Reivers Snuff Out Blue Dragons To Claim Program's 4th National Title!

CANYON, TX

It's a dynasty, put it in sharpie. Iowa Western claimed the program's fourth national championship and third in the last four seasons with a dominant performance against top-ranked and previously unbeaten Hutchinson, Wednesday night in West Texas. The Reivers (12-1) battled back, erasing an early deficit and scoring 28 unanswered points to defeat the Blue Dragons (11-1) 28-10 in the 2025 NJCAA Division I National Championship Game at Bain-Schaeffer Buffalo Stadium, a game the Reivers' players dedicated to Coach Scott Strohmeier's daughter Emily, who passed away in May.

"This one is special, and to have the guys telling me they were going to win this game for me, for Karla, Anna and Kate in her name is just something special and just goes to show how selfless this team is and where their focus was", said Coach Strohmeier after the game.

Hutchinson opened the scoring with an eight-play, 65-yard drive, as Quarterback Christian Johnson connected with wideout Derrick Salley Jr. on a 15-yard touchdown pass. The Kansas State recruit outdueled cornerback Asa Locks to take a 7-0 lead. The Blue Dragons extended the advantage later in the first when Alejandro de la Poza knocked through a 52-yard field goal, putting Iowa Western in a 10-0 hole.

The Reivers, playing in their fifth straight title game, answered quickly in the second and in the process seized control of the game. Quarterback Malachi Marshall led an eight-play, 75-yard drive and capped it by firing a 9-yard touchdown pass to tight end DeAndre Horn, cutting the deficit to three. Moments later, a Hutchinson unnecessary roughness penalty set up the Reivers just outside the redzone, and Marshall immediately capitalized, hitting receiver Tre Brown for a 20-yard touchdown on a one-play drive that lasted just five seconds. Iowa Western would never trail again.

The Reivers' 'Darkside' defense took over from there, overwhelming Hutchinson at the line of scrimmage and forcing the Blue Dragons into long-yardage situations. Iowa Western pressured Johnson all evening, finishing with nine sacks and 14 tackles for loss, and held Hutchinson's high powered offense to just 51 yards of offense the final three quarters. De'Veion McLilley-Bulo led the team with eight tackles, while Jeremy Lewis (2.5 sacks) and Andy Burburija (2 sacks) led the sack attack which finished at a program record 74 for the season. Ray'Quan Adkins and Asa Locks helped locked down Salley and the addition of the linebacking play helped to limit the short, quick strikes that Hutchinson had found success with all season.

"They've been on this stage before, we were down, they weren't rattled, they said 'Coach, we got you'", said Defensive Coordinator Mike Blackbourn after the game, "the push was for them to play for four quarters and they did, couldn't be prouder of these guys, they deserve to be champions."

Blue Dragons receiver Kordell Gouldsby was also limited in the return game by Reiver special teamers. The sophomore return specialist was limited to a long of 21 yards on three returns on kickoffs and just two punt returns for a total of 12 yards.

The Reivers offense extended the lead late in the third quarter when Marshall finished an eight-play, 87-yard drive by finding receiver Cyrus Courtney for a 23-yard touchdown, pushing the margin to 21-10. Hutchinson tried to mount a response, but the Reivers continued to disrupt with unmatched defensive pressure from the front seven.

The offense helped seal the championship in the fourth quarter with a methodical 10-play, 68-yard march. Running back Daniel Swinney powered the drive and capped it with a 6-yard touchdown run with 3:30 remaining, stretching the lead to the final margin and helping to drain the clock.

Iowa Western totaled 409 yards of offense and limited Hutchinson to just 159, nearly 240 yards below their season average. The Reivers also churned out a 197-70 advantage on the ground, well over the Blue Dragons defensive average of just 59 yards allowed per game. Swinney rushed for 153 yards on 21 carries and a touchdown, his seventh career game of 100 yards or more, while Marshall threw for 212 yards and three touchdowns to DeAndre Horn, Tre Brown, and Cyrus Courtney. The three touchdown tosses gives Marshall 33 on the season, surpassing Hunter Dekkers' total of 32 from 2024 and moving him into second place all-time for single season scoring strikes, just behind NJCAA and Iowa Western Hall of Famer Jake Waters' total of 39 from 2012. Swinney finishes his Iowa Western career with 22 rushing touchdowns, one shy of tying former Reiver Aaron Wimberley's mark of 23 (2011-12).

Defensively, the Reivers held Hutchinson to just three conversions on 14 third downs and never allowed the Blue Dragons to regain momentum after their initial first quarter burst.

The title gives Iowa Western their third championship in the last four seasons, including two wins over Hutchinson. The two teams boast winning percentages of 89.7% and 88.7% respectively, with Hutchinson (52-6) a percentage point ahead of the Reivers (55-7) with four fewer games played.

For Strohmeier and Blackbourn, the only two coaches that have been with the program for all 17 seasons, the victory showed their early hard work establishing the program is paying dividends. "I'll be honest, I didn't know where Iowa Western was, but my brother (former assistant coach Mike Strohmeier) said if Iowa Western adds football, you have to get that job." said Strohmeier, "I applied the last day and got offered the job before I left campus on my interview, and I knew it was a done deal when I stepped on campus, this place, this community, is special and I can't say enough about the support we've been given, both for the team and my family since we made the decision to become Reivers and what a ride these teams and these young men have given us."

Coach Strohmeier has now posted 165 victories in 196 games in Council Bluffs and now has 181 career victories in 20 seasons as a Head Coach.

Tentatively, the Reivers will begin defense of their most recent title at home.  The 2026 schedule is currently set to kickoff in Council Bluffs against Highland on August 29, 2026, while the regular season match-up between Iowa Western and Hutchinson is set for Week Five next fall. The NJCAA has removed two weeks of the regular season for 2026, allowing the playoff semi-final to be played the weekend before Thanksgiving (11/21/2026), and putting the 2026 title game in the weekend after the holiday on Sunday, December 6th, 2026. Canyon and Amarillo, Texas enter the third year of their three year bid to host the final in 2026. The update in scheduling limits teams in the KJCCC / ICCAC scheduling agreement to just two open dates to either fill with a non-conference opponent or choose to leave open. The addition of Northeast Oklahoma A&M to the KJCCC gives each team 10 assigned games.

2026 IWCC FOOTBALL | SUBJECT TO CHANGE

 *ICCAC GAME