(Council Bluffs, IA) — For Iowa Western, the NJCAA Playoffs have become familiar territory — and so have rematches on college football’s biggest junior college stage.
For the second time in three seasons, and the third time overall in the NJCAA Division I Championship Game era, the Reivers will face Hutchinson when the nation’s top two teams square off Wednesday night in Canyon, Texas. The 2025 NJCAA Division I Football Championship Game kicks off Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. CST, featuring the top ranked Blue Dragons (12-0) and the #2 Reivers (11-1), poll positions they’ve held the entirety of the season. The game will be televised by ESPNU.
Local players for Iowa Western include:
DB Luke Sternberg, Freshman, AHSTW, 6 total tackles, 1 forced fumble
DB Adam Baier, Freshman, Red Oak, 5 total tackles
TE Tony Busch, Freshman, St. Albert, 3 receptions, 69 yards, 1 TD
K Gus Bashore, Sophomore, Underwood, 46-50 extra points, 9-11 Field Goals with long of 42
As has often been the case, this season’s regular-season meeting served as a preview rather than a finale when Hutchinson edged Iowa Western 30-27 at Gowans Stadium in Hutchinson, Kansas in Week Three. The difference in the game came down to one extraordinary moment — a Hutchinson blocked extra point that was returned for two points, accounting for the entire three-point margin of victory. Otherwise, the game was even throughout, featuring lead changes, explosive plays, and late-game drama that mirrored many of the recent meetings between the two programs.
The loss may have been on Iowa Western’s side, but it did little to separate the two teams nationally, as both powered through the remainder of their schedules and advanced to the championship game with convincing postseason wins. The Reivers have won 10 straight with only three games finishing with an opponent within two scores while Hutchinson, winners of 14 in a row dating back to October of 2024, with only two contests seeing the final tally within two scores.
Iowa Western and Hutchinson now meet for the 13th time all-time, with the series tilted toward the Blue Dragons by a pair of games. While the Reivers won four of the first five meetings, the Blue Dragons have controlled recent regular-season matchups, winning four of the last five outside of Iowa Western’s dominant 31-0 victory in the 2022 NJCAA National Championship Game.
The series has been defined by close margins and high stakes. Two of the last six meetings have been decided by one point, while four of the last six were one-score games. Five of those six matchups have featured both teams inside the top five of the rankings and Wednesday’s championship will mark the seventh straight meeting with either Iowa Western or Hutchinson ranked #1 in the nation.
Courtesy Iowa Western Sports Information
