By MIKE MONTFORT
TYLER -- Coaches picked Kilgore. Media members selected Trinity Valley.
Check the voting distribution from all participants, and it was just another indicator on another miserably hot day in July that the Southwest Junior College Football Conference again may be headed toward another brutal battle of survival for supremacy.
In each poll unveiled at SWJCFC Media Day July 27, four teams claimed first-place votes. In one of the closest coaches votes in recent memory, six points separated first-place Kilgore from fourth-place New Mexico Military Institute (54-48). Similarly, in the media poll, TVCC's three first-place votes gave the Cardinals a telltale edge when 10 points provided the difference between first and fourth.
So....Breaking News: the SWJCFC again may be as airtight as an unopened can of sardines
Coach Ryan Taylor's Navarro Bulldogs drew second place in the coaches poll and third in the media version – not far from where they were last seen in 2022. Taylor's first NC team qualified for the playoffs by finishing third and dropped an intense 25-24 semifinal decision at 0:00 to NMMI at Roswell.
Honorable Mention NJCAA All-American quarterback Dane Jentsch, who led the nation in passing efficiency rating (170.1) and finished second in pass completion percentage (71.1) returns to lead the Bulldogs.
Jentsch is one of only 13 players returning from 2022's roster.
Simplified, the Bulldogs brought back only six offensive and seven defensive players. A total of 20 players moved on to the next level to play Division I football. Of the team's 15 All-SWJCFC players last season, 14 no longer ply their trade in Corsicana.
Translated: the Bulldogs are going to replace lots of snaps and production with an entirely new mix of transfers and freshman signees. Navarro football's chemistry lab has been open and active since the start of the spring semester.
-----------
SWJCFC COACHES POLL
# TEAM (1sts).....Points
1, Kilgore (3)…………54
2. Navarro (2)……….53
3. TVCC (2)……………50
4. NMMI (1)………….48
5. Tyler…………………31
6. Blinn…………………24
7. NEO A&M…………16
8. Cisco…………………11
SWJCFC MEDIA POLL
# TEAN (1sts)....Points
1. TVCC (3)……………50
2. Kilgore (2)…………47
3. Navarro (2)……….43
4. NMMI……………….40
5. Tyler………………….29
6. Blinn………………….21
7. NEO A&M………….12
8. Cisco……………………9
