Tue, Dec 02 2008
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Published August 09, 2008 12:38 am - Kilgore favored, but Blinn rated 2nd in nation Norsemen ranked seventh in preseason football poll From staff reports
sports@joplinglobe.com LINDALE, Texas — Kilgore College head coach J.J. Eckert accepts there are valid reasons why his Rangers are regarded as the team to beat this season in the Southwest Junior College Football Conference. But Eckert, who’s in his second season at Kilgore, insists there are question marks surrounding his team. Kilgore, which is ranked 14th in the preseason NJCAA/JC Football.Com poll, received five first-place votes and one second from the league coaches in totaling 59 points. Blinn and Navarro picked up 52 and 51 points, respectively, to place second and third. Blinn and Navarro each garnered one first. Blinn and Navarro are ranked second and sixth in the NJCAA/JC Football poll. The fourth projected playoff team is 24th nationally ranked Cisco. Following are Tyler, Trinity Valley, Northeastern Oklahoma A&M and Arkansas Baptist. Arkansas Baptist is a full member of the SWJCFC after finishing 0-8 in a probationary season in 2007. Kilgore, which which won the regular-season title but lost to Navarro in the conference championship game last November, returns considerable offensive firepower. “We do have some players back,” Eckert said. “We have about 1,700 rushing yards returning in the backfield. We also have two of the top tacklers in the conference returning. “But we don’t have a quarterback on campus who has ever taken a snap in a college game,” Eckert said. “We have some candidates who we believe have a chance to be good. But the first time they’ll be taking a snap will be against (No. 18) Fort Scott (the Rangers’ opener at home). That is a glaring question mark for us. “You have to be ready to play every week in this conference if you want to have a chance to win,” Eckert said. Blinn, in its opener on Aug. 28, plays No. 1 Butler County at Wichita State. Said Blinn coach Brad Franchione: “It should be a fun way to start off the season, but it isn’t exactly the way I would have chosen. We’re excited, though, and we’ll just go up there and see what happens.” 
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