Navarro, Snow and Butler Remain Top 3 Teams in NJCAA / JC Football.com Poll

COLORADO SPRINGS - The latest edition of the NJCAA / JC Football.com Poll remains very familiar at the top. For the sixth consecutive week Navarro College (Texas) is at No. 1 as they again received 140 total points and all seven first place votes. The Bulldogs are followed for the fourth straight week by Snow College (Utah) at No. 2 and Butler Community College (Kan.) at No. 3.

Georgia Military College moves up to No. 4 this week while Harper College (Ill.) rounds out the top five.

Navarro closed out their regular season with a 24-21 road victory over then No. 6 Blinn College (Texas) Saturday. The win gives Navarro the Southwest JC Football Conference regular season title and home field advantage in their conference playoffs, which begins this weekend.

The Bulldogs held a 21-0 halftime lead, but the Bucs came back in the second half to score 21 points of their own. A field goal by Navarro's Gabriel Elizando early in the fourth quarter proved to be the deciding factor.

Navarro had one of its worst rushing games of the season (164 yards), but like all No. 1 teams they made plays when it counted. Linebacker Justin Clark made a diving interception late in the fourth quarter as Blinn All-American quarterback Terrance Cain began marching the Bucs down the field for the potential game-winning score.

The Bulldogs, now 9-0, will host Trinity Valley Community College (Texas) this Saturday in the semi-finals of the SWJCFC playoffs. Blinn, who fell to No. 7 in this week's poll, will now have to travel to Kilgore College (Texas) in the other semi-final contest.

Snow got its ninth win of the season Saturday with a 30-23 victory over then No. 17 Eastern Arizona College. The victory puts the Badgers one step closer to their third consecutive Western States Football League title. Snow has lost just one conference game in the last three seasons.

The victory over EAC was a hard fought one for the Badgers. Snow had a 20-14 lead at the half and increased their lead to 27-14 in the third quarter. After EAC answered to put the game at 27-21, a botched punt gave the Gila Monsters two points via a safety to cut the Snow lead to 27-23.

The Badgers then got a 20-yard field goal from kicker Joe Phillips late in the fourth quarter to make the score 30-23. An interception by Badger defensive back Trent Barney with less than a minute remaining sealed the victory for Snow.

In order to win their third straight conference title, the Badgers will have to defeat No. 6 Phoenix College (Ariz.) on the road this Saturday. The Bears are 7-2 overall, but are second in the WSFL with a 6-1 league mark.

Butler was able to handle then No. 4 Fort Scott Community College (Kan.) 24-7 to win their eighth-consecutive Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference title. The Grizzlies overcame a 7-0 deficit and scored 24 unanswered points to cruise to their eighth straight win of the season.

Butler turned the ball over four times, but overcame the foul-ups with a strong rushing game. Randell Bell carried the ball 19 times for 160 yards, including 58-yard long touchdown run. Tywon Hubbard also chipped in 15 carries for 92 yards. The Grizzlies finished with 315 yards of total offense on a Fort Scott defense that was limiting teams to just eight points per game coming into the contest.

The Butler defense also had a big day. Fort Scott's Jasmin Hopkins, who leads the Jayhawk Conference in rushing, was held to 107 yards on 31 carries, an average of just 3.5 yards per carry. The Grizzlies also limited the Greyhounds to just 169 yards of total offense for the game.

The KJCCC title is the 10th in the past 11 years for Butler. In nine years under Butler head coach Troy Morrell, the Grizzlies have gone undefeated in conference play seven times, going 61-2 in conference games during that stretch.

Butler now sets its sights on the Region 6 playoffs. Top-seeded Butler will play at home at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday against Garden City. Fort Scott, which fell to No. 9 in the poll this week, will host No. 20 Hutchinson Community College (Kan.) in the other semifinal, also at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday.

Georgia Military was idle this past weekend. The Bulldogs will travel north this Saturday to battle Erie Community College (N.Y.).

Harper advanced to the Midwest Football Conference - East Division title game with a 28-7 win over in-state rival Joliet Junior College (Ill.) Saturday. The Hawks got a big game from reserve quarterback Matthew Brandt, who started due to a shoulder injury to All-American Garrett Barnas. Brandt posted a solid performance, throwing for 182 yards and a touchdown.

The Hawks defense gave up just 67 rushing yards and 41 passing yards in the victory. They also did not give up any points as Joliet's lone score came on a interception return for a touchdowns.

Harper will now host College of Dupage (Ill.) in the MFC East title game on Saturday. The winner earns a spot in the feature game of the Graphic Edge Bowl, Nov. 23 in Cedar Falls, Iowa, against the MFC West Division Champion.