Alabama juco receiver recruit helps Hutchinson land top seed in NJCAA football playoffs

After missing out on the inaugural NJCAA Div. 1 football playoffs last year, the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference has half of the four-team field in this year’s postseason.

It was no surprise Hutchinson, with a perfect 10-0 record and the highest-scoring offense in the country, earned the No. 1 seed, while there were considerably more nerves in Coffeyville until the Red Ravens learned they had held on for the fourth and final spot in the playoffs.

Hutchinson (10-0) will host Coffeyville (8-2) at Gowans Stadium in the national semifinals on Saturday, Dec. 3, at 2 p.m. The other national semifinal will feature No. 3 Iowa Western (8-2) traveling to No. 2 Northwest Mississippi (10-1) on Sunday, Dec. 4 at 5 p.m. Both games will be streamed on ESPN+.

The 2022 NJCAA Div. 1 national championship game will be played at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, Ark., on Wednesday, Dec. 14 at 8 p.m. and televised nationally on ESPNU.

Hutchinson remained No. 1 in the national rankings following its thrilling 29-28, come-from-behind victory at Iowa Western on Nov. 12. The Blue Dragons trailed 28-17 with less than nine minutes to play but won the game in dramatic fashion when Jermaine Hamilton-Jordan blocked a punt and Jaimelle Claytor scooped it up and returned it 40 yards for the game-winning score.

Led by Alabama wide receiver commit Malik Benson, Hutchinson has the most explosive offense in the country, producing 40.9 points and 428.9 yards per game. Sophomore quarterback Dylan Laible ranks third in the nation with 20 passing touchdowns, while Benson ranks second in the country with 80.9 receiving yards per game.

Coffeyville rallied from a 2-2 start to win six straight, including a convincing 23-7 victory over Iowa Western on Nov. 5 that helped vault the Red Ravens past Snow College for the fourth and final spot. Coffeyville’s defense has held opponents to 13.2 points during its winning streak, led by sophomore linebacker Amir Renwick, who is averaging 8.9 tackles and 3.5 sacks per game.

Next Saturday’s semifinal showdown will be a rematch of the Sept. 24 game that Hutchinson won 14-9, scoring the game-winning touchdown with 1:17 remaining on a Dylan Kedzior run.