First year of Hohokam a success
With one season in the books, the Hohokam Junior College Athletic Conference is off the ground and running. The start-up conference comprised of five teams exceeded all expectations and looks forward to building upon its first year of success.
The HJCAC came into existence after the old Western States Football League closed up shop. Soon thereafter the Hohokam was developed, a non-profit league that chose its name to pay homage to the state of Arizona and the large Native American communities located within its borders.
I’ll be the first to admit, I didn’t give the league much of a chance at success. However, I knew they had some key people with skin in the game, which gave it a puncher's chance.
One such person was former Mesa Community College and current Gila River Hawks coach Ryan Felker, who spent seven seasons at Mesa and coached 20 All-Americans, including 2015 first-round NFL Draft pick Damarious Randall. In his first season with the Gila River Hawks, Felker went 8-1 and was named the conference coach-of-the-year. In his first season with the start-up, Felker had arguably the top commitment from the conference when linebacker Jeremy Mercier signed with Utah.
Felker took time to give us some perspective of the first year of competition in the HJCAC.
“As a league, there were many operational/administrative things that weren't perfect,” Felker said. “As with anything new there are going to be some issues and things that didn't go so smooth initially. Many of those issues were addressed in the off season.”
Despite some early jitters, Felker says the model of the league is built for the long run.
“I think the HJCAC is committed to growing this football model so that JC football stays in Arizona,” Felker said. “I think the HJCAC benefits from having knowledgeable veteran JC coaches driving the decision making who know what JC football is supposed to look like. Having football people making decisions for football is huge. Many of the four year guys I talk to think this might be the future of junior college football.”
The league was responsible for over $2-million in scholarships generated in its first season, exceeding the expectations of most people involved. Felker says the talent now arriving in year two is exponentially better.
Unlike the CCCAA in California and the majority of NJCAA programs that have shut down for the fall of 2020, the HJCAC has been working hard to give junior college football fans something to watch in the fall.
“The league will be releasing the schedule soon,” Felker said. “Camp starts on September 21st and we play our first game on October 17th, finishing up on December 19th with a full schedule all before school ends.”
Felker says the league has been taking extra precautions to ensure player safety throughout the Coronavirus pandemic.
“We have put a lot of measures and protocols in place to ensure the safety of our kids we have been on the field three times a week for almost three months now and have had zero sick, so we're not concerned that we will be able to play safely this fall,” Felker said. “Our kids have taken this very seriously and so have the coaches.”
Felker says the battles in the first year have been big, but the visibility of the league is improving.
“We have been fighting for this thing,” Felker said. “It’s important for people to understand its JC football, not amateur or club or semi-pro. We follow all the NJCAA compliance rules and hope they will recognize us next.”
To learn more about the Hohakam Junior College Athletic Conference, click on the link. HOHOKAM