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HUTCHINSON, Kan. – Coffeyville and Hutchinson never expected to play football a second time in 2022, but the match-up is seen as proof just how tough life is in the Jayhawk.
Saturday in Gowans Stadium in Hutchinson, the two teams from the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference (KJCCC) will meet in one semifinal of the NJCAA National Championship Playoffs, with the winner headed to War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock AR for the title game December 14.
“Obviously having two KJCCC teams in the final four speaks to the strength of the conference,” said Jeff Leiker, Coffeyville head football coach.
Drew Dallas, Head football coach at Hutchinson, concurs.
“I think it speaks to the level of competition and quality of play in the Jayhawk conference, as well as our overall strength of schedule now that we have the alliance with the Iowa conference,” said Dallas.
Iowa conference (ICCAC) champion Iowa Western plays Northwest Mississippi in Senatobia MS in the other semifinal. Iowa Western and the two other Iowa football colleges played a schedule affiliation with the KJCCC this year. Long-time conference observers pointed out the strength of the affiliation since three of the four teams in the playoffs played each other during the regular season.
“Each and every week during the regular season is a test due to the talent level and coaching that we face week in and week out,” said Dallas.
“As a competitive league, the KJCCC fields top-quality teams, and the competition on a weekly basis in the league is outstanding,” said Leiker.
Dallas and Leiker both commented on the strengths of the Jayhawk conference year-end and year-out, and the level of play compared to other juco conferences.
“One of the biggest differences I can see is that our depth up front and the play-making ability of the guys on the edges, on both sides of the ball, has really taken our league to a different level, in comparison to other junior college conferences,” said Dallas. “When you play a schedule like we do it requires you to develop depth throughout your roster to have success throughout the season.”
“The talent level of the teams in the league and the quality of the coaching staffs represented in the KJCCC enables the conference to field top-tier teams,” said Leiker. “Top-tier teams who can compete for the national championship each year.”
Can't make it to the game? Catch all the action on Country 102.9fm at 1:30pm for Papa John's Countdown to Kick-off.