The 2019 season kicked into high gear this past weekend as the programs in California completed week two and the NJCAA ranks week four. The new Dirty 30 Rankings reflect the early favorites to win their respective regions and divisions.
Out on the West Coast in California, a handful of big games took center stage with two of them coming in the Southern California ranks. Early in the day, top-ranked Riverside City took care of business against nemesis Fullerton College in temperatures around 100 degrees in one of the better defensive struggles of the week. The Tigers ended up taking care of business against the Hornets, 16-7, blocking two field goals and outscoring the Hornets 9-0 in the final quarter for the win. RCC remains at No. 1 in the rankings, while Fullerton stayed at No. 27.
Another with big implications was Saddleback versus Ventura, which featured two teams ranked in the top-10 in the country. Saddleback ended up dominating from start-to-finish, beating Ventura 48-24. Gaucho quarterback Chance Nolan (Middle Tennessee bounceback) finished 15-of-23 for 423 yards and five touchdown passes while Saddleback rolled up 717 yards of offense. Saddleback moved up one spot to No. 5 with the win while Ventura dropped seven spots to No. 17 with the loss.
Up north in Sacramento, American River battled against Laney in an important non-league game. The Beavers trailed 10-3 but rallied for a 15-10 win at home. ARC never scored a touchdown in the win, kicking five field goals to topple the former state champions. American River dropped two spots to No. 6 in the rankings and now gets a second straight test when they travel to No. 14 San Mateo this weekend.
Out in Utah, Lackawanna made a cross-country trip from Pennsylvania and took care of business at Snow. The Falcons had an early matchup against ASA-Miami postponed because of the hurricane and then played non-affiliated Wagner JV, so this was their first real test of the season. Lackawanna prevailed on the road, beating the Badgers, 17-6, in a defensive struggle. Snow led 6-3 at the half when Lackawanna got their legs under them, scoring touchdowns in each of the final two quarters. Lackawanna moves up to No. 7 with the win and now gets the rescheduled game against ASA-Miami this weekend.
Trinity Valley has taken the early lead in the Southwest JCFC after starting the season 3-0. The latest win for the Cardinals was a 27-8 win against Northeastern Oklahoma A&M on Saturday. No. 11 TVCC now has three tough games in a row, starting with No. 16 Blinn this weekend on the road.
No. 2 Butler and No. 4 Hutchinson appear to be on a collision course in the Jayhawk Conference, but they’ll have to wait one more week before it all happens on September 28. Butler improved to 4-0 with a 33-13 win against Coffeyville on Saturday while Hutchinson scored a 27-7 win at Fort Scott. Butler gets Dodge City at home this week while Hutchinson now gets a bye week to prepare for the big game on the 28th.
Unlike some of the past years, the Mississippi title looks completely up for grabs. Northwest is currently the highest rated program from the state at No. 3 and moved to 3-0 with a 33-3 win against Delta. They now get their toughest test when they host No. 20 Copiah-Lincoln this Thursday. No. 12 Gulf Coast improved to 3-0 by blasting Holmes 41-7 and has a tough battle against No. 22 Jones on Thursday. East Mississippi looks as if they got the train back on the tracks after a 48-3 thumping of Itawamba. The No. 10 Lions play at Delta this Thursday.
Big matchups this weekend:
No. 3 Northwest vs. No. No. 20 Copiah-Lincoln
No. 6 American River at No. 14 San Mateo
No. 8 San Francisco at No. 18 Modesto
No. 9 Iowa Central at No. 31 Snow
No. 11 Trinity Valley at No. 16 Blinn
No. 12 Gulf Coast vs. No. 22 Jones
No. 15 Butte vs. No. 21 Fresno City
No. 19 Mt. San Antonio vs. No. 41 Chaffey
No. 23 Cisco vs. No. 34 Navarro
No. 24 Independence vs. No. 37 Fort Scott
No. 26 Kilgore at No. 38 Northeastern Oklahoma A&M
No. 28 Iowa Western vs. No. 29 Garden City
The rest of the JCGridiron.com Dirty 30 Rankings follow. Just a reminder, JCGridiron.com does not include games against prep schools, club teams, or non-affiliated programs in the records.
