Week 6: Broncbusters roll past Indy with defense and explosives, 35–7

Posted October 11, 2025

Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025 — Garden City, Kan.

Garden City Community College spotted Independence an early touchdown, then slammed the door—ripping off 35 unanswered points with a barrage of explosives on offense and three takeaways on defense to win 35–7 at Broncbuster Stadium. A 70-yard strike from Jaydyn Sisk to Ahmir Smith flipped momentum, Asher Horn housed a pick-six, and Tylik Burton hammered the Pirates with 169 all-purpose rushing yards and two fourth-quarter scores as GCCC improved to 5–1.

How Garden City Won

Indy authored the first punch—going 93 yards for a 7–0 lead—but the rest of the night belonged to GCCC’s complementary football. Sisk answered with two second-quarter TD passes (70 yards to Smith; 17 yards to Donovan Moore) to post a 14–7 halftime edge. After the break, Horn jumped a route and sprinted 36 yards for a touchdown, cracking the game open, and the fourth quarter turned into a clock-bleeding showcase for Burton: a 38-yard scoring burst on the first play of the period and a 1-yard finisher with 5:48 left. The defense squeezed Indy to 268 yards on 69 plays (3.9 per play) with six sacks and three interceptions, while the offense leaned on efficiency (12-of-20 passing, 202 rush yards) and timely explosives to separate.

Garden City Takeaways

GCCC’s identity showed up in all three phases. Offensively, the Broncbusters paired vertical shots with a downhill run game—Sisk’s deep ball to Smith changed the geometry, and Burton’s late body-blows closed the show. Defensively, the pass rush and back-end timing synced: six sacks, three picks (two by Horn), and red-zone resilience (Indy 1-for-3) throttled any comeback. And despite a penalty-heavy night, the Busters won the leverage downs (4th-down: 1-for-1) and the takeaway battle (+1) to keep the game on their terms.

Independence Takeaways

The Pirates proved they could drive the field—23 first downs and an opening 93-yard touchdown series—but explosive plays allowed and giveaways erased that early spark. Quarterback pressure (six sacks taken) plus three interceptions—one returned for six—turned long possessions into empty trips. Discipline also hurt: 14 flags for 134 yards undercut field position and negated chunk gains in a game where margins tightened after halftime.

Matchup Breakdown

Explosives vs. attrition. Indy amassed first downs, but GCCC’s explosives (70-yard TD pass, 38-yard TD run, pick-six) swung expected points in big gulps. When the Pirates had to stack long drives, sacks and penalties stalled them out.

Pressure and takeaways. Garden City generated consistent heat (six sacks) and capitalized with three interceptions; Horn’s 36-yard return was the game’s hinge. Indy’s two picks didn’t flip the scoreboard the same way.

Closing power. With a lead, GCCC rode Burton and the OL to bleed the fourth quarter—39 rushes for 202 yards overall—while the defense kept the lid on verticals (191 Indy pass yards on 42 attempts).

Final Game Numbers

Final: Garden City CC 35, Independence 7
Score by Quarters:

  • Indy:    7 |  0  | 0 |  0  —  7
  • GCCC: 0 | 14 | 7 | 14 — 35

QB efficiency (GCCC): Jaydyn Sisk 12-of-20, 171 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT; added 14 rushes for 37 yards. TD passes: 70-yd to Ahmir Smith, 17-yd to Donovan Moore.

Explosive plays: Smith 70-yd TD catch (2-play, 72-yd drive); Horn 36-yd pick-six; Burton 38-yd TD run; plus Burton’s 93-yard, 2-play drive capped by a 1-yd TD.

Team totals:

  • GCCC: 59 plays, 373 yards (202 rush on 39 att; 171 pass), 20 first downs, 11 penalties for 159 yards, 3 INTs forced / 2 turnovers (both INTs), 6 sacks, 2-for-4 red zone, 4-of-12 on 3rd, 1-of-1 on 4th.
  • Indy: 69 plays, 268 yards (77 rush, 191 pass), 23 first downs, 14 penalties for 134 yards, 3 INTs thrown / 2 takeaways, 0-for-1 on 4th, 1-for-3 red zone.

Leaders (GCCC):

  • Rushing: Tylik Burton 9-131-2; Sisk 14-37; Ahmir Smith 5-17.
  • Receiving: Demarion “DJ” Crest 4-26; Tochi Okoro 2-31; Cenard Bennett 2-17; Moore 1-17-TD; Smith 1-70-TD.
  • Defense: Horn 2 INT (36-yd TD); Greg Johnson INT; sacks by Paʻaoʻao, Floyde, Cunningham, Jones, Nnamuchi, and Team (six total).

Program snapshot (GCCC): In year two under Kiyoshi Harris, the Broncbusters blend vertical explosiveness with a takeaway-driven defense—form that continued in a wire-to-wire response after an early deficit.

Up Next

Garden City turns to its next Jayhawk conference battle against the Butler Grizzlies at home on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. The American Implement Countdown to Kickoff Show at 10:15 AM all the way to kickoff at 11 AM. 

Independence resumes conference play the same day against the reigning champs in the Hutchinson Blue Dragons, looking to clean up penalties and pass protection after the setback.

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