Conquistadors pick up ranked win on the road
Dodge City Community College defeated Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College 28-21 on Saturday in Miami, Oklahoma after going down 21-7.The Conquistadors came into the matchup ranked No. 13 in the NJCAA rankings, while NEO was ranked No.5 with its 5-0 record.
The game got off to a slow start where both teams went scoreless through the first quarter. NEO managed to score twice before the end of the first half to make it 14-0 going into the locker room.
The Conquistadors got the ball first to start the second half, and their return only made it to the 5-yard line. It made for a drive that took over half of the third quarter to complete before quarterback Tim Carpenter found Omarion Lewis for a 12 yard touchdown pass.
On the drive, Dodge City converted on fourth down with a fake punt when linebacker Carsen Patu took the snap and ran for a big gain. After the trick play, Dodge City caught a break when they lost yardage on a third down and NEO was called for unsportsmanlike conduct to extend the drive.
NEO’s offense formed the perfect response however and made it 21-7 before heading to the 4th quarter. That is when after another long drive the Conquistadors got Patu involved in the rushing game again, scoring on a 3-yard rush for his second touchdown in two games.
After the teams exchanged punts, Dodge City got the ball back at their own 10-yard line down 21-14. That is when Carpenter found Lewis again, as Lewis went 90 yards for the score to tie the game at 21.
The Conquistador defense forced NEO to punt with 1:42 remaining, and wide receiver Sherrod Lay got an opportunity to return it, going 87 yards for the touchdown to give Dodge City its first lead of the game.
The punt return would be the final scoring play of the game, but NEO got down to the 21-yard line of Dodge City and had chances to score the touchdown. Defensive back Cordall Brown broke up three deep passes on the drive.
The Conquistadors improve to 4-2 on the season, while NEO drops to 4-1. Next week Dodge City will play Ellsworth Community College for homecoming on Saturday at noon.