CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) released its final rankings for the football season on Monday afternoon, and the Blue Dragons remain in the top-spot for the thirteenth consecutive week.
HutchCC (10-0) will host a NJCAA semifinal for the second straight season, as the Blue Dragons will host No. 4 East Mississippi Community College (9-2) on Saturday, December 2 at 2 p.m. at Gowans Stadium.
The other semifinal features No. 2 Iowa Western (10-1) hosting No. 3 Kilgore (9-3) in Council Bluffs on Sunday, December 3 at 2 p.m.
EMCC won the Mississippi Association of Community College Conference on Nov. 18 over then-No. 4 Copiah-Lincoln, 27-20. EMCC went into that championship game ranked No. 6, but the Lions did enough to catapult into the top four and earn a playoff bid.
The Blue Dragons finished up the perfect regular season on Saturday, Nov. 11 with a 42-28 win over No. 2 Iowa Western. Hutchinson has now finished the regular season without a loss for the second straight season.
Hutchinson has now been ranked in 32 straight NJCAA polls, the third-longest run in program history. Per HutchCC Sports Information Director, Steve Carpenter, the Blue Dragons were ranked in 45-straight polls from 2010 to 2013 and in 38 straight from 2018 to 2021.
The winner of the two semifinal games will play in the NJCAA National Championship on December 13 in Little Rock, Arkansas.
NJCAA DI Football Poll | Week Thirteen - 11-20-23
1. HUTCHINSON (10-0) (7 first place votes)
2. Iowa Western (10-1)
3. Kilgore (9-1)
4. East Mississippi (9-2)
5. Snow (9-2)
6. Copiah-Lincoln (9-2)
7. Dodge City (7-3)
8. Mississippi Gulf Coast (8-2)
9. Trinity Valley (7-3)
10. Navarro (6-4)
11. Iowa Central (6-4)
12. Georgia Military (7-4)
13. Northwest Mississippi (7-3)
14. Lackawanna (7-3)
15. New Mexico Military (6-5)