Broncbusters Football Welcomes Defending National Champions in Pivotal Week Three Matchup
Garden City Community College football team hosted Butler Community College on Thursday, August 24, 2023 at Broncbuster Stadium in Garden City, Kan. The Busters defeated the Grizzlies 27 - 22. Photo Credit: Adam Shrimplin, Garden City Community College
GARDEN CITY, KS. – Fifth year head coach Tom Minnick knows all his team needs is a chance this Saturday.
The Broncbusters have already been battle-tested, starting the season with back-to-back ranked matchups in the NJCAA. To be the best, you have to beat the best, and ‘the best’ is coming to Broncbuster Stadium this weekend.
No. 10 Garden City hosts the No. 2 Iowa Western Reivers this Saturday in another ranked matchup. The Reivers are the current NJCAA champions, shutting out then-No. 1 Hutchinson, 31-0, in last year’s National Championship.
GCCC has faced the toughest schedule of any NJCAA team so far, the only team in the division to play three straight ranked opponents to open up their season. The Broncbusters (1-1, 1-0 KJCCC) have shown some great signs in their games against then-No. 5 Butler and No. 9 Iowa Central, enough for Minnick to have the utmost confidence about this year’s unit.
“They’re a really good football team, when they come together and play as a team,” Minnick said. “I’m not worried about playing anybody in the country, when we play together.”
The Broncbusters put together a great start to last week’s game in Fort Dodge, Iowa. Garden City scored 20 unanswered points to lead 20-7 against the Iowa Central Tritons.
The conclusion of the game wasn’t the outcome that anybody envisioned. The Broncbusters committed three second-half turnovers, four overall, allowing 23 unanswered Tritons points to close the game.
“When you go on the road, you have to be 14 points better than the opponent,” Minnick said. “We turned the ball over four times, and deserved to lose because of that.”
The Reivers’ (2-0, 0-0 ICCAC) “Darkside Defense” was the calling card of their national championship-winning season last year. Iowa Central held opponents to less than 11 points per game and 150 yards per contest.
If Garden City is to pull the upset, the Broncbusters need to care for the ball as well as they have all season.
“If we go out and play the way we did against Butler, and not turn the ball over, we’ll have a chance,” Minnick said.
Coverage begins on Saturday at 10:30 A.M. with the American Implement Pregame Show. Kickoff between Iowa Western and Garden City is scheduled for 11:00 A.M. on KWKR 99.9 ‘The Rock’.
