Junior college football will soon come to a head in Mississippi with the Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference championship game, which also serves as the NJCAA Region 23 championship game.
No. 9 Hinds Community College (7-3, 5-1 MACCC) will travel to Senatobia on Saturday to take on No. 4 Northwest Mississippi Community College (8-2, 6-0) in a showdown with the MACCC crown and a shot at the NJCAA national title on the line.
What to know about Hinds
In year two of the Chris Jones era at Hinds, after Jones led a state championship-caliber Starkville High School team, the Eagles have been electric on offense. Averaging 37 points per game and 416.6 yards per game in 2026, Hinds has 4,000 yards accounted for in the regular season under quarterback Jaylon Ruffin.
In nine games, Ruffin has completed 196 of 299 passes (65.55%) for 2,567 yards, 27 touchdowns and only 5 interceptions. On the ground, running back Makari Bodiford has rushed for 554 yards on 116 carries (4.3 yards per carry) and 9 touchdowns.
On the defensive side, linebacker Floyd Harris leads the team with 69 tackles (38 solo) and 3 sacks. Defensive back Jermiah Campbell has an astounding 4 interceptions for the Eagles in their 10 games. Campbell accounts for four of the team’s 14 picks.
After dropping their first two games, the Eagles won seven straight before losing their final regular season game of the year by one point to Jones College at home, 43-42. Hinds will travel to Bobby Franklin Field with a chip on their shoulder and hopes for a big bounce-back.
The last time Hinds won the MACCC championship was in 2000.
What to know about Northwest
Benjy Parker, the 11th-year Ranger head coach, has led his team to seven straight wins to end the 2026 regular season and an opportunity to host the MACCC championship. While not quite as stellar on paper as the Hinds offense, Northwest still has a productive attack, averaging 35.1 points per game and 391.3 yards per game, but its real threat lies in its defense.
The Rangers’ defense has allowed only 16.8 points per game and 276.8 yards per game. Headlining that productivity is linebacker Linkin Sanders, who has 61 tackles (34 solo), 13.5 tackles for loss, and 4 sacks in 10 games.
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Northwest’s offense is led by quarterbacks Noah Gillon and Neko Fann. In 10 games, Gillon has thrown for 1,689 yards on 113 of 173 passes (65.32%) with 15 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. Fann has made appearances in 7 games and completed 87 of 138 passes (63.04%) for 871 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. On the ground, running back DJ Woods has 391 yards on 65 attempts (6.0 yards per carry) and 4 touchdowns.
Northwest has won back-to-back MACCC titles, with the latest win coming over Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in 2025.
Game time
Hinds will play Northwest in Senatobia at Bobby Franklin Field at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 7.
