Dylan Laible breaks single-game passing touchdown record, Hutchinson Blue Dragons breeze by Highland in first round of KJCCC playoffs
Sophomore quarterback Dylan Laible only played in the first half of the first round of the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference playoffs. That was all the time he needed to set a new school single-game record with seven passing touchdowns.
More importantly, the Blue Dragons routed the Highland Scotties 77-0 Sunday at Gowans Stadium and advanced to the conference semifinals against the Independence Pirates next Sunday at 1 p.m. in Independence.
The Blue Dragons' 77 points is now tied for seventh on the all-time scoring list in the football program's history. Also, receiver Cortez Braham's 95-yard touchdown was the second longest receiving touchdown in school history. The team's 659 total yards lands fourth most in the program.
Laible finished 11 for 15 with 365 yards and the record-breaking seven touchdowns. As a group, the Blue Dragons quarterbacks passed for 485 combined passing yards, also setting a new school record. Laible, who started in the middle of the Independence game last season, took over the starting role to begin the 2021 fall season. Every game, he's become progressively better, and Sunday showed what kind of passer he is capable of being.
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"He just continues to work," Blue Dragons head football coach Drew Dallas said. "He really tuned up some focus things that we've put an emphasis on every day in practice and just continues to clean it up."
This season, Laible has thrown for 200 yards or more in five of the eight games and keeps raising his completion percentage the more games he plays. When he first stepped into the Indy game in the spring, he picked up right where former Hutch and current Southeast Missouri State quarterback CJ Ogbonna left off, throwing for 268 yards and three touchdowns in a league-defining win on the road.
"Quarterback is a tough position," Dallas said. "He didn't get the opportunity to play a ton of that last spring. He was pretty limited with four games or so. So, he's still young and new to the position in college football. He's going to make some mistakes, but he's really grown from those mistakes that he's made and continues to put the work in."
Now, the Blue Dragons will head back to Indy for the conference semifinals. Last time the Blue Dragons played the Pirates was on Saturday, Oct. 9, when the Pirates scored the game-winning touchdown with six seconds to go. That was a game that the Blue Dragons led at the half 21-7.
Independence beat Fort Scott 63-2 Sunday. For the Blue Dragons, Dallas thinks the bye week and momentum off the regular-season win over Dodge City was helpful and will be needed heading into the game that will decide who will play for the conference championship at Riverfront Stadium (and potentially a berth in the NJCAA football four-team playoff).
"It's going to be two good football teams going at it," Dallas said. "We're just going to have to play detail-oriented football, play disciplined and clean up those things that we find from film that we need to clean up. Probably a lot of technique stuff. We'll get out there and put our best foot forward and make sure we're playing physical football but being smart about it as well."
Braham had a show-out afternoon with three catches for 150 yards and three touchdowns. The Buffalo commit hauled in a one-handed grab and took it to the house for the new school-recording score, and Dallas was thrilled to see the big play from an experienced receiver.
"He's a great player," Dallas said. "First and foremost, you're just looking to get a first down and get out of a hole, but to have a player with experience with a long touchdown like that was huge."
Tight end Rykem Ferguson-Laney had five catches for 82 yards and three touchdowns, and Demariyon Houston led all receivers with six catches for 97 yards and one touchdown. Defensively, Zy Strong led with eight tackles and one forced fumble. RJ Evans helped with six tackles, including six tackles-for-loss. Jalik Thomas also had six tackles.
Hutchinson, who is receiving votes on the NJCAA national rankings, is now 6-2 on the season after the KJCCC announced the forfeiture of all the Butler Grizzlies' wins due to the use of an ineligible player. Butler, dropping to the No. 8 seed, defeated the No. 1 seed Coffeyville 48-7 and will face Garden City in the conference semifinals next Sunday.
This article originally appeared on The Hutchinson News: Hutchinson Blue Dragons football route Highland 77-0
