Hutchinson, KS
If only a football game were only 30 minutes long.
Iowa Western (10-1) rocketed off to a 13-0 lead and led 21-7 over #1 ranked Hutchinson (10-0) with under three minutes to go in the opening half.
What happened into the half, arguably changed the course of the game.
The Blue Dragons grabbed their only takeaway of the day with just over a minute remaining and converted it into a touchdown just two plays later to make it a one-score game into the half.
The Reivers had their way up to that point of the game, with Hunter Watson leading the way with his arm and legs and the defense shutting down a Dragons' attack that had led them into the first regular season #1 versus #2 in IWCC's program history.
After a fumble recovery by Clev Lubin on a botched field goal snap on Hutchinson's opening drive, Watson mixed in a single completion on the Reivers' opening scoring drive as Iowa Western drove for the lead on a nine-play, 60-yard drive that was capped by a Jonathan Humpal three-yard scoring blast. LJ Fitzpatrick, Louis Brooks, and Humpal all ripped off double-digit runs on the drive as the Reivers took a 7-0 lead.
The lead increased to double-digits after the 'Darkside' forced their first three and out of the day. After a pair of runs by Humpal, Watson took the ball 68 yards for the score, his third 40-yard-plus TD of the year. Max Bartachek's extra point was blocked and the Reivers led 13-0 after the opening quarter of play.
Hutchinson capped off a 69-yard drive with their first touchdown of the day, cutting the lead to one score.
Another takeaway, this time on the sixth interception of the year by Joshua Pierre-Louis, resulted in another Reivers' punt, but the Dragons gave it right back on a punt of their own setting up the visitors at their own 47-yard line.
Watson again went to the tight end position on first down, finding Nate Sullivan through the air. Sullivan rumbled 52 yards to Hutch's one-yard line and Humpal punched it in for his second score of the day. Kyrell Jordan added the two-point conversion on a rush as the Reivers built the lead back to two scores at 21-7.
From there, Hutchinson fought back. The Blue Dragons scored late in the third quarter to reset the game into the final stanza before outscoring the Reivers in the final 15 to take the win and the top spot in the upcoming NJCAA Playoffs.
Sullivan did get a score in the final quarter to cap off a program-record day for a Reiver tight end. The redshirt sophomore out of Bellevue, Nebraska tallied 122 yards on his two catches, more than doubling the previous high output for an IWCC tight end. It was the first time a tight end had gone over the 100-yard mark and the first time the Reivers had a 100-yard receiver since early in the 2022 season.
The good news for the Reivers? They're in the NJCAA Playoffs for the third consecutive season, but it will be another 10 days before they know exactly who and where they'll play the semi-final match-up. The body of work and strength of schedule should be enough for voters to keep them in the top two of the poll. The Reivers were road warriors this season, earning ranked victories over Garden City, Butler, and Snow College before taking the NJCAA's top team into the fourth quarter in the regular season finale. The Reivers' win over Dodge City to start the season was seen as unimpressive by some early in the season, but the Conquistadors have turned their program around and are now ranked in the Top 10, finishing the year as the number two team in the highly touted Jayhawk conference. Iowa Western also scheduled the top two independents in Georgia Military and Snow instead of taking an additional bye week or scheduling one of the prep schools that make the rounds year after year on some other team's schedules.
Highlights so far this season include another ICCAC Championship and Head Coach Scott Strohmeier's 150th career coaching win in addition to another double-digit win total.
"Well, today's game certainly is disappointing, but we've done enough to be in the playoffs again and I think we've done enough to hold the number two spot," said Strohmeier after the game, "but now we've taken it out of our hands and placed it into others, I'll have to make our case, just like I did last year. We proved those that were behind us last season right, I don't have any doubts about this year's team being capable of exactly the same thing."
The Mississippi and Texas leagues still have to finish out their seasons next weekend with their respective league championships, so the Reivers will have to wait to find out their next opponent until the week of Thanksgiving. The playoffs begin the weekend of December 2nd with IWCC's game more than likely taking place on Sunday, December 3rd.
Until then, the team will wait and get much-needed rest from a season that took them to the farthest possible destinations against Jayhawk competition and to the Beehive State.
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