FINISH STRONG | Rangers wrap season today at TVCC

May 15—It's kind of tough to have a change of mindset this late in a football season, but the Kilgore College Rangers are doing pretty much just that, as they head into the final game of this "faux" 2020 season.

The Rangers, coming off their one and only loss of the season, visit Trinity Valley Community College today at 3 p.m.. Kilgore College is ranked sixth in the NJCAA's national poll, three spots down from where they were before last week's home loss to Cisco. TVCC is ranked seventh.

Both KC and TVCC are 6-1 on the season.

Let's set the stage for this final game.

Cisco, ranked third in the poll, still has an outside shot at playing for the national championship, set for June 5 at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. The Wranglers need to beat Tyler Junior College today at Rose Stadium, and then get help. They need either top-ranked Hutchinson (Kan.) to lose this weekend — Hutch is hosting Dodge City Sunday afternoon — or second-ranked Snow College (Utah) to lose. Snow plays today against something called "Gordon's Fine Arts Sports Academy."

So, realistically, ranked at six, KC is out of the national championship picture, and by virtue of the loss to Cisco, they won't win the Southwest Junior College Football Conference title, because Cisco would hold that tiebreaker, even with a loss to Tyler. But coach Willie Gooden and his Rangers can still wind up the top-ranked Texas team in the poll by beating old rival Trinity Valley.

The same is true for Trinity Valley: if the Cardinals can beat KC, and Cisco loses to Tyler, the Cardinals can finish with the top national ranking among the Texas junior college programs.

In the last meeting between KC and Trinity Valley, the Rangers held on for a 24-23 win. The Rangers have beaten Trinity Valley three straight times — the Cardinals' last win in the series was a 48-41 overtime win back in the conference championship game in 2016.

But that's past, and this is now.

KC and Trinity Valley have this in common: both lost to Cisco, the only loss for each team. The Cardinals' loss to Cisco was back on April 15, 24-7, on the road. Trinity Valley has won three games since then, having defeated Navarro College in Corsicana, 47-27, a week ago.

Trinity Valley is 6-1 on the season, 3-0 at home. They're averaging 37 points and 416 total yards (174 rushing and 242 passing) per game, and 37 points per game. Their defense is allowing just 17 points and 277 total yards a game.

Running back Cordrick Dunn scored three touchdowns last week in the win at Navarro, and finished with 140 yards on 14 carries. Quarterback Tucker Yarbrough was 6-of-8 for 67 yards and a touchdown, and Matt Morrissey was 7-of-10 for 51 yards. Jordan Davis was 2-of-3 for 12 yards.

Cam Camper caught four balls for 68 yards, and Korey King caught three for 34 yards and a score.

The Cardinals' defense had a good day: three interceptions, 19 quarterback hurries, 10 tackles for loss and two sacks.

These aren't your big brother's pass-happy Cardinals of a few years back. These Cardinals like to run, as much as fly. TVCC has completed just over 66 percent of its passes for 1,695 yards, 16 touchdowns and five interceptions. As an offensive unit, they've rushed for 1,222 yards and 15 scores on 247 carries, about 5 yards per carry.

Defensively, look out for sophomore defensive tackle Kamaurja Kenney, who has 5.5 sacks and six tackles for loss, and freshman defensive tackle Tavian Coleman, who has four sacks.

KC is averaging 520 total yards and 37 points per game, as well, in arguably the toughest junior college conference in the nation. The Rangers have averaged 311 rushing yards and 211 passing yards a game, and their defense — affectionately dubbed "Blue Steel" by KC sports commentator Will Massey — is only giving up 176 passing yards, 131 rushing yards and 22 points a game.

The Rangers have also played three quarterbacks regularly in recent weeks.

Malcolm Mays, a freshman, leads the team with 998 yards passing, doing so having completed 56-of-93 passes, to go with five touchdowns and three interceptions. Chance Amie, a sophomore, is 16-of-38 for 253 yards, three touchdowns and an interception, and newcomer Clifton McDowell, a freshman that is 13-of-21 for 223 yards, a touchdown and a pick on the season. Collectively, they've thrown for 1,478 yards, nine touchdowns, and five interceptions, completing 56 percent of their passes.

Kilgore High alumni Kennieth Lacy leads the Rangers in rushing (574 yards on 61 carries), although Garrison Johnson leads the team in rushing touchdowns (five). Amie has 345 yards and four touchdown runs; McDowell has ran for 241 yards and four touchdowns; and Mays also has four rushing scores. The Rangers have ran for 2,183 yards and 25 touchdowns this season.

Through seven games, Willie McCoy, a freshman, leads the team with 19 catches for 404 yards and three touchdowns, although Marques Pearson, a sophomore, has 18 catches for 244 yards and a score. Zeek Freeman has came on lately — the freshman has 10 catches for 221 yards and two scores. Bailee Davenport and Brandon Webb also each have a touchdown catch, as do Johnson and Anthony Isom.

Kicker Kenny Pham has been good this season. Pham is 33-of-34 in extra point attempts, and is 4-of-4 in field goals.

Defensively, the Rangers had 25 sacks, 27 tackles for loss, nine fumble recoveries, and 14 interceptions, led by sophomore corner Tiji Paul, who has three. Freshman defensive lineman Maurice Westmoreland leads the team in sacks (six), and freshman defensive back Tristan Driggers leads the 'D' in tackles for loss (five.)