RANGERS REMAIN NINTH | Open date this weekend, then stretch of big games
As Kilgore College hits its open date, the Rangers have their most important games of the season upcoming.
Last Saturday, probably the worst thing that could’ve happened for Community Christian College was Kilgore College losing to Cisco the week before, because that meant that the Rangers were going to need to work out some frustrations on the field.
KC dropped 49 first-half points on CCC, actually had a few touchdowns called back, and finished up with a 63-0 win on a weekend where hall-of-famers were honored, and the last home game for a while.
The new NJCAA poll is out, and the Rangers remain ranked No. 9 in the nation. That’s not a lot of surprise, though, as there was little movement above them in the top eight. Snow College (Utah) lost to Iowa Western in a top-five matchup, and Snow fell from third to fifth as a result.
So while there was a shake-up in the top eight, none of the top eight fell out.
Hutchinson (Kan.) remained the nation’s No. 1 team, with 150 points. IW, with a loss (but to Hutchinson) is No. 2. Mississippi Gulf Coast moved up to No. 3, and Georgia Military, previously No. 5, moved up into the fourth spot. Snow is fifth.
Garden City (Kan.), Northwest Mississippi and Holmes (Mississippi) all remained sixth, seventh and eighth. KC checks in at nine, and Lackawanna (Pennsylvania) at 10. What’s interesting is what’s happening under KC – Cisco, a conference rival of the Rangers, who dealt KC its only loss this season, is up from No. 13 to No. 11.
KC and Cisco are the only two members of the Southwest Junior College Football Conference that are ranked nationally.
Right now, the conference standings look like this: Cisco and Tyler are tied, each at 3-0. KC is 2-1, and then there’s a logjam, with Trinity Valley, Blinn, Navarro, and New Mexico Military Institute all each at 1-2. Northeastern Oklahoma A&M sits at the bottom at 0-3.
KC is in a very unique situation, as the Rangers are seeking to win the conference title for a third straight year, and – ok, we’ll say it – to work their way back into the national championship picture.
KC won the conference title in 2022 and 2023, and if they can win another this year, it would be the first time the program has won three in a row since the 1980-81-82 teams of coach Jim Miller did it, although Miller’s teams did share one of those championships.
Huge games are in front of them.
After the open date this week, they’ll play at Trinity Valley Community College in Athens, a 3 p.m. kickoff, and then the very next Saturday, against Tyler Junior College at CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Rose Stadium – that’s also a 3 p.m. kick.
KC will host Blinn for homecoming on Nov. 2, and then closes the regular season Nov. 9 on the road – the long road – at NEO, in Miami, Okla.
Only the top four teams in the conference standings move on to the conference’s playoffs.
The Rangers had a huge day, as mentioned, against Community Christian College of Louisiana last Saturday.
Tight end Ashtin Watkins opened the scoring by catching a touchdown pass from Tyler Webb, and finished with three catches, two of them touchdowns, for 110 yards.
Webb went 9-of-12 for 175 yards and two touchdown throws, and Seth Mouser didn’t miss a pass, going 6-of-6 for 135 yards and three scores.
KC scored 49 first-half points, and Adan Reyes went 9-of-9 in extra point attempts on the afternoon. Gary Maddox ran for a 7-yard touchdown, as the Rangers had 249 yards rushing on the day, and finished with 560 total yards – all of this with a running clock in the second half.
The Rangers’ defense had a field day, keeping CCC in check to the point of 20 total yards.
