COURTESY OF HUTCHINSON CC SPORTS INFORMATION (11/10/26)
CHARLOTTE, NC – The Hutchinson Community College Football team was officially named the number one overall seed for the 2026 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division 1 Football Playoffs after the matchups were released Tuesday night on the NJCAA Football Selection Show.
The top-ranked Blue Dragons (11-0) will play host to number four seed Northwest Mississippi (9-2) in the first national semifinal in a rematch of their 2025 semifinal. The game will be played at 6 p.m. on Friday, November 20, at Gowans Stadium.
The other semifinal features number two seed Iowa Western (9-1) playing host to Southwest Junior College Football Conference champion Trinity Valley (9-1) at 6 p.m. on Saturday, November 21, in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
The semifinal winners will meet in the NJCAA Championship game on Sunday, December 6 at West Texas A&M University’s Bain-Schaffer Buffalo Stadium in Canyon, Texas.
Both semifinal games will be streamed live on ESPN+.
The Blue Dragons make their fifth-straight national semifinal appearance and sixth NJCAA playoff appearance overall, all since the 2020/21 season. The Blue Dragons are 3-1 in the national semifinals, playing three of the first four appearances at Gowans Stadium.
Last season against Northwest Mississippi in the NJCAA Football Semifinals at Gowans Stadium, quarterback Christian Johnson accounted for 325 total yards and two touchdowns while the Blue Dragon defense pitched a shutout in a 27-0 victory over the Rangers.
Hutchinson completed its first 11-0 regular season in program history and the seventh overall undefeated regular season with a 26-10 road victory last Saturday at number 11 Iowa Central.
Starting the season ranked number two in the preseason poll, the Blue Dragons shut out previous number one Iowa Western 26-0 on September 29 at Gowans Stadium and have resided in the top spot of the national poll since then.
The 2026 Blue Dragon defense is allowing a nation-low 5.8 points per game this season. Hutchinson is giving up 186.8 total yards per game and tied a program record with six shutouts this season.
Offensively, the Dragons are averaging 51.2 points and 433.4 total yards per game this season.
Quarterback Randy Phillips has thrown for 2,244 yards and 25 touchdowns to lead the Blue Dragon offense. Phillips has spread the wealth around to several different receivers. Jeremiah Looney has 43 receptions for 706 yards and seven touchdowns, while Bobby Shaw III has 29 catches for 459 yards and eight touchdowns. Rayvelle Leak has a team-high 557 rushing yards with five touchdowns, and PB Price has 512 rushing yards and eight touchdowns.
Northwest Mississippi went 8-2 in the regular season before winning the Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference (MACCC) Championship Game at home with a 33-29 win over Hinds in come-from-behind fashion. The Rangers trailed 29-26 after a Hinds touchdown with 2:14 to play in the fourth quarter, but Northwest Mississippi scored a touchdown with 47 seconds to play to capture a 33-29 victory.
Northwest Mississippi averages 34.9 points and 391.7 total yards. Quarterback Noah Gillon has 1,984 passing yards with 16 touchdowns. Receiver TyAnthony Elmore has 70 receptions for 1,082 yards and seven touchdowns. Running back D.J. Woods has a team-high 415 rushing yards with six scores.
Defensively, the Rangers allow 17.9 points per game and give up 79.1 rushing yards and 206.9 passing yards per game.
