Busters run down ’Hounds with 506 on ground

Fort Scott Community College receiver Jon Jiles (85) brings down a pass from quarterback Gunner See as Garden City’s Rennard Bozeman tries to defend the play during the third quarter of play at Frary Field Saturday afternoon. Jiles got a foot inbounds when he fell, resulting in a 25-yard gain.

Scott Nuzum/Tribune

An absolutely dominant ground game was the main factor for No. 2 Garden City here Saturday as the Broncbusters rolled to a 57-17 Jayhawk Conference victory over Fort Scott Community College at Frary Field.

The Broncbusters (5-0, 3-0 Jayhawk) gained 506 yards on the ground as both Dedrick Mills and Charles West ran for over 200 yards. Both backs were already over the 150-yard mark at halftime, where Garden City had 348 yards on 36 carries — which was already better than its conference-leading 301.5-yard per-game average.

This was the second time this season Fort Scott allowed more than 600 total yards, surrendering 601 against Coffeyville on Sept. 1.

The Greyhounds (1-4, 1-4) helped out by making several mistakes on special teams, three of which were converted into scores by the Busters in the first half. It also didn’t hurt Garden City that it was facing the worst defense in the conference and one of the least effective in the entire NJCAA. Coming into the contest, Fort Scott was allowing 465 yards per game and 291 rushing yards per contest, both conference worsts.

West scored the first of his three touchdowns on the game’s opening possession on a 47-yard run up the middle with 12:37 on the clock. Fort Scott was able to move the ball on its first drive, but saw Dustin Rieser miss a 39-yard field goal.

Later in the quarter, the ’Hounds took over at the Garden City 47 following a punt and scored in four plays as Gunner See, the conference’s leading passer at 258 yards per contest, found Darious Abrams from 33 yards out with 5:58 in the first.

Garden City scored on every possession in the second quarter. On the first play of the period, Mills scored the first of four touchdowns on a 2-yard run up the middle. The extra point failed, leaving the lead at 13-7.

The ensuing kickoff was a line drive that hit a retreating Fort Scott player and recovered by Garden City at the Fort Scott 49. Nick Bohn connected with Dominick Watt for 48 yards on the next play. After a penalty, West scored from 6 yards out with 13:54 on the clock.

After forcing the Greyhounds to turn it over on downs deep in Buster territory, West scored from the Wildcat formation from 70 yards out to make it 27-7 with 9: 54 to go.

Fort Scott’ wasn’t able to handle a squib kickoff and the Broncbusters recovered at the Fort Scott 10. Bohn found Mills on a nine-yard screen pass one play later, extending the margin to 34-7 with 9:01 to go.

Mills scored from 32 yards with 7:44 to go, two plays after Fort Scott committed a running into the kicker penalty on a fourth-and-5 punt. The score made it 44-7 with 4:30 to go.

Ben Raybon made a 23-yard field goal with two seconds left, set up in part by a 62-yard Mills run that moved the ball up to the Fort Scott 11.

The Broncbuster defense held the Greyhounds to 117 total yards in the first half, just five of which came on the ground on 9 carries. The Fort Scott rushing game suffered a blow when Michigan transfer Kareem Walker was ejected after a play midway through the second quarter.

The Greyhounds got on the board first in the second half when Rieser made a 29-yard field goal with 6:49 on the clock. The Busters responded with Mills’ final score of the day, a 47-yard run with 5:26 left that made it 51-10.

Backup quarterback David Moore scored on a one-yard sneak with 10:58 left in the game, filling in after Bohn had his helmet come off after a tackle earlier in the drive.

Fort Scott’s final score came with 1:31 remaining as Jon Jiles hauled down a jump-ball pass from See from 30 yards out.

Mills finished with 255 yards on 28 carries for the Busters while West had 217 yards on 16 totes. Fort Scott last gave up 200 yards to one back on Nov. 12, 2016 when Tra Minter ran for 234 yards.

Bohn completed seven of nine passes for 107 yards. Watt hauled down three of them for 69 yards.

See finished 24 of 41 for 257 yards for the Greyhounds, who managed just 11 yards rushing for the game. That’s not a season low as Fort Scott had only 8 yards rushing against Hutchinson on Sept. 15.

Abrams had eight receptions for 75 yards. Donte Fils-Aime finshed as the leading rusher for Fort Scott with 12 yards.

This was Garden City’s third consecutive win in the series. The Broncbusters leads overall 31-29 and are 3-1 under former FSCC head coach Jeff Sims, who was Fort Scott’s head coach from 2007 to 2010.

Fort Scott will have its second bye of the season before playing at Ellsworth on Oct. 13.

GARDEN CITY..... 7 37 7 6 — 57

FORT SCOTT....... 7 0 3 7 — 17

Scoring plays

First quarter

GC — West 53 run (Raybon kick), 12:37 [5, 63, 2:23]

FS — Abrams 33 pass from See (Riser kick), 5:58 [4, 47, 1:38]

Second quarter

GC — Mills 2 run (kick failed), 14:57 [14, 75, 6:01]

GC — West 6 run (Raybon kick), 13:54 [2, 49, 1:00]

GC — West 70 run (Raybon kick), 9:54 [3, 83, 1:14]

GC — Mills 9 pass from Bohn (Raybon kick), 9:54 [2, 10, :49]

GC — Mills 32 run (Raybon kick), 4:30 [7, 73, 3:14]

GC — FG Raybon 23, :02 [8, 76, 2:40]

Third quarter

FS — FG Rieser 29, 6:49 [8, 41, 2:32]

GC — Mills 47 run (Raybon kick), 5:26 [4, 75, 1:22]

Fourth quarter

GC — Moore 1 run (kick failed), 10:58 [9, 49, 3:57]

FS — Jiles 30 pass from See (Riser kick), 1:31 [4, 80, 1:40}

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING: Garden City — Mills 28-255, West 16-217, E.Merriweather 8-30, Bohn 8-9, Moore 2-3, team 3-minus 8. Fort Scott — Fils-Aime 3-12, Walker 6-4, Bonds 1-2, See 4-minus 9.

PASSING: Garden City — Bohn 7-9-0-107, Moore 0-1-0-0. Fort Scott — See 24-41-0-257, Abrams 1-1-0-35.

RECEIVING: Garden City — Watt 3-69, Link 1-15, Boys 1-11, Mills 1-9, Bledsoe 1-3. Fort Scott — Abrams 8-75, Jenkins 5-62, Jiles 7-49, Easley 4-75, Bonds 2-1, Thomas 2-0.

MISSED FIELD GOALS: Fort Scott — Rieser 39.