CHARLOTTE, NC – For the first time this season, a new team has found its way to the top of the latest National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division 1 Football rankings as Hutchinson Community College reclaims the top spot to lead a group of three Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference (KJCCC) teams in the Week 6 rankings.
The change to the top of the poll comes as part of a week that saw 13 of 15 ranked teams have changes from their previous week’s ranking, with losses by previously number one-ranked Iowa Western and previously number five-ranked East Mississippi allowing for multiple teams to make moves up the rankings. Hutchinson’s number one ranking comes unanimously after receiving all 10 first-place votes following their 26-0 home shutout of Iowa Western, handing the Reivers their first shutout loss in program history while recording a third-straight shutout for the Blue Dragons for the first time since 1950.
HCC wasn’t the only team to take down a ranked team from the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) last week, with Dodge City picking up a 38-24 home win over previously number 10-ranked Iowa Central to go from receiving votes into the rankings for the first time since 2024 by being ranked number 13 this week. The Conquistadors have now won two straight games following a 1-2 start and remain unbeaten at home this year. Butler Community College, meanwhile, remains ranked number 15 after snapping a two-game skid with a 37-21 home win over Highland as the Grizzlies have seen both of their losses come to teams currently ranked in the top five of the NJCAA Division 1 top 15 poll.
The grind for KJCCC teams gets no easier as the schedule enters October, with five games on this week’s schedule to put all seven conference teams in action. Coffeyville will make their longest trip of the season north to Ellsworth Community College for an 11 AM kickoff to start the day, while Garden City will be in Council Bluffs, Iowa, to take on number three-ranked Iowa Western for an 11 AM kickoff against the Reivers. Afternoon action will take place in the Sunflower State when Highland plays host to top-ranked Hutchinson at 1 PM, while number 13-ranked Dodge City heads to Miami, Oklahoma, for a 2 PM kickoff against number five-ranked Northeastern Oklahoma A&M in the lone matchup between ranked teams for KJCCC schools. The day’s action will finish at 5 PM in Independence, as the Pirates play host to number 15-ranked Butler at Emmot Field for a conference clash.
