By: Mike Smith
For only the seventh time in school history the Dodge City football team will participate in a postseason bowl game as the #7 Conquistadors will take on #15 New Mexico Military Institute on Friday, December 1st at 7:00 pm (6:00 MST) in the Xcel Energy Wool Bowl in Roswell, New Mexico.
The Conqs enter the contest at 7-3 on the season finishing second in the KJCCC, while NMMI sits at 6-5 on the year, all eight losses between both teams are to currently ranked Top 10 NJCAA teams. The matchup against NMMI is the eighth meeting between the programs but first since 1980.
"Any time you get the opportunity to play in the postseason in a bowl game, really, it's a reward for the body of work that you've achieved throughout the regular season. Just got to give our coaching staff and players a lot of credit for the things that they've done, and they hard work they've put in to put us in this position to have this opportunity in Roswell, New Mexico," said Head Coach, Terry Karg on the opportunity the Conqs have earned to play in the Wool Bowl.
The Wool Bowl returned as a NJCAA bowl game last year and NMMI beat Lackawanna in the contest 28-26, prior to last year the Wool Bowl was played from 1966-79.
The Conqs are making their first appearance in a bowl game since 2015 and Head Coach, Terry Karg in just his second season has the Conqs on the map nationally. While NMMI is playing in the postseason for the fourth straight year a stretch that includes winning a NJCAA National Championship over Iowa Western in 2021.
Conqs head into the contest averaging 23.6 points per game on 297.7 total yards per game, while NMMI has been a strong offense this year averaging 32.4 points per game on 366.3 total yards per game. Defensively the Conqs have stymied their opponents regularly this season giving up just 19.5 points per game on 286.2 total yards per game, while NMMI has seen their defense surrender 26.1 points per game on 318.6 total yards per game.
The Conqs will look to etch their names in the history books by claiming the first ever bowl game win in school history to cap the 2023 season.
