SENATOBIA – For the fifth consecutive season, there will be postseason football featuring a nationally-ranked Northwest squad.

After being crowned the 2019 MACJC North Division champions, the 10th-ranked Rangers will own home field advantage throughout the MACJC Playoffs, beginning this Saturday with a battle against No. 7 Jones College at 2 p.m.

"It's huge to be able to play in front of our home crowd," Northwest head coach Benjy Parker said. "We are thankful that we won the division and we are proud of that. Hopefully we can put our best foot forward Saturday and see what happens."

Throughout most of the season, the Rangers have posted balanced efforts on both sides of the ball. Northwest enters the postseason with an average of 35.7 points per game and 417.3 yards per game, both good for third in the MACJC and 13th nationally, while also posting the NJCAA's 11th-most rushing yards (1,816) and nearly 2,000 passing yards (1,940 total; Top 20 nationally).

Defensively, the Rangers rank within the Top 20 nationally, holding opponents to an average of 20.1 points per game. 

Quarterback Jack Walker is one of the reasons for the Rangers' overall success on offense. At 1,876 total passing yards through nine games, the Madison, Miss. native and Georgia State transfer is closing in on joining some elite company in the 2,000-yard passing club, becoming the third consecutive Northwest quarterback to do so and the fourth over the last five seasons.

With 16 passing touchdowns and a 57.1 completion percentage, Walker is closing in on joining both Ryan Mossakowski (2011) and Gardner Minshew (2015) with a season percentage of 60 or better and would be one of only six Ranger quarterbacks to do so.

In the backfield, Northwest poses a triple threat in leading rusher Jaquerrious Williams, Chris Calvert and Urriah Shephard, as all three have combined for 1,644 of the Rangers' 1,800 rushing yards. Williams, a Tupelo native, has come on the strongest over the last four games, earning 11 of his 13 touchdowns in the month of October. His career-best 250-yard, four touchdown effort against Coahoma on Oct. 11 put him in the record books, tying seven other Ranger tailbacks for most rushing touchdowns in a game while falling just nine yards shy of earning one of the program's Top 5 single-game rushing records.

As sophomores, both Calvert and Shephard have also done their part, with Calvert rushing for 529 yards and five touchdowns in seven games along with 483 yards and five touchdowns from Shephard. Calvert has amassed 1,139 rushing yards over his career despite fighting injuries this season and Shephard has settled in nicely to his new role after serving as a backup quarterback as a freshman.

In the receiving corps, the Rangers have looked to four primary options, led by 36 receptions, 500-plus yards and seven touchdowns from sophomore and Louisville commit Braden Smith. Behind Smith is rising freshman and former NJCAA Offensive Player of the Week Cameron Wynn, who has totaled five receiving touchdowns and 306 yards on 16 catches. His best performance came in a landmark victory at East Mississippi on Oct. 3, where he earned three receptions for 144 yards, all resulting in touchdowns.

Redshirt sophomore Mack Martin III and freshman Jacoby Jones have also proven to be dangerous targets, posting a combined 33 receptions for 530 yards and two touchdowns. Overall, the receiving unit has accounted for an average of 216 yards per game.

Linebacker Quentin Wilfawn has patrolled a balanced Northwest defense all season, leading the team with 49 total tackles, 5.5 TFLs, five hurries, three pass breakups, 1.5 sacks, an interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. The Oxford native is one of seven Rangers with 30 or more tackles, a group that includes Cam White, Oklahoma State commit Tyren Irby and recent Kansas State commit Robert Hentz II.

Irby, a Lake Cormorant native, leads the team with 10.5 tackles-for-loss for 43 yards, a total that includes 6.0 sacks for 32 yards. Directly behind him is Hentz, who has nine TFLs for 30 yards.

Northwest has also seen success with its secondary, as sophomore Christian Cain leads the Rangers with three interceptions and 39 total tackles, good for third-most on the team. Sophomore defensive back Cam White is second with 42 total tackles and freshman Jarvis Townsend has fielded a team-high six pass breakups, tied with Ball State transfer Verenzo Holmes, Jr. Hentz and Jayce Rogers each have five PBUs apiece, good for second on the team.

On special teams, Wynn has served as the team's primary return threat on kickoffs and has already climbed to fifth all-time with 494 kickoff return yards in a season, closing in on Lawon Debardelaben's 525 yards from 2012. His average of 26 yards per return also ranks within the Top 5 for a career, just shy of Fred Thomas' 26.21 (1992-93). Freshman Keyon Fordham has also made his mark in kickoff return yardage with 356 on 10 returns.

Smith has served as the team's only punt returner, posting 144 yards on 10 returns. 

Doubling as one of two tight ends, freshman Drew Dabney has nearly 1,300 yards on 33 punts for an average of 39.27, just shy of cracking the record books in Top 5 best average yards per punt. His longest punt was a 57-yarder in September's loss to Holmes.

As for Jones College, the Bobcats come into this matchup with an identical 7-2 overall record and a 5-1 MACJC South record. Ranked seventh nationally, the Bobcats average 28 points per game and 364 yards of total offense. Fred Barnum leads JC under center with 1,148 passing yards and 10 touchdowns for a 56.8 completion percentage. 

Barnum's top three targets are Manny Jones, Natorian Watts and Bud Tolbert. All three have combined for 822 yards and six touchdowns, with Jones' 32 receptions and 322 total yards leading the way. 

In the backfield, the Bobcats are paced by duo Ladamian Webb and Kalyn Grandberry. In eight games, Webb has rushed for 887 yards and nine touchdowns on 140 attempts, while Grandberry has scored 10 times with 700 rushing yards in nine games.

Daylen Gill and Chei Hill have been the undisputed leaders for the Bobcats on the defensive side of the ball, with both players totaling 15 and 13 TFLs, respectively. Gill leads the team with 47 total tackles ahead of 44 from Hill, while Kenderian Dixon, Kevon Cloyd and J.D. Rutherford rounding out the top five with 39 or more.

Rakeim Ashford and Lakevias Daniel have combined for seven interceptions with Ashford also currently sitting at second on the team with five PBUs.

Greg Hayden has handled the punting duties all season for Jones College, entering the weekend with 38 punts for 1,440 yards, including 10 punts inside the 20-yard line.

Manny Jones has been a dangerous force on punt returns all season for the Bobcats, compiling 300 yards on 22 returns. Natorian Watts and Enrique Whaley have been egually as threatening on kickoff returns, combining for nearly 300 yards on 12 returns.

"They have an unbelievable team," Parker said. "Jones is extremely talented, well-coached and they have a lot of tradition with that program. It will be a challenge but it should also be a fun matchup."

Jones College is one of only two MACJC opponents to hold the all-time series advantage against Northwest, as the Bobcats are 31-17 all-time against the Rangers. The last meeting between the two teams was in last year's MACJC semifinals on Nov. 3, 2018, a battle that the Rangers dropped 36-34 in Ellisville. The loss ended an eight-game road winning streak and a three-year run of conference championship appearances for Northwest.

Saturday's clash between Northwest and Jones College can be seen live and in high definition on nwccrangers.com/watch. Third-year broadcast team Jeremy Kennedy and John Luke McCord will have the call.

Live stats for the game can also be tracked at nwccrangers.com with frequent social media updates available on Twitter (@NWCC_Rangers).