The Highland Community College football team got off the proverbial snide with a 32-10 road victory over the Dodge City Conquistadors on Saturday.

The Scotties, 1-2 overall and 1-1 in Jayhawk Conference play, used a strong second half to pull away for the victory. The only Highland score in the first half came with 12:47 left in the second quarter, trailing 3-0, when freshman quarterback Shunquez Stephens (Flowery Branch, GA) took the ball into the end zone on a 2-yard touchdown rush. Sophomore Gary Flack (Leavenworth) added the PAT for a 7-3 Scottie lead. A long Conquistador touchdown pass minutes later gave Dodge City a 10-7 halftime lead.

In the second half, it was all Highland. Stephens rushed for an 8-yard touchdown run with 3:33 left in the third quarter and scored again from nine yards out with just 1:23 left in the same period. Just over a minute later, sophomore linebacker Terell Jordan (Atchison) intercepted a Conquistador pass and took it 69 yards for another Scottie touchdown and a 26-10 Scottie lead. In the fourth quarter, freshman cornerback Contereze Pierce (Jonesboro, GA) had his own “pick six” with an 83-yard interception return with just 22 seconds to play in the game.

Stephens had a big day rushing for the Scotties, picking up 117 yards on 24 carries and three scores. He threw for another 63 yards on six of 16 passing. Sophomore Brian Handley (Rock Hill, SC) rushed for 34 yards on 19 carries. Freshman Desmond McGee (Wichita) caught two passes for 32 yards.

Defensive tackle Marcus Smith (Wadesboro, NC) led the Scotties with seven total stops. Sophomore Brandon King (Alabaster, AL) had 6.5 tackles and a fumble recovery. Jordan had five stops on the day and two interceptions.

The Scotties get a much needed bye week and return to action on Saturday, September 22, when they host #2 nationally ranked Butler. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m on Kessinger Field on the Highland campus.