Season Preview

IF YOU THOUGHT THE 2019 SEASON WAS NUTS, YOU HAVEN’T SEEN ANYTHING YET. WITH LIFE ON PAUSE FOR MOST, THE 2021 FOOTBALL CAMPAIGN WILL ENDURE SOME GROWING PAINS FOR SURE. BUT WHEN THE FOG CLEARS, EXPECT GARDEN CITY TO MAKE ANOTHER SERIOUS RUN AT A CONFERENCE TITLE. AND EVEN DURING AN UNPREDICTABLE OFFSEASON, TOM MINNICK WAS UP TO HIS USUAL RECRUITING TRICKS, LANDING THREE POWER-FIVE TRANSFERS IN A MATTER OF 14 DAYS. SPRINKLE IN A SOLID CAST OF RETURNERS, AND A TEAM THAT WAS ONE WIN FROM THE 2019 TITLE GAME, MAY BUST DOWN THE DOOR IN 2021.

BY MIKE PILOSOF

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ADAM SHRIMPLIN

FORD OFF TO THE RACES

During their week two come-from-behind victory over Dodge City, Jordan Ford dusted off his cleats, busting loose for a second-half touchdown. Ford is the lone returner in the backfield in 2020, but he is just one of a talented group of backs that includes redshirt freshman Davion Hodges.

It was arguably the longest walk of his career. Tom Minnick, head still up, wondering what could have been, taking those long strides towards the vising locker room at BG Products Sports Complex, had just watched his team blow a twotouchdown lead to a third-string quarterback. It was a game that they had no business losing.

When it’s all said and done, Minnick will be in the Hall of Fame. He’s one of the all-time winningest coaches in NJCAA history and has a chance this year to join some rarified air as one of the few coaches like Mississippi Gulf Coast’s Jack Wright, to lead multiple teams to the National Championship Game. But that November loss more than 450 days ago serves as a firm reminder that nothing is handed to you, even to an all-time great like Minnick.

“We had the game,” he said afterwards. “But that’s what happens when you don’t execute. It’s disappointing, but we didn’t deserve to win that game.”

The loss derailed any longshot odds of playing on the big stage. It also snapped a streak of three-straight bowl-game appearances for Garden City.

But even that four-hour bus ride home from El Dorado following one of the most disappointing loses of Minnick’s career, pales in comparison to what transpired just a few months later. In March, the world, in a sense, shutdown becuase of COVID-19. Universities older than the republic shuttered, and athletic departments faced such financial hardships that administrators all over the country were furloughed. Sports were canceled and programs were cut. It was the real-world version of ‘Armageddon’ minus the asteroid and Bruce Willis saving the planet from extinction by blasting a space rock the size of Texas.

“This has been the craziest year that I’ve ever experienced,” Minnick recalled.

To make matters worse, the athletic calendar was flipped upside down once the NJCAA ruled in July that all fall sports were being pushed to the spring. It was an unprecedented move, one that sent Athletic Directors and Sports Information Directors into therapy for obvious reasons. But more importantly, it left Minnick’s recruiting class in limbo. Would the NJCAA grant an extra year of eligibility? What about the transfers who only needed a semester to graduate? Would they come back? Junior College’s governing body eventually ruled that the 2021 spring season would not count towards a player’s clock meaning that anybody participating in this truncated campaign would not lose a year of eligibility. But that didn’t halt December graduates from looking elsewhere, like University of Miami transfer, Jarren Williams, who was slated to lead Mike Orthmann’s complex attack before signing with South Florida at semester’s end.

But you don’t bolster a resume as prolific as Minnick’s without having a few other tricks up your sleeve. And when Williams left, the second-year coach reeled in two more Division-I quarterback transfers in Mike Irwin (Oregon) and Devin Larsen (Iowa State).

“Our offensive system is not easy by any stretch,” Minnick explained. “And because of that, we need guys who can make quick decisions and make the right reads. We feel we have guys who can do that.”

Larsen, who turned down an offer from Idaho and instead chose to walk on at Iowa State, threw for more than 7,000 yards as a threeyear starter at Queen Creek High School in Gilbert, AZ. He broke every school passing record before shoulder surgery ended his senior campaign prematurely.

Irwin, the oldest of six children, was also a walk on at Oregon where he redshirted back in 2017. But sitting fourth on the depth chart can only take you so far, and he transferred out.

“In this league, the defense is always better than the offense to start,” Minnick stated. “

COMPLEX EQUALS SUCCESS

Mike Orthmann is one of the most creative minds in the Jayhawk Conference. And he changes it up, deploying multiple tight ends to run right at you (Ellis Merriweather pictured above) , or he’ll spread you out.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ADAM SHRIMPLIN

“But watching Devin in practice, he understands everything that we’ve thrown at him. He puts the ball in the right place, and he knows what we need to be in.”

And he won’t need to air it out 50 times, thanks to a ground attack that was seventh best in the country in 2019-averaging 225 yards per game. And they return at least part of that lethal unit with sophomore Jordan Ford, who averaged nearly six yards per carry last season playing behind the three-headed monster of Ramon Jefferson, Jadon Hayes and Ellis Merriweather, back joining forces with freshman Davion Hodges, who redshirted for Minnick last season. Then there’s the wild card with University of Kentucky transfer, Xavier Peters, who came to Garden City as a hybrid defensive end. But at 6’3, 240, the red-shirt sophomore may be the best back in the stable.

“He’s had a couple of long runs in practice where nobody can catch him,” Minnick said. “It doesn’t make Coach (Jerry) Dominguez very happy.”

On the offensive line, the Broncbusters bring back All-American Honorable Mention left guard Nymonta Doucoure, who’s the lone holdover from the Jeff Sims’ era, and right tackle Basa Balanganayi. Add blindside protection from Isaiah Adams, who transferred from Wilfrid Laurier University in Canada, and center Carter Habich, who began his collegiate career at Arizona Western with Minnick in 2018 ; then signed with Louisiana Tech before transferring back to the Junior College ranks last year, and Garden City should be very competitive up front.

“Just like everyone else, we don’t have a lot of depth in certain positions,” Minnick explained. “Everyone is really one injury away from going from great to good; from good to average. So, we are aware of that.”

And with COVID-19 protocols still heavily in place across the league, most programs are one contact-trace away from raiding the dorms for available bodies. Such is life in the midst of a global pandemic.

“Everyone has been dealt the same card,” Minnick said. “You just hope that doesn’t derail your season.”

On the perimeter, the Broncbusters feature outstanding size with 6’7 Jalen Williams and 6’4 Jarmon Scieneaux, who transferred in from Arizona State last year. But the guy to keep an eye on is Khamran Laborn, who already holds offers from Virginia Tech, Louisiana-Monroe, Marshall, Montana State, and North Carolina Central.

“Everybody looks good on paper,” Minnick said with a chuckle. “Let’s start playing games, and then we’ll see where we stack up.”

A modest approach from one of the best coaches in the country is to be expected, but credit Minnick and his staff for reeling in a competitive bunch despite having to perform serious recruiting gymnastics. From the time schools shutdown in March all the way through the summer, coaches were not allowed to travel, which made in-home visits as retro as a CD player. Instead, Minnick’s mug was plastered all over Zoom, selling his program over the world-wide web. How’s that for 2021?

Jerry Dominguez is one of the best defensive minds in Junior College football. He’s also one of the most fiery guys you’ll ever come across, and he’s not afraid to challenge his players; get in their face, and course correct. So finishing 20th in yards per game allowed last year may seem like an impressive feat, but that’s not good enough for a man who from 2009-2011, choreographed one of the best defensive units in the nation at Arizona Western.

“We’ve got some dudes on that side of the ball,” Minnick admitted. “But again, it really

“THIS HAS BEEN ONE OF THE CRAZIEST YEARS THAT I’VE EVER EXPERIENCED.”

comes down to depth and staying healthy.”

The four-man front features one-time Missouri signee Arvell Ferguson and fourstar defensive end Raymond Cutts, who transferred from Central Florida. 6’2, 310 lb. freshman Va’ai Seumalo and sophomore returner Eilye Hill are the run stoppers, while Cameron Johnson and Chris Furman round out the line backing core. But the depth of this defense shows up in the secondary with corners, Fort Hays State transfer Keylon Kennedy and John Huggins, who played the 2018 season with the Florida Gators. Throw in Snow transfer Wembley Mailei and Zay Roberson at safety, who models his game after Pro Football Hall of Famer Ed Reed, and the Broncbusters may have something special on the back end.

“Our defense will get after it,” Minnick said. “But we haven’t played anybody but our practice guys. So, you never know until you go up against someone who you’re not familiar with.”

That unit will look to build off of a strong 2019, where the Broncbusters ranked 20th in yards per game allowed, 21st against the pass and 23rd against the run.

“If you want to play for a National Championship, you better play defense first,” Minnick said emphatically. “Garden City won a title in 2016 with a great defense. We played in three championship games with great defenses. That’s the foundation of winning at this level, and Jerry does a tremendous job with his scheme. But guys have to understand the concepts that we are trying to run.” Tom Minnick doesn’t take much stock into preseason rankings. In fact, most coaches don’t. But there is something to be said about being picked to win the Jayhawk Conference and tabbed fifth in the NJCAA preseason poll. Still, the veteran skipper doesn’t buy into all the hype.

DON’T TACKLE THE MESSENGER

Defensive end Shemar Pearl (pictured below) sacks Coffeyville quarterback Edwin Kleinpeter. The three-star prospect, has offers from Missouri, Baylor, Mississippi St., South Carolina, and Texas Tech. MASTERMINDS THINK ALIKE

Tom Minnick (middle) and Mike Orthmann (left), have been working together for more for than a decade. During that stretch, the dynamic duo have played in three National Championship games.

“It’s nice for publications and the media to make a big deal about it,” Minnick explained. “But we haven’t won anything yet. Hutchinson is ranked No. 1 in the country, and we are picked to win the league. Every game in this league is going to be a challenge. We know that. So, while rankings are nice to talk about, they mean nothing.”

Picked to win the league for the second time in four years, Garden City opens the regular season at home on Saturday, March 27 vs. Arkansas Baptist, a team making the 10-hour trek from Little Rock for the firstever meeting between the two schools. That’s followed up by a showdown with Fort Scott, who is now under the direction of first-year coach Carson Hunter. And after a home date with Highland in week three, Garden City travels to face Independence, who also changed coaches during the winter when former Broncbuster assistant Jason Martin was named the new head man after Kiyoshi Harris left for a job at Boise State. That’s all in prelude to a week-five, Sunday road-trip to Hutchinson to face the top-ranked Blue Dragons, who are No. 1 for only the second time in program history. Garden City then returns home to play Dodge City and Coffeyville before ending the season in El Dorado for a second straight year.

“Let’s go,” Minnick said. “We are just ready to play. Everyone has done enough talking. These guys just want to play.”