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By Steve Carpenter
HCC Sports Information Director
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
After scoring the most
points in any three-game stretch in team history, the Hutchinson Community
College football team has climbed two spots to No. 4 in the latest NJCAA/JC
Football.com national poll released on Tuesday.
The Blue Dragons (3-0, 2-0
Jayhawk Conference) jumped past defending national champion Butler to No. 4,
which is the highest ranking the Blue Dragons have had in the NJCAA poll
since being ranked No. 4 after the third week of the 1996 season. Complete
records from the late 1960s and 1970s are slim, so this is believed to be
the highest ranking HCC has ever had in the NJCAA poll.
It’s not the highest
national football ranking the Blue Dragons have enjoyed however. That same
week in 1996, the Blue Dragons were ranked No. 1 in the nation by JC
Gridwire.
Coming off a 61-3 thrashing
of Dodge City on Saturday, the Blue Dragons have now scored the most points
(167) in any three-game stretch in team history. That, and the best
defensive performance the Dragons have had this season – HCC held Dodge City
to 11 yards passing and 91 total yards while sophomore Matthew Pearson
returned a fumble and interception both for touchdowns – was enough to
convince voters to move HCC past Butler.
The Jayhawk Conference now
has the Nos. 4, 5 and 6 teams in the national poll and Nos. 6 and 5 just
happen to be Hutchinson’s next two opponents.
This Saturday, HCC travels
to No. 6 Fort Scott for a 1 p.m. kickoff at Frary Field. One week later, the
Dragons take on No. 5 Butler at 7 p.m. at Gowans Stadium in a game that will
be televised statewide on Kansas Now 22.
This is the eighth
consecutive poll that the Blue Dragons have appeared in the NJCAA national
poll. That’s the longest streak of appearances since a 27-poll run from 1994
to 1996.
Hutchinson is
the first team from Kansas to be ranked above Butler since Coffeyville ended
the 2005 season ranked No. 9 and Butler was No. 10.
Blinn College
is once again the No. 1 team in the country, but No. 2 East Mississippi was
defeated by No. 10 Mississippi Gulf Coast last Thursday and dropped all the
way to 13th. Navarro College is No. 2 and Pearl River is No. 3.
The last time
two conferences had three teams each ranked in the Top 10 was on Oct. 9,
2007 – Western States Football League (1. Snow; 4. Eastern Arizona; 10.
Glendale) and the Mississippi Junior College Conference (3. Mississippi Gulf
Coast: 5. Jones County; 6. Pearl River).
The Blue Dragons continue to
lead the nation in rushing offense at 384.3 yards per game. Sophomore
running back Chris Clay is eighth in individual rushing at 138.7 yards per
game.
Freshman Chris Anderson is
ranked No. 2 in the country in both scoring (54 points) and touchdowns (9).
The Blue Dragon defense has
improved to No. 8 in the nation in total defense at 201.7 yards allowed per
game.
NJCAA/JC FOOTBALL.COM
NATIONAL TOP 25
Record Points
Last week
1. Blinn
College
3-0 139 1
2. Navarro
College
3-0 132 3
3. Pearl River
CC
4-0 125 4
4. Hutchinson
CC
3-0 110 6
5. Butler
CC
3-1 107 5
6. Fort Scott
CC 3-0
101 8
7. Trinity Valley
CC 3-0 100
7
8. Eastern Arizona College
3-0 90 9
9. Mississippi Gulf Coast
CC 3-1 74 13
10. Dean
College 3-0
73 9
11. Arizona Western
College 3-0 63
12
12. Snow
College 3-1 62 11
13. East Mississippi
CC 3-1 57 2
14. Ellsworth
CC 2-1 51 13
15. Grand Rapids
CC 4-0 44 16
16. Rochester CTC
4-0 43 15
17. Tyler Junior
College 3-0 34 RV
18. Northwest Mississippi
CC 3-1 14 19
19. Georgia Military
College 2-2 10
RV
20. Central Lakes College
4-0 9 RV
OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES:
Scottsdale CC (1-1); Iowa Central CC (2-1); Louisburg College (3-0); Joliet
Junior College (3-1); Mesabi Range CTC (3-1); Coahoma CC (3-1); Hudson
Valley CC (2-1); Nassau CC (2-0); Lackawanna College (2-1). |
