Rangers Rise to No. 10 in NJCAA Rankings
Northwest to host Northeast on Thursday
Sept. 23, 2024 – Following last week’s 35-16 victory at Coahoma, the Northwest football team has risen four spots in the latest round of NJCAA Division I Football Rankings, released Monday afternoon.
Previously ranked 14th in last week’s polls, the Rangers have moved up four spots to No. 10 with a 3-1 record, including a 2-0 mark in the MACCC North Division. Hutchinson (Kan.), Iowa Western, Snow College (Utah), Mississippi Gulf Coast and Kilgore College (Texas) rank 1-5, respectively.
Other MACCC programs in the rankings include Jones College, which moved up from No. 12 to No. 7 after last week’s victory against Copiah-Lincoln, which dropped from No. 9 to 15th.
Joining the rankings this week from the MACCC is Holmes, which checks in at No. 11 after a 4-0 start to the season. Additionally, Itawamba is unranked, but receiving votes after last week’s victory against East Mississippi.
One of the final two home games of the regular season for Northwest takes place this Thursday, Sept. 26, as the Rangers welcome Northeast to Bobby Franklin Field. The two teams faced off in an epic showdown at the conclusion of the 2023 regular season, in a game that decided the second and final playoff spot from the MACCC North Division. In a narrow 28-27 overtime victory, Northwest stopped the Tigers on a two-point conversion attempt that, if successful, would have won the game for Northeast.
In the all-time series, the Rangers hold a 44-18-2 advantage, but both teams have had their fair share of close battles in recent years. Aside from last season’s contest, Northwest also had to win in overtime against Northeast back in 2020, earning a 34-28 victory. The two teams have battled to overtime three times in the past 10 seasons, including the Tigers’ last victory over the Rangers, a 25-19 decision during the 2014 season.
Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. in Senatobia, with pregame coverage beginning at 6:30 p.m. Fans unable to attend can watch the game on the Ranger TV Network, including on Action News 5 Plus in the Mid-South (Channel 5.5/Action News 5 TV app), WHCQ-LD 8 (Cleveland/Mississippi Delta), WEBU-LD 22 (Oxford/Water Valley) or online via nwccrangers.com/watch.
