The Dodge City High School Athletic Department is pleased to announce that Cargill has chosen to partner with Dodge City High School for naming rights to the 85th Annual Hatchet Game to be played at Riverfront Stadium in Wichita, Kansas.

The game is set for Saturday, October 15 at 6:00 pm.  This year’s game will be the 125th time these two programs have faced each other on the field, but the first time it has occurred at a neutral site.  Dodge City will be the home team as Garden City hosted last year’s double overtime thriller.

The Hatchet Game is the second oldest rivalry in the state of Kansas.  The event takes pride in showcasing cheerleaders, drill teams, and The Pride of Southwest Kansas – all of which will be performing at this year’s game.

“The commitment by Cargill to sponsor this special event is just another indication of their commitment to our schools, community, and the programs that serve our kids and families.  We are very excited to showcase Dodge City to the rest of the state!” – Jay Gifford, A.D., Dodge City High School

“Cargill is proud to be a long-term sponsor of DCHS and our community. Thank you for allowing us to be a major part of this community tradition,” – John Hawkins, Plant Controller, Cargill of Dodge City

With the recent announcement that the 85th Annual Hatchet Game will be played at Riverfront Stadium in Wichita, the 2022 Football schedule has been revised. This fall will be the 120th season in the storied history of Red Demon Football.

The DCHS Alumni Association will host the Ring of Honor Ceremony, sponsored by Tommy’s Express Car Wash, at the first home game of the year, September 2 vs Wichita West.

Homecoming, sponsored by First Dental, will be on Friday, September 16 vs Wichita South.

Saturday, October 15, the Red Demons will take on Garden City in the 85th Annual Hatchet Game presented by Cargill at Riverfront Stadium in Wichita. It will be the 125th game overall in the series and the first ever played at a neutral site.

Memorial Stadium continues to undergo renovations with Phase 2 of the project scheduled to be completed by the United Way Jamboree scheduled for August 26. Improvements to the south parking lot and stadium entrance are scheduled to begin October 1.

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2022 Red Demon Football Varsity Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Location
August 26	6:00 PM	Cimarron/Pratt	Dodge City Memorial Stadium	United Way Jamboree
September 2	7:00 PM	Wichita-West	Dodge City Memorial Stadium	Ring of Honor
September 9	7:00 PM	Junction City	Junction City High School
September 16	7:00 PM	Wichita-South	Dodge City Memorial Stadium	Homecoming
September 23	7:00 PM	Liberal	Liberal High School
September 30	7:00 PM	Great Bend	Dodge City Memorial Stadium	Senior Recognition
October 7	7:00 PM	Hays	FHSU Lewis Field
October 15	6:00 PM	Garden City	Wichita-Riverfront Stadium	Hatchet Game
October 21	7:00 PM	Wichita-Southeast	Wichita-Northwest Stadium

The Dodge City Red Demons and Garden City Buffaloes have been colliding on the football field since 1903.  To those close to the rival programs it would seem the event could not find a stage any bigger than the annual trek across the plains in search of a year’s worth of bragging rights.  In all those years, the game has never been played at a neutral site – until now.

Riverfront Stadium – the newly constructed home of the MiLB Double-A Wichita Wind Surge will host the 85th Annual Hatchet Game on Saturday, October 15 at 6:00 pm. 

Quote from Jordan Kobritz, Partner/CEO – Wichita Wind Surge: “This is the second of what we hope will be a series of football games at Riverfront Stadium this year,” said Jordan Kobritz.  “The Dodge City – Garden City matchup will feature two long-time rivals from the western part of the State that each have a great following.  It will also give local football enthusiasts another opportunity to watch high school football in Wichita in addition to the regular schedule of Friday night games played in the City. I want to thank the entire leadership at Dodge City and Garden City and especially the two Athletic Directors and coaches for their willingness to play the game at Riverfront Stadium.” 

Quote from Drew Thon, AD – GCHS: “The Hatchet Game is the most notable rivalry in the state and it’s great that we will be able to showcase this event at an amazing facility like Riverfront Stadium.  The experience that it will provide for our students, community and alumni will be second to none.”

Quote from Jay Gifford, AD – DCHS:  “What an opportunity for Dodge City to showcase our football program, Pride of Southwest Kansas (DCHS Band), Drill Team, and Cheer program to the city of Wichita and state of Kansas!  We were the first high school in Kansas to host a nationally televised game, our soccer program played in the first ever indoor soccer game, and now we are part of the first-ever series of high school football games to be played at Riverfront Stadium.  We have a tradition of finding opportunities to showcase our many talented students.  We are so excited to give our students this memory that will stay with them long after they graduate from Dodge City High School.”   

The Stadium

The facility is a $75 million state-of-the-art, multi-purpose venue on the west bank of the Arkansas River near downtown Wichita, on the former site of Lawrence-Dumont Stadium. While the stadium is most widely known as the home of the Minnesota Twins minor league affiliate – Wichita Wind Surge, it was built with many uses in mind. It has hosted college baseball and football games to date.

Riverfront Stadium can seat 6,500 in the seating bowl plus 3,500 more on berms and picnic areas for a baseball game. As many as 18,000 people can attend a concert or other events when the field is used for sitting or standing.

The History

In the 120 years since that first game (followed by a rematch the same year), the two teams have met (124) times on the gridiron – the second longest running rivalry in the state of Kansas.  Abilene & Chapman have played (128) times.

This year’s annual event will be the 125th contest between the two rivals, and the 85th time the programs have competed for the most iconic traveling trophy in the state of Kansas – The Hatchet.  Imagine a rivalry in which even the trophy has a back story – a tradition so rich it actually takes two Hatchets to hold all the history. 

The Game

The Hatchet Game is the spotlight game of the season for both the Red Demons and the Buffaloes.  It is the fall festival for two communities fifty miles apart with the town of Cimarron placed between them just to keep them separated.  It resembles a good old fashioned backyard brawl between brothers that will never admit they like each other, but in many ways are more similar than different.

Over the past 15 years, the rivalry has elevated itself into even thinner air as far as competitive and entertaining games are concerned.  Something very few on either side thought was possible.  Since 2007, the series is nearly even as Dodge City leads the rivalry (8-7) during that span.  Punt blocks, long TD runs and lengthy TD passes, interceptions, fumble recoveries…You name it, and it likely has happened in just the past few years. 

“It took double overtime to decide last year’s game.  The year before the game was won by Garden City off a blocked punt.  The monsoon game of 2019 was absolute craziness,” Gifford said. “It seems like you could write a book about just the last 15 years of the rivalry and people would be amazed at the stories. Both schools have had great teams during that era and the games have been competitive almost every year.”

The game is for everyone – players, coaches, students, community, and fans in general. It grabs the attention of the entire state – and this year it will be the only high school game being played in the state of Kansas on this particular Saturday night. 

The decision to play on Saturday was based in anticipation that both fan bases will be traveling en masse to see this unique chapter added to the storied rivalry. 

Additional details and ticket information can be found at www.WindSurge.com.

For questions and additional information contact:
Kylee Sorrells
ksorrells@windsurge.com 
Marketing Manager, Riverfront Stadium