CHARLOTTE - Following back-to-back victories against ranked opponents, Northwest has moved back into the top 10 of Monday's NJCAA Division II rankings, checking in at No. 9 overall.

Northwest briefly dropped out of the rankings following a close loss to East Mississippi, but the Rangers (5-2) bounced back with road wins at then-No. 14 Coahoma and last week at previous No. 9 Mississippi Gulf Coast. 

Jones College tops the national rankings for the third straight week, followed by Iowa Western, East Mississippi, Independence (Kan.) and New Mexico Military Institute in the top five. Other MACCC programs ranked include Hinds and Mississippi Gulf Coast at 12th and 13th, respectively, while Coahoma slid out of the polls from its previous No. 15 slot.

Northwest will take on Itawamba on Thursday, October 21 for Homecoming and the regular season home finale at Bobby Franklin Field. The Rangers are 41-26-1 all-time against the Indians, though the two teams have alternated wins and losses over the past five seasons.

Since 2010, one or both teams have been nationally ranked by the NJCAA in every meeting, except for the 2011, 2014 and 2020* seasons. In the last ranked matchup, Itawamba stunned the No. 2 Rangers, 22-21, at Bobby Franklin Field.

Kickoff between the Rangers and Indians is set for 7 P.M., with pregame coverage beginning at 6:30 P.M. on Ranger TV (nwccrangers.com/watch), Facebook Live and WHCQ-LD 8, where available.


*The NJCAA did not rank any MACCC teams during the abbreviated fall 2020 season.