coach of the Dragons.
By DAREN DUNN
Hutch Post
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Not even seven minutes had elapsed in the national championship game before No. 1 Hutchinson Community College found itself in a 14-0 hole.
The Dragons went three-and-out on their first two possessions while No. 2 Snow College scored two touchdowns in just nine plays.
Deuce Roberson's 8-yard grab capped an 8-play, 52-yard drive to open the scoring for the Badgers.
On Snow's second possession, Tejhuan Palmer caught a Garrison Beach deep ball for six. The 69-yard TD put Snow up 14-0 with 8:17 left in the first quarter of play.
Hutchinson would answer with an 11-play, 66-yard drive that produced only a 22-yard field goal from C.J. Moya. Hutchinson's drive stalled after a first-and-goal chance from the five.
After turning the ball over on downs, Hutchinson took its next drive to the house in only two plays. Tye Edwards broke loose for a 68-yard scamper.
Edwards finished the day with 139 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Edwards was named the game's MVP.
After trailing 14-0 early, Hutchinson went into halftime down only four.
"I know a lot of it was just fighting back and these guys just not giving up and having a little 'come to Jesus' meeting at halftime about just playing Hutch Football," head coach Drew Dallas said after the game.
Named the NJCAA Coach of the Year, Dallas said the coaches didn't have to say anything at halftime. He said the leaders on the team said what needed to be said.
"The only thing you can control is your attitude and your effort and your response to the situation. We were prepared (because of the) adversity we faced the last 16, 17 months," Dallas said.
Snow took the opening kickoff of the third quarter and looked poised to add another touchdown to its 14-10 advantage. Quarterback Garrison Beach burst into the red zone before being tackled from behind by Marquise Gilbert.
Beach was slow to get up as trainers rushed to his side. Beach was helped off the field with a knee injury and never returned. He finished the day with 185 yards passing and two touchdowns. Beach also ran for 42 yards. He ended the day leading the Badgers in both categories.
Beach was replaced by backup Gabe Sweeten, who entered the game with only 7 passing attempts on the season. Sweeten struggled to hit wide receivers and was just 2 of 9 in relief of Beach. Sweeten was sacked twice, threw for 54 yards and one interception.
After Beach left the game, the Badgers could not finish the drive. Despite driving the ball to Hutchinson's one, Snow was pushed backed when Sweeten mishandled a shotgun snap and took a 5-yard loss. That was followed by a false start two plays later. The Badgers came away empty after kicker Stockton Lund missed a 27-yard field goal. Lund came into the contest with two misses on the season. He missed three times in the national championship (49, 31, 27).
Sweeten did hurt the Dragons with his legs. He ran for 30 yards and a TD.
Hutchinson held Snow's leading rusher, Seth Kaelin, to just 37 yards. Kaelin entered the game as one of only six rushers in the nation to average 100 yards per contest.
Snow added to its lead late in the third quarter after a Dylan Laible interception. Laible, who threw for 11 TDs and just one interception after replacing an injured C.J. Ogbonna this year, went 10 of 22 for 150 yards and an interception.
Laible overthrew Tyrone Howell and Kieonte Scott took advantage with a pick. Mekhi Kimble turned the interception into points on an 11-yard TD run. With 4:50 left in the third, Hutchinson was down 21-10.
That's when Drew Dallas made a move. At halftime, he told both of his quarterbacks that a change might be coming. "If we need a little bit of momentum, we're going to make this change and really not for anything other than our offense just (needs) a spark," Dallas told Laible and C.J. Ogbonna during the break.
Ogbonna came in and completed his first pass for 34 yards to Cortez Braham. Two plays later, Anwar Lewis ran 29 yards for a touchdown.
Lewis scored twice Saturday, his second touchdown was from three yards out. The run capped an 89-yard drive that took just six plays.
Two touchdowns from Lewis and one more from Edwards were part of a 19-0 run that put Hutchinson up 29-21 with 7:27 remaining. The Dragons failed to convert twice on two-point conversions during that run.
Ogbonna provided the spark the Blue Dragons needed by completing all five of his passes for 128 yards.
Between Laible and Ogbonna, the Dragons racked up 278 passing yards. Tyrone Howell caught six passes for 108 yards. Braham tallied 112 yards on four receptions.
Snow would not go away without a fight. The Badgers scored with 4:50 left in the game on a Sweeten 6-yard run. The Badgers drove 75 yards in six plays but failed to tie the game when Sweeten couldn't hit Palmer on the two-point try.
With a two-point lead, Hutchinson took 2:37 off the clock before seemingly sealing the victory on a fourth down punt fake. Dylan Kedzior took a direct snap in punt formation and ran for the first down. The play was called back for an illegal formation. Caleb Brickhouse pinned the Badgers inside their own 20 after the penalty.
Without any timeouts, Snow had to throw. Enter: Tre Pinkney. The nation's leader in sacks knew the comeback route was coming from wide receiver Myller Royals. When Royals cut back to his quarterback, Pinkney jumped the passing lane and sealed the victory.
FINAL: Hutchinson 29 Snow 27
Hutchinson put up 511 yards of total offense while giving up 390. The Dragon defense held the Badgers to just 3 of 10 on third down.
Hutchinson finishes the year 8-0. Drew Dallas went undefeated in his first season as head coach and was named the NJCAA Coach of the Year.
Snow finishes 8-1 under first-year head coach Zac Erekson.