Another falls from the unbeaten

With just a handful of games remaining in the regular season another program has fallen from the ranks of the unbeaten after Iowa Western lost to Coffeyville on Saturday. The Reivers have a chance to bounce back this week after falling to No. 8 in the rankings.

Last week provided a lot of crazy finishes in the JUCO ranks. Coffeyville upsetting Iowa Western was a mild upset and moved the Red Ravens up to No. 6 in the rankings. Coffeyville’s defense remained one of the toughest in the nation on Saturday, recording six sacks on the Reivers with four turnovers. Iowa Western gets a chance to make up for the loss this weekend when they host No. 1 Hutchinson. The Blue Dragons hammered Independence, 53-0, to remain undefeated for the year.

Perhaps the most electrifying win of the day came out west where No. 2 Riverside City rallied from a 25-point deficit to topple No. 16 Cerritos, 52-45. The Tigers used the brother combination of quarterback Jake Retzlaff and wide receiver Reggie Retzlaff to pull off the miracle. The Jake to Reggie combination was good for 11 connections for 280 yards and three scores. The Tigers finished the comeback with a touchdown with 27 seconds remaining for the win.

Another crazy comeback was in the Mississippi semifinals where No. 3 Northwest rallied from an 18-point deficit to defeat No. 12 Jones, 38-35. The Rangers received a Jamarien Bracey touchdown run with just over four minutes remaining to turn back the Bobcats and head to the state title game. Northwest will face No. 17 East Mississippi after the Lions topped No. 23 Gulf Coast, 38-27.

In another entertaining finish No. 7 Fullerton hung on for a win at Saddleback College on Saturday, 34-32. The Hornets had a 34-9 lead before the Bobcats came back and made things interesting. Saddleback’s final drive stalled on the 50-yard line to allow Fullerton to remain in the top-10. The Hornets host No. 14 Golden West for the Southern League title this weekend.

The math experts will have their work cut out for them in Southern California where all six teams in the National Northern League are 2-2 in league play heading into the final week of the season. No. 33 Ventura (6-3) is the top-ranked team in the rankings and will travel to No. 37 East Los Angeles to finish the regular season.

The Southwest JCFC Playoffs are set and No. 4 Trinity Valley will likely host No. 18 Kilgore in the opening round. No. 15 New Mexico Military will play No. 20 Navarro in the other semifinal.

The MCAC crowned a new champ on Sunday as No. 36 North Dakota State College of Science shut down previously unbeaten No. 43 Minnesota State, 19-0. Minnesota State played without quarterback Kenneth Cooper and was forced to have star running back Rondarius Gregory fill in at quarterback. The Wildcats took advantage and walked away with the league title.

Here is the rest of the JCGridiron Dirty 30 Rankings. Just a reminder, the Dirty 30 Rankings do not include games against club teams, prep schools, non-CCCAA, non-NJCAA or non-HJCAC programs in its rankings/records.