By Jim Henry
jhenry@joplinglobe.com
The inaugural Citizens Bank Bowl has evolved into a national championship game.
Bowl Invitations were issued at 1 p.m. Tuesday and accepted shortly thereafter, pitting No. 1-ranked Fort Scott Community College against No. 2 Blinn (Texas) College in the Citizens Bank Bowl on Sunday, Dec. 6, in Pittsburg, Kan.
Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Carnie Smith Stadium on the Pittsburg State campus.
“We knew just with the facility, the bowl package the committee put together, we would attract top teams,” said J.D. Ettore, FSCC athletics director and bowl director. “It’s worked out even better than we expected.
“I don’t know if you can do any better than 1 versus 2, especially when your team is one of the teams. The bowl title sponsor is pretty darn happy. ... The stars certainly did align for us.”
In Sunday’s conference championship games, Fort Scott, then ranked No. 2, defeated No. 7 and defending national champion Butler County 13-12 in Region VI, giving the Greyhounds their first playoff championship since Kansas established the current system in 1981. Fort Scott trailed 12-7 before recovering a blocked punt in the end zone for the winning score early in the fourth quarter.
Hours later, No. 3 Blinn knocked off No. 1 Navarro 45-34 in the Southwest Junior College Football Conference title game as quarterback Cam Newton hit 21-of-29 passes for 237 yards and ran for three touchdowns.
The SWJCFC champion receives an automatic bid to the CHAMPS Heart of Texas Bowl, but that bid can be refused if the team wants to go elsewhere and play for the national championship. That’s what Blinn chose to do.
Blinn, coached by Brad Franchione, a Pittsburg High School graduate and the son of former PSU head coach Dennis Franchione, leads all junior colleges in total offense with 492 yards per game — 291 rushing and 201 passing.
Fort Scott, whose 12-game winning streak is the longest in the country, ranks fifth nationally in rushing offense (266 yards per game) and 15th in total offense (404) under the direction of quarterback Dominique Davis, who came to FSCC from Boston College and has signed with East Carolina.
The Greyhounds’ No. 1 ranking, announced Monday, is their first since the early 1970s.
“We knew Jeff (Sims, Fort Scott head coach) had been building each year,” Ettmore said. “He has tremendous coaches who work for him, a great team around him. We were expecting a very good year.
“But to say we expected to be ranked No. 1 in the nation at this point ... it’s turned out better than we’d hoped.”
Ticket prices are $15 for reserved club seats on the west side of the stadium, $10 for adult general admission and $5 for students grades K-12. Tickets are available at the PSU ticket office and at Citizens Bank locations in Pittsburg, Fort Scott, Iola, Mound City, Kincaid, Lenexa and Overland Park.
