Hutchinson, KS – No. 3 Hutchinson (KS) topped No. 18 Monroe (NY) 45-23 to win the 2019 Salt City Bowl at Gowans Stadium. The win is the 13th bowl victory all-time for the Blue Dragons.
An explosive rushing attack paved the way for the Blue Dragon offense as Tiyon Evans needed just 15 attempts to rack up 194 yards on the ground, a Salt City Bowl record. With the rushing record to compliment a pair of rushing touchdowns, Evans was awarded the Offensive MVP. Monroe's Tim Donahue was awarded the Defensive MVP with 11 tackles and three pass breakups, both game-highs.
While Evans was dominant on the ground, sophomore Mark Wright was instrumental through the air in the opening half to build a comfortable lead for the Blue Dragons. Behind three first half passing touchdowns from Wright, including a 74-yard strike to Erin Collins in the first quarter, Hutchinson held a 31-10 edge over the Mustangs through 30 minutes of action.
A quick score to open the second half from Monroe's Clayton Scott motivated the Mustangs, but the offense was held scoreless until a late fourth quarter touchdown on a 90-yard punt return from D'Andre Satchell with the game out of reach.
- With the win, Hutchinson improves to 13-7-2 all-time in bowl games, including 8-1 all-time in the Salt City Bowl. The Blue Dragons have won eight of their last nine bowl game appearances overall.
- Evans' 194 yards are a season-high for the freshman and the running back's first game with more than 70 yards on the ground. The 15 carries are also a season-best.
- Wright finished the postseason matchup with 205 yards through the air on 16-31 passing to go along with the three touchdowns.
- The Blue Dragon defense limited Monroe to 23 points, the second-lowest total for the NJCAA's highest-scoring team.
- Monroe's standout quarterback Dominique Shoffner threw for 183 yards in the air with a touchdown along with a team-high 53 rushing yards. Lucas Nunez starred as Shoffner's primary target with five catches for 116 yards, a season-high.
- Monroe concludes the season with an 8-3 overall record after reaching its second bowl game in program history after the team's first postseason appearance in 2018.
