Reivers Last Gasp Comes Up Short, Title Run Ends

Canyon, TX

Despite a decisive third quarter offensive explosion for Hutchinson Wednesday night in West Texas, Iowa Western Football had the ball with a chance to win as the clock wound down at Bain-Shaeffer Buffalo Stadium on the campus of West Texas A&M University.

A hurried pass from Reivers' QB Hunter Dekkers to tight end Naivyan Cargill fell short on 4th & 5 from the Blue Dragons' 11-yard line and the final :57 seconds were spent in victory formation as IWCC's run as National Champions ended shy of a three-peat in a 28-23 loss to Hutchinson.

It was all Reivers early as Dekkers led the team 93 yards downfield in just nine plays on the games first drive. A sliding, over the shoulder catch hauled in by Keyon Brown sent the home sideline into celebration as video review confirmed the freshman's fourth TD catch of the year.

With IWCC leading 7-0, Hutchinson Quarterback Samari Collier foreshadowed his impact on the game, rushing for a first down on the Blue Dragons' first play from scrimmage. The 'Darkside' snuffed out the drive, stuffing NJCAA Player of the Year Waymond Jordan, Junior on his first rush of the game and limiting HCC to just the Collier first down.

Reiver special teams made an immediate impact when Ethen Fishell blocked Davis Barr's punt setting Dekkers and Company up in plus territory again.

Running back Daniel Swinney rushed for 12 yards before Dekkers second scoring pass of the day. Freshman Titus Myers caught his ninth of the year with another highlight worthy effort and the defending champs led 14-0 with just under eight minutes gone in the opening quarter.

The two teams exchanged punts on multiple possessions to round out the opening stanza as Hutchinson struck for their first big play of the game, a 26-yard pass from Collier to Benson Prosper to finish the 1st with the momentum shifting.

The remainder of the drive was Samari Colliers. The shifty quarterback ran for gains of seven, two and four yards to give the Blue Dragons a first down at the Reivers' 27-yard line. After chipping away for hard earned yardage, Collier went the distance on 1st & 10, racing 27 yards to put Hutchinson on the scoreboard.

Both defenses stacked up for the remaining 13 plus minutes of the half, with Max Bartachek's 32-yard kick the only points added to the point total. Hutchinson's Nestus Burger missed a 46-yarder on Hutch's best remaining chance of the half.

Coach Strohmeier's offense nearly struck just before halftime, but a video review upheld an incomplete call made on the field on a Jayvyn Moore catch ruled out of bounds. Replay appeared to show Moore's foot touching inbounds, but the replay official upheld the call on the field.

IWCC moved the ball to the Hutch four-yard line, but the half expired on 1st and Goal.

The third quarter would be the catalyst for Hutchinson's win.

Hutchinson's Kordell Gouldsby returned the opening kick 46-yards and 10 plays later Collier found Prosper for a seven-yard touchdown to close the gap to 17-14.

Needing an answer on the scoreboard, IWCC couldn't find it on either of their first two drives as Jonah Dupont punts followed a pair of three and outs for the Reivers' 'O'.

After stopping the Blue Dragons on the first of the two punts, the 'Darkside' defense couldn't put together back-to-back stops as Hutchinson's back quarterback tossed a strike. Christian Johnson fourn Tre Brown for the go ahead score, a 34-yard touchdown toss and a 21-17 lead.

The Reivers' high-powered offense continued their third quarter discombobulation with another three and out. This time however, the 'Darkside' wouldn't get a chance for a stop. Dupont's kick was returned by Gouldsby 73 yards to increase the lead to 28-17 into the 4th quarter.

The two teams traded possessions again before Iowa Western's offense finally found some footing.

After Hutchinson's special teams downed pinned the Reivers at their own eight, it was Dekkers and crew that marched, no flew down the field in just 2:34 of game time. Keyon Brown's 10-yard run on the drive's 10th play closed the gap to just one score and brought back to life a Reivers' sideline that hadn't had much to celebrate since midway through the first quarter.

A possession for each team burnt another three minutes of fourth quarter clock before Hutch took over after a short punt by Dupont and the Blue Dragons looking for a game securing score with 7:54 remaining.

It appeared Hutchinson would get at least three points out of the drive when Nestus Burger came out for a 32-yard field goal, but Jeremy Lewis got a hand on the ball to block the kick, setting the Reivers up with a potential game winning possession with just over four minutes remaining on the game clock.

Dekkers would find tight end Naivyan Cargill on a pair of crucial conversions to keep the drive alive. The first was a 22-yard completion on 3rd and 11, while the second was a 13-yard strike on 4th down and five. 

Jonathan Humpal's 26-yard reception set IWCC up at the Hutchinson 16 yard line and with the clock winding down it appeared that the Reivers momentum would steer them in for the go-ahead score.

Appearances were deceiving as Hutchinson dialed up the pressure, blitzing Dekkers and forcing a pair of incompletions before the quarterback rushed to the Blue Dragons 11-yard line to set up 4th and 5 with only 1:01 remaining in regulation and the endzone the only answer for the Reivers.

On the critical fourth down, Hutchinson's JaQuel Mack rushed off the edge, forcing Dekkers to throw off balance and incomplete. The pass, intended for Cargill again, coming up agonizingly short of its intended recipient and turning the ball over the HCC with just under a minute to play.

It was the Reivers' third time as National runner-up, finishing short of the title in both 2014 and 2021 and also ended their hopes of an NJCAA first, a three-peat in D-1 Football.

Neither team turned the ball over in the match-up, but the special teams play of return man Kordell Gouldsby certainly made a difference with his two big returns leading to scores for the Blue Dragons.

Quarterback Hunter Dekkers ended his tremendous one-season run for the Reivers with 393 yards and a pair of scores. The yardage pushed him to the single season record of 3,806, easily surpassing the 2012 total of 3,501 by Iowa Western Hall of Famer Jake Waters.

It was the fourth straight season of 10+ wins for Reivers Football and the 10th in the 16 seasons since Iowa Western welcome football to its athletics portfolio.

The #2 final ranking was also the 13th Top 10 finish in program history, with 12 of the 13 finding the Reivers ranked inside the Top 5 at seasons end.

Iowa Western will begin the 2025 season the first week of September with a home game against Georgia Military College and follow that with a visit to Hutchinson on September 13th.

The Reivers' annual Blue-White Spring Game will fall just before the Iowa Western spring semester ends in May.

To keep up with IWCC's offseason, follow the Reivers on 'X' and Facebook for recruiting and schedule news when it's released.