NMMI Sports Press
The team selections have been announced for the 2023 Xcel Energy Wool Bowl football game with the Dodge City Community College Conquistadors taking on the New Mexico Military Institute Broncos on Friday, December 1 at 6:00 p.m.
This will be Wool Bowl 17 – or XVII if you prefer the NFL’s use of Roman numerals for their Super Bowls – and it promises to be an event you don’t want to miss.
Dodge City rolls in from Kansas ranked seventh in the nation, under the guidance of second-year head coach Terry Karg who ‘flipped the script’ by changing a 3-7 record last season to a 7-3 mark this year; the most wins for the Conqs since 2016.
The Conquistadors sport an impressive team on both sides of the ball, boasting 23 All-Conference players: 13 on offense, nine on defense, and one on special teams.
On offense, Dodge City slightly favors the aerial attack, averaging 187.6 yards per game, compared to 110.1 rushing. They boast a bevy of targets for their quarterbacks to throw to: five players have double-digits in receptions, led by freshman Kerya Powell’s 28 catches for 485 yards and 3 TDs.
But don’t forget about their running game. Sophomore RB Jalen Smith is fourth in the country in total rushing yards with 738, and he’s working behind a solid offensive line anchored by All-Conference sophomore Amarie Archer, along with an excellent dual-threat tight end Gregory Genross, also a sophomore.
Coach Karg had high praise for this offensive trio. “Greg's tied in. He's one of the best in the country. And Jalen was a terrific running back for us throughout the 2023 season, nominated for conference offensive MVP. Then Amarie, he was a key figure on our offensive line, which played solid football for us all year as well.”
On defense, the stingy Conqs have allowed just 19.5 points per game this season – good for 10th in the nation – and sit at 13th in the nation in fewest yards given up per game at 286.2. Sophomore linebacker Dwight Nunoo is their top tackler on the season with 72; he also has one sack, one forced fumble, and two INTs. Sophomore defensive tackle Jalen Williams – sporting jersey No. 99 – is also a player to watch with 23 tackles and a sack.
“We played really good defense throughout the entirety of the regular season,” said Karg. “Thad Turner, our defense coordinator and secondary coach did a great job of planning and creating the schematics that we utilize on defense, and I feel like he's surrounded by a really good group of assistant coaches.”
This will be the first bowl game for the Conquistadors since 2015 where No. 9 Dodge City fell to No. 3 Snow College in the Heart of Texas Bowl. They’ve made six other bowl game appearances, but are still looking for that first victory.
Coach Karg, however, has been to three NJCAA bowl games in the last six years as the head coach of the Monroe College football program, prior to taking over the reins at Dodge City last season.
“Well, I'm fortunate that I wake up every day and I get to work with such a fine group of football coaches that make up our staff and, and then work and coach some of the finest players in the country,” said Karg about his success. “The journey of a football team really begins in January when the freshmen return to begin their sophomore campaign. We talked a lot this season about ‘embracing the strain.’ That means doing things where others might find discomfort, in order to become a really good football player: heavy squatting, power cleans, all that running, to develop the endurance and explosiveness you want to have as a football player to play harder, longer.”
The New Mexico Military Institute comes into the contest with a 6-5 record, ranked 15th in the nation, lead by third-year head coach Kurt Taufa’asau. This will be the fourth straight bowl appearance for the Broncos and third under Taufa’asau, including their NJCAA National Championship victory in 2021.
The Bronco offense, behind sophomore quarterback Kobe Muasau, ranks eighth in the nation in both points per game (32.4) and total yards (4029). Muasau finished fourth in the country with 2,296 passing yards and fourth with 22 TD passes, earning him the Southwest Junior College Football Conference’s Offensive Player of the Year.
Like the Conqs, NMMI QBs have a wide variety of targets with eight different players with 10 or more receptions. Two of the standouts are sophomore wide-outs Andre Hall and Treyvion Beamon. Hall is second in the nation in total catches with 65, along with 869 yards; while Beamon ranks third with 11 touchdown receptions on 28 catches and 482 yards gained.
“I think our offense and our coaching staff does a great job every week coming up with a game plan,” said NMMI coach Taufa’asau. “We’ve definitely got playmakers on that side of the ball. We’ve also had a lot of injuries. But it seems every week, our coach Robert Rodriguez and his staff put together something, get players in successful situations, and we keep having players step up.”
Defensively, the Institute tends to play a “bend-but-don’t-break” coverage style, giving up a few more yards in hopes of making a big play and generating turnovers. The ‘Black Swarm’ defense sits at the bottom half of the nation’s rankings in terms of points and yards given up per game, but are 12th in sacks with 29, sixth in interceptions with 18, and tied for sixth with six fumble recoveries. Freshman linebacker Johnny Fano is third in the nation with his 10 sacks on the season and sophomore DB Churchill Williams leads the Broncos with six INTs, good for sixth place nationally.
“We want to make the offense earn everything,” said Taufa’asau about his defensive philosophy. “We want to keep everything in front of us and not give up big plays. You do that by knowing your assignments, by being fast, physical and tenacious – a single unit that swarms around the football.”
There have been seven previous matchups between the Broncs in Conqs, but none since 1980. NMMI won that last contest, 26-13, but Dodge City owns a 4-3 series lead, and none of those games have occurred outside of the regular season like this year’s bowl matchup.
“Being selected to play in the Wool Bowl is a huge honor for our program,” said Conquistador Athletic Director Jake Ripple. “NJCAA bowl games have gotten hard to come by and I know that the staff at NMMI does a great job of putting together a true event for their game, so to be chosen to play is great for us. I think it also signifies how hard our football staff and our football team have worked to change the narrative at Dodge City. We went through a few tough years and Coach Karg has done a great job of guiding this program back to relevancy. I applaud Joe Forchtner and the staff for putting together the best game that they could. I know that we are one of the closer schools to Roswell, but I also believe that the bowl committee wanted to see a truly quality opponent come into Roswell to give the fans the best game possible.”
“The Wool Bowl is truly a community experience. The bowl committee has done an outstanding job of not only showcasing the game, but all the pomp and circumstance surrounding it,” echoed NMMI Athletic Director Jose Barron. The Institute and Bronco Football is proud to host the second annual playing of the reestablished Wool Bowl game, powered by Xcel Energy. Our football program has enjoyed success over the past few seasons, although we have really had to grind it out this year with a slew of injuries and embrace a ‘next man up’ mentality. I believe the Broncos are ready for the challenge of playing a top-notch team such as Dodge City. Coach Karg has turned that program around. They have an excellent staff and Athletic Director Jake Ripple is among the most respected men in the NJCAA. I look forward to seeing our programs clash on December 1.”