Updated: OSU Signee Bradley and Hutch Outlast Iowa Western to Win NJCAA Championship
STILLWATER – Wednesday night in Canyon, Texas on the campus of West Texas A&M University the NJCAA staged their national championship game. It was a huge moment for Iowa Western, but Oklahoma State signee and Hutchinson edge rusher and outside linebacker Chandavian Bradley and his teammates did all they could to prevent the three-peat by the Reivers. Reivers is a word for “river pirates” and they whisked away with the bounty early in the chilly west Texas cold. Then Hutch and the Blue Dragons defense dominated in the third quarter, but had to make a game saving defensive stop to win 28-23.
“That was a QB draw and I was playing our Mike linebacker,” Bradley said of the tackles he made including the one in the fourth quarter to set up the fourth down and final stop to seal the game. “We got hurt with the quarterback run at Georgia (Military). I play the Mike linebacker in our three-down package. I have to be able to make those type of tackles and I’ve focused on getting to my drop and being able to see the quarterback’s eyes.”
On the first possession of the game, the 6-4, 242 pound Bradley went up and deflected a pass from former Iowa State and NCAA suspended quarterback Hunter Dekkers.
“Going into that game we knew they liked the short passes,” Bradley told me the next day. “We worked on it all week in practice. I really wanted to pick it and I think I could have.”
Dekkers has been good all season and on that same drive got the yards he needed to become the single season passing leader in Iowa Western history. He also hit former OU receiver Keon Brown for a 24-yard touchdown.
After a blocked punt gave Dekkers and the IW offense the ball back in positive territory, Bradley and the Blue Dragons defense couldn’t stop Dekkers. He hit an open Titus Myers for a touchdown to make it 14-0.
Hutchinson quarterback Savari Collier, on his way to Coastal Carolina, ran 27-yards to make it 14-7.
Bradley had his second tackle of the game when he stopped Dekkers on a scramble as he dropped back on the play and then came around from the field side on the play to make the tackle head on. The drive still ended with points as the Reivers collected a field goal for a 17-7 halftime advantage.
Then in the third quarter, Bradley and the defense held Iowa Western to just 13-yards of total offense, while Collier threw a touchdown on the first Hutchinson possession of the second half.
With Collier injured, backup quarterback and freshman Christian Johnson came in and hit Tre Brown for a long touchdown and a 21-17 Hutch lead. Then Bixby, Okla. freshman Kordell Goudsby did his best Brennan Presley impersonation and returned a punt 62-yards for a touchdown and a 21-0 third quarter by the Dragons had Hutch in front 28-17 and they never looked back.
“There was a punt return before that and I had missed my guy,” explained Bradley as he had a key block on the touchdown return. “We went to the sidelines and looked at it (on tablet) and then next one I told him I got you. I had to do my job right and it worked.”
Bradley, a top national recruit coming out of Platteville, Mo. and went to Tennessee. It didn’t work out and he missed the spring portal window and ended up at Hutchinson C.C.
“I came here to win and get right on everything I didn’t get right at Tennessee,” he said. “We won and I’ve got everything right I wanted to heading to Oklahoma State.”
That’s two championships for the Oklahoma State 2025 recruiting class as Carl Albert and Cowboys linebacker signee Carl’Veon Young won the Class 5A Oklahoma High School Championship on Saturday night. Now, this coming Saturday, North Crowley and OSU cornerback signee Draden Fullbright will try to win the Texas Class 6A-I title against Austin Westlake.