By DAREN DUNN
Hutch Post
HIGHLAND, Kan. -- The Blue Dragons came away with 11 sacks Saturday afternoon and got another strong performance from Anwar Lewis to come away victorious in Highland.
It is the first Hutchinson win in Highland since 2012. The Blue Dragons (3-3) had lost three straight games in Highland (1-5) before Saturday's 20-7 victory.
"It's a tough place to come play," coach Drew Dallas said.
Hutchinson's defense sacked quarterback Ken Gay 11 times. Davion Westmoreland registered nine tackles and two sacks. R.J. Evans led the way with nine total tackles, five of them solo. Nadame Tucker added five tackles and 2.5 sacks.
"Those guys up front did a good job of providing pressure," Dallas said of his defensive line.
Gay finished the game 16 of 31 with 204 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.
The Dragon defense turned the Scotties away twice on goal-to-go situations.
The first stop came just before halftime. With Hutchinson leading 13-0, Gay tried to connect with his favorite receiver, Deontay Campbell. However, Deshon Singleton swooped in at the last second for his first pick of the day.
The second goal-to-go stop came late in the third quarter when Quitman Kincaid knocked away Gay's pass in the end zone on fourth down.
Highland got the ball to the Hutchinson 2 and 5 in those drives, respectively, and came away empty both times.
Hutchinson opened the scoring halfway through the first quarter on a Dylan Laible pass to Russell Wilkey. The 7-yard TD pass capped a 10-play, 80-yard drive. C.J. Moya missed for the first time this season on an extra point after starting the year 17 for 17.
Hutchinson scored with 2:48 before halftime when Laible hit Malik Benson on a back-shoulder throw from 8 yards away. Hutchinson took that 13-0 lead into the locker room after the defensive stand to close the half.
Neither team would score in the third quarter that featured another Singleton interception, a Laible interception and back-to-back Tucker sacks.
As the third quarter closed, Lewis started to turn it on. He broke free in the fourth quarter on a 38-yard scamper. Lewis finished the day with 174 yards and the score. It was his fourth straight game with 100-plus yards rushing and his fifth consecutive game with a touchdown. Lewis now has 1,363 career yards, No. 13 on the Dragon all-time list.
"He's a tough runner," Dallas said, adding he felt Lewis was close to breaking big plays all day before his 38-yard touchdown.
Laible threw for 137 yards and two touchdowns. He finished 13 for 26 with one interception. He is tied for No. 10 on the all-time Dragon touchdown list with 20. He is now No. 13 on the Dragon all-time passing list with 1,925 yards.
With 7:51 left and a 20-0 lead, Hutchinson had the game all but wrapped up. Highland quickly responded, however, with a 56-yard strike to Campbell. He finished the day with 129 yards on four receptions.
"With the exception of the long touchdown, we really made them earn it all the way down the field," Dallas said. The defense surrendered just 44 yards on the ground. The Scotties did finish with 204 passing yards.
The Hutchinson defense added one more fourth-down stop with 11 seconds left.
FINAL: Hutchinson 20 Highland 7
Cortez Braham caught two critical third-down passes for 26 yards on the day. He is now No. 11 on the Dragon career list with 964 receiving yards.
Hutchinson has 21 sacks in its last two games against Highland.
Hutchinson finished with 317 yards of offense.
Hutchinson is on the road at Dodge City next Saturday to close out the regular season.