Dodge City football faced the #1 team in the country for the second time this season, this time being the Hutchinson Blue Dragons, and despite being without multiple players would do some solid things against the Blue Dragons however in the end Hutchinson proved to be just outmatch the Conquistadors on the day as Hutchinson won 46-10.
The loss drops the Conqs to 3-3 on the season but is only the first loss in KJCCC play this season as the Conqs are 3-1 in KJCCC action.
The Blue Dragons had a solid kickoff return to open the contest and utilized that to get the first points on the day as the Conqs would hold in the red zone to force a 33-yard field goal. Conqs countered on their first drive going 56 yards on 10 plays to set up a 37-yard field goal attempt but would be unable to tie the contest. After forcing a three and out by Hutchinson the Conqs once again moved the ball down the field against the Blue Dragons covering 42 yards on nine plays and setting up another field goal try after coming up short in the endzone and this time Angel Dominguez drilled a 37-yard field to tie the game at 3-3. It would remain 3-3 until the 10-minute mark of the second quarter when the Conqs had a bad string of penalties which led to a safety and a Hutchinson 5-3 lead. The Blue Dragons would get the ball after the safety and four plays later find the endzone for the first touchdown of the day making it 12-3. By halftime, Hutchinson hung 17 more points up on the scoreboard to have a sizeable lead at 29-3 at intermission.
In the second half, the Conqs would continue to struggle to move the ball and find consistency but would hold the Blue Dragons for a bit until they tallied another touchdown in the third and would get another plus a field goal in the fourth. The Conqs finally broke through on a nine-play 78-yard drive in the fourth quarter as Stone Wilson punched in a touchdown on a four-yard run but ultimately the Conqs would fall 46-10.
In the loss, the Conqs would manage just 218 yards of total offense while giving up 345 total yards to Hutchinson which is the second-lowest output by the Blue Dragons this season. Trevyon Jefferson was 6-17 for 120 yards but had a pair of interceptions, while Bryce Conover finished the contest at quarterback. Jalen Smith ran for 74 yards on 20 carries, while Kam'Ryn Thomas caught four passes for 69 yards.
Defensively, Dwight Nunoo once again paced the Conqs with six tackles and had an interception for the second straight game. Bobby Arnold III was impactful again with five tackles, two tackles for loss, and a fumble recovery, while the Conqs leading tackler on the season Kenyan Hunter recorded five tackles.
Four games remain in the season as the Conqs will be back on the road next week taking on Ellsworth on Saturday, October 14th with an 11:00 am kickoff in Iowa Falls, Iowa.
