RANGER DANGER? | Despite win, KC slips to third in poll
May 5—Kilgore College football is 6-0 in this strange springtime football season, and the Rangers have had only one opponent — Northeastern Oklahoma A&M — to play them in a legitimate close game.
Still, the Rangers slipped a notch in the NJCAA's top 10 poll on Monday, moving down to third. Hutchinson (Kansas) Community College remained number one, but Snow (Utah) College moved up to second, with KC falling a spot.
It's the firs drop of the Rangers all season — KC started fourth, quickly rose to second and had maintained that slot every week since the second game.
The Rangers didn't have a game over the weekend. Their last game was last Thursday night, a 50-14 win over Southern University-Shreveport.
In six games played, KC is averaging 40.2 points per game and giving up an average of 20.3 points per game in a Southwest Junior College Football Conference schedule. The Rangers' offense is averaging 526 total yards a game — 323 on the ground and 202 through the air.
Their defense has been dominant. They're allowing just 307 yards a game, and only 125 on the ground. They're a ball-hawking unit. They've recorded 13 total interceptions and eight fumble recoveries, while their offense has only turned the ball over seven times (three picks, four fumbles).
KC has arguably its two most difficult games of the season in the final two weeks: a home game against Cisco this Saturday, here at R.E. St. John Memorial Stadium, and then a trip to Athens to face Trinity Valley next Saturday, May 15, both with kickoffs at 3 p.m.
Cisco is ranked fifth in the nation in the current poll, and TVCC is ranked seventh. There is a fairly good chance that if the Rangers are able to win both, they will be back in the top two — and the NJCAA announced last week that there will be a national championship game between the two top-ranked teams in War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock on June 5.
So, some numbers.
As a team, coach Willie Gooden's offense has rushed for 1,943 yards on 269 carries, an average of 323 rush yards a game and 7.2 yards a carry. The running game, behind maybe the best offensive line in the conference, has scored 23 rushing touchdowns. Former Kilgore High School tailback Kennieth Lacy leads the Rangers in rushing yards (548), on 51 carries and has three touchdowns. He's averaging 91 yards a game.
Quarterbacks Chance Amie and Malcolm Mays each have four touchdowns, and Clifton McDowell joins Lacy with three. Brandon Webb ahs two, and Willie McCoy (a receiver) and Bailee Davenport each have one.
Gooden has played all three quarterbacks (Mays, Amie and McDowell). Mays is 45-of-74 for 823 yards, four touchdowns and an interception. Amie has completed 16-of-36 passes for 253 yards, three scores and an interception, and McDowell is 8-of-14 for 135 yards, a touchdown and a pick.
McCoy's 16 catches leads the team, and so does his yardage (341). He has two touchdowns. Zeek Freeman also has two touchdowns. Marquez Pearson has 15 catches for 216 yards and a score.
Kicker Kenny Pham is 26-of-29 in extra points and is 4-for-4 in field goals, a long of 27. He's averaging 32 yards per punt (21 punts).
Led by Maurice Westmoreland, a defensive lineman, the Rangers' 'D' has 24 sacks; Westmoreland has six of them. Linemates Warren Robinson and Marcus Wiser each have three, as does linebacker Quinton Sharkey. Tristan Driggers, a defensive back, leads the Rangers in tackels for loss (fie). Tini Paul leads the defense in interceptions (three).
See Saturday's News Herald for a preview of KC-Cisco.
