CHARLOTTE, NC – Big shakeups across the latest National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division 1 Football rankings have led to three Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference (KJCCC) teams ranked and a fourth receiving votes as only three ranked teams hold the same ranking as the previous week’s poll.
With no shortage of drama taking place across the NJCAA last week, the KJCCC was no exception to the mass change that took place throughout the top 15 in the updated rankings. Seven of the teams in this week’s top 15 poll saw their ranking move at least two spots, with the Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference accounting for five of the multi-spot changes.
The lone NJCAA Division 1 football team holding an unblemished record, Hutchinson Community College continues to hold the number one ranking after posting their fifth shutout of the season with a 38-0 win at Coffeyville to improve to 8-0. HCC has posted shutouts in five of their past six games and has allowed a total of 30 points this season, with only one team scoring more than seven points on the Blue Dragons.
Following a key 24-14 home win over Dodge City, Butler Community College made a three-spot improvement to their ranking to move into the top 10 as the Grizzlies improve to 5-2 overall and 3-1 in the KJCCC. BCC has now won four straight games after a 1-2 start to the season, with all four wins coming over KJCCC opponents. The loss for Dodge City to Butler caused the Conquistadors to fall two spots in the latest rankings to number 13, sitting at 5-3 overall. The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for Dodge City, who will play two of their final three games of the season at home. Two weeks after appearing as a team receiving votes, Garden City has worked their way back into the list of teams receiving votes after picking up a road win at previously number 15-ranked Northeastern Oklahoma A&M. The Broncbusters edged the Golden Norsemen 32-31 in the NJCAA Football Game of the Week, improving to 4-5 this season with the win in their final road game of the year.
A full day of action is set for this Saturday, with four games taking place with staggered kickoff times throughout the league. Kicking off the day at 12:00 PM, top-ranked Hutchinson will play host to Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, followed by a 1 PM start between Dodge City and Highland at Memorial Stadium in Dodge City. Independence will welcome Iowa Community College Athletic Conference foe and number 15-ranked Iowa Central for a 5 PM kickoff, followed by a 7:00 PM battle between Garden City and number 10-ranked Butler in Garden City to cap the day off.
