Late Comeback Sinks Reivers in Match-up of NJCAA's Top Teams

Hutchinson, KS

Someday it may be different, but right now at the Junior College level when ESPN+ wants to televise your regular season game, you know it's a match-up that people are watching nationally. That was the case on Saturday when the top ranked teams in the latest Top 15 poll met, once again, in the regular season and much like the previous five years played an instant classic.

The third 1 versus 2 meeting in the series between Iowa Western and Hutchinson also came with the added flavor of a rematch of last year's national championship game. And just like last year's games, the Reivers had a chance to win the game late, but fell short. A late score from the Blue Dragons pushed them ahead 30–27 with just 1:01 remaining and Coach Scott Strohmeier's squad couldn't put a go-ahead drive together, falling at Gowans Stadium.

After the Reivers grabbed a 27–23 lead early in the fourth quarter on a 15-yard Malachi Marshall touchdown run, Hutchinson answered with a seven-play, 87-yard march, aided in part by two crucial 15-yard penalties. The win for the Blue Dragons is the sixth in the last eight match-ups and the fifth straight in the regular season with five of the last seven match-ups between the two programs decided by just one score.

In addition to Marshall's touchdown run, the transfer QB also found three receivers for scores, with DeAndre Horn and Cyrus Courtney celebrating their first scores of the year while Jaivyn Moore scored a touchdown for the second straight game.

Both defenses made it difficult for the other team with the Reivers defense limiting Hutchinson to just 102 yards on the ground. Both teams tallied 343 yards offensively. Sophomore Safety Tim Roberson picked up the Reivers' first interception of the year while Defensive Lineman Andy Burburija picked up a pair of quarterback sacks and teammate Jerome Baker dropped the quarterback for another out of his linebacker position. Baker led the Reivers with nine tackles in the game.

The result will keep Hutchinson atop the polls, while Iowa Western has a strong chance to stay in the Top 5 after 3rd ranked Nortwest Mississippi lost and 4th ranked Garden City and 5th ranked Tyler both won. The matchup was the third consecutive season the programs met as the NJCAA's top two teams and came less than a year after the Blue Dragons edged IWCC in the 2024 title game. The Reivers slide to 1–1 with a trip to Dodge City up next Saturday.

The Reivers have a chance to get back in the win column when they travel to Kansas. IWCC and 'DC3' kickoff at 11:00am at Memorial Stadium in Dodge City, Kansas.

All the action can be heard, free of charge, on the Reiver Sports Network. The game, with Jake Ryan, Russ Nelsen, Josh Odson, and Tony Boone on the call, will feature only the RSN's 'Booth Cam' as Dodge City's Administration denied permission for full video coverage of the game. The game can also be found on Iowa Western's 100,000-watt FM radio station, 89.7 The River and the 89.7 The River app which can be found in the app store on mobile devices. The RSN Countdown to Kickoff begins at 10:30 AM from the windswept plains of Western Kansas. Live stats will also be available here.

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