Hutchinson CC Sports Information
Arguably the best team in Hutchinson Community College football history posted the highest final national ranking in team history on Monday.
The 2019 Blue Dragons finished the season 10-2 after a Salt City Bowl victory over Monroe College on Saturday and finished No. 3 in Monday's final NJCAA Rankings.
The No. 3 finish was one slot higher than the 2014 Blue Dragons finish at No. 4 after an 11-1 Jayhawk Conference championship season.
This is the fifth time in head coach Rion Rhoades' 13-year tenure the Blue Dragons finished in the Top 10. This is the ninth time in 13 seasons the Blue Dragons finished as a ranked team under Rhoades. Hutch's other Top 10 finishes under Rhoades were No. 4 in 2014, No. 5 in 2010 and No. 8 in 2018.
The 2019 Blue Dragons lost two games by a total of three points in playing the toughest schedule in school history. That schedule featured seven ranked opponents. Hutchinson went 5-2 in those games and defeated the No. 2 team in the nation twice.
The 2019 Blue Dragons also received their first-ever No. 1 ranking. That run lasted five weeks. The 10-win season was the seventh in program history for the Blue Dragons.
Mississippi Gulf Coast completed an undefeated season with a 24-13 victory over Lackawanna in the NJCAA Championship game last Thursday in Pittsburg.
The final rankings had Gulf Coast, Lackawanna and Hutchinson at Nos. 1, 2 and 3. Iowa Western finished No. 4 and Butler finished No. 5. The Blue Dragons owns wins over both Iowa Western and Butler this season.
The Jayhawk Conference proved to be the toughest league in the NJCAA with four teams finishing in the Top 10 and five in the Top 20. In addition to Hutchinson and Butler, which defeated Trinity Valley in the Midwest Classic Bowl 33-23 on Sunday in Miami, Oklahoma, Jayhawk Conference champion Independence was No. 8, Garden City was No. 9 and Highland was No. 20.
Two other Blue Dragon opponents also finished in the Top 20 – Iowa Central at No. 18 and Monroe College at No. 19.