COUNTRY WHIPPINS! | KC, TJC prep for conference schedules, blow out non-conference teams

Both Kilgore College and Tyler Junior College flexed their muscles in non-conference games on Saturday.

At R.E. St. John Memorial Stadium in Kilgore, the Rangers unloaded some frustration from a loss in week one, blasting Community Christian, 87-0.

And at CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Rose Stadium in Tyler Saturday night, the Apaches had no trouble with the Utah Islanders, a 52-0 win.

TJC, ranked fourth in the NJCAA’s national football rankings, moves to 2-0 on the season and in the first year of head coach Brady Davis. The Apaches play Blinn at Brenham next Saturday, Sept. 5. That’s the Southwest Junior College Football Conference opener for both TJC and Blinn.

It was Blinn that gave KC a loss in week one, 34-20 in Brenham in a non-conference game. They’ll rematch on Sept. 26 in Kilgore, and that will count in the conference standings.

The Rangers (1-1) will host Trinity Valley on Saturday at 3 p.m., and that is also KC’s conference opener.

As for Saturday’s blowouts…

Kilgore College 87, Community Christian College 0: The Spartans were not up to the challenge, for sure, and even if they’d had like real-life Spartans, KC still might have won in a romp.

KC returned three interceptions for touchdowns, returned a kick for another, had a blocked punt returned for a score.

Trevor Allen led the Rangers ground game with 90 yards rushing and scored twice.

KC’s defense held the Spartans to -5 yards of total offense and intercepted CCC quarterbacks six times in the game, taking three back the other way for scores. Brayden West of Frisco had three of KC’s six picks, and he did have one of the three pick-sixes, from 80 yards out.

Hezekiah Dantzler of Baton Rouge had two interceptions and returned one 27 yards for a TD, and Ty Jackson of Arlington Bowie also had an 87-yard pick-six.

It was Newton’s Cavland Hunter that grabbed the live ball after the blocked punt and scored a touchdown to give KC a 28-0 lead – still in the first quarter.

And Jamarion Woods of Mesquite returned the second-half kickoff for a 90-yard touchdown.

In addition, Luke McMullen from Jefferson High School, scored on a 2-yard run; Ryan Rasco of Houston Cypress Park had a 3-yard run for another touchdown; and Ayden Pate scored on a 1-yard run that gave KC a 63-0 halftime lead.

KC quarterback Christian Nunley of Conroe got into the scoring mix as well with a 32-yard TD run.

Allen’s scores were on runs of 16 and 80 runs. Allen is a former Spring Hill standout.

Woods also caught a 24-yard pass for a touchdown (from former Austin Weiss standout Jax Brown) and Diego Ortero hit a 40-yard field goal for the final score. Ortero, from Oklahoma City, went 12-for-12 in extra point kicks.

TJC 52, Utah Islanders 0: This was all TJC, period.

The Apaches’ secondary was also on point, getting two interceptions for touchdowns (a 31-yard pick-six by Sultan El-Amin, then later, another by Jalen Jones from 40 yards out). The Apaches held Utah to just over 50 yards of total offense.

Jeremy Comeaux caught a 22-yard pass for a score from Luke Ullrich. TJC got a touchdown 1-yard touchdown run from Sydney Holland, and Jason Zardavets came on and threw a pair of touchdowns: one to Mark Hicks for 58 yards and another to Bradyn Walker for 41 yards.

Ashton Searl had scored on a 3-yard run.

In part because so many people touched the ball for TJC, Searl led the team rushing with 37 yards and the touchdown on six carries.

As mentioned, TJC hits the road to Brenham vs. Blinn next Saturday, but the Apaches are also gone the following week, on Saturday, Sept. 12, to Trinity Valley.

We’ll all see if there is any movement in the national poll when it’s released on Monday. Only three teams in the nation – top-ranked Iowa Western Community College, Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College and Northwest Mississippi Community College – are ranked in front of Tyler.

Mississippi Gulf Coast (fifth), Trinity Valley (sixth), Coffeyville (Kan.) Community College, Copiah Lincoln (8), Snow (Utah) at No. nine, and Georgia Military round out the top 10.