What a difference a year makes as the Dodge City Conquistador football team took on the defending NJCAA Division I National Champions, Iowa Western for the second straight year to the season it was a drastically different game this time around compared to the start of the 2022 season. 

While ultimately the Conqs would drop the contest, it was a one-score affair and went down to the final minutes of the contest as the Conqs fell 27-20 to the #1 Reivers. 

The contest would open up with Iowa Western mounting a drive on the first series which led to a 28-yard field goal attempt but the Conqs swatted it back as Bobby Arnold III got a piece of it. After both teams would stall out on the next two drives the Conqs on their second series would put together the first scoring drive of the game and season going 66 yards on five plays ending with a 29-yard touchdown pass from Trevyon Jefferson to Greg Genross. After the missed extra point the Conqs led 6-0. Conqs carried that lead into the second quarter but with 9:44 left in the first half Iowa Western got on the board with a touchdown and extra point to take a 7-6 lead. After a fumble on the kickoff by the Conqs that the Reivers recovered, Iowa Western visited the endzone on the next play to make it 14-6. 

Trailing 14-6 coming out of halftime the Conqs saw the Reivers find their way to the endzone again early in the third quarter to make it 21-6 to start to take control of the contest and then the Reivers added a 30-yard field goal with 9:13 left in the third to make it 24-6. The Conqs would not go away getting the ball back and just a few plays later seeing Jalen Smith bust an 88-yard touchdown run and with the extra point, the Conqs drew within 11 points at 24-13. Needing another spark the Conqs defense provided it with 4:27 left in the third quarter when Arnold III forced a fumble and Malkolm Wright recovered it leading to a Conqs scoring drive of seven plays and 56 yards. The scoring drive was capped by a 13-yard touchdown pass from Bryce Conover to Kerya Powell making it a four-point contest at 24-20. 

The Conqs were threatening to find the endzone again at the start of the fourth quarter but an interception foiled the scoring opportunity. Iowa Western would dwindle the clock and put together another drive in the fourth but the Conqs in the redzone managed to force the Reivers into a field goal which they made from 26 yards out but the game remained a one-score contest at 27-20. 
With just under five minutes to go the Conqs had the ball but would work into a fourth down spot needing to convert to ultimately stay alive in the contest but would be unable to convert and Iowa Western would run out the clock to grab the 27-20 win. 

After a lopsided first half in yardage, the game finished close in total yards as the Reivers amassed 396 yards and the Conqs totaled 303 yards. Turnovers would hurt the Conqs with three, while both teams had double-digit penalties in the season opener. 

Conover in relief was 8-17 passing for 118 yards and a touchdown, while Jefferson threw for 63 yards and a touchdown. On the ground, Smith had 107 yards on seven carries with a score, while seven different Conqs caught passes. 

Defensively the Conqs had 11 tackles for loss in the loss and were led by Kenyan Hunter who tallied 10 tackles. Dwight Nunoo recorded nine tackles, while Sonny Semeatu had eight tackles with 1.5 sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss. Jaden Kelly added seven tackles and Arnold III had four tackles, a blocked kick, and two forced fumbles. 

Up next the Conqs hit the road to take on #7 Coffeyville in the KJCCC opener and will have a late kickoff of 7:00 pm.