Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
EPHRAIM — One Utah college football team is still competing for a national title.
They only have to win one more game to clinch it, too.
No. 2 Snow College will face top-ranked Hutchinson Community College in the NJCAA national championship bowl game June 5 at historic War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, Arkansas, the organization announced Monday.
The Badgers (8-0) are undefeated for the first time since 2008, and only the fourth time since Snow's last national championship in 1985. Led by first-year head coach Zac Erekson, a former Springville High star who played at Weber State and BYU before a handful of coaching stops that include Skyline High School, the Badgers have rolled to an unbeaten record with five wins by 40 points or more.
Snow's average margin of victory in the truncated 2021 season, which was pushed to the spring by the NJCAA due to the COVID-19 pandemic? Just 37.63 points per game.
"I am thrilled and excited for our team and for the entire Snow College community," said Erekson, who replaced former coach Andrew Mitchell. " It is a privilege to accept the invitation to play for the NJCAA Football National Championship in Little Rock, Arkansas. These young men have worked extremely hard to get through a global pandemic, and have stayed the course that our staff had set out for them. I am proud of all the work our coaching staff, managers, and trainers have put in this season to ensure our success.
"We could not have done it without the help of all those who helped us along the way. I would like to thank our Athletic Director, Rob Nielsen, and our President, Brad Cook, for all of their support throughout the season. Lastly, I would like to thank all of the wives and families of our staff who have given up their husbands and dads to allow us to do the thing we love, which is to coach and mold these young men. We'd love to see all of Utah show out in Arkansas for the National Championship."
The moment @SnowCollegeFB found out they were going to the Natty. See you soon Little Rock! @tjjacobson25@ZacErekson@Janimal84pic.twitter.com/3Qe0wQsJqu
— beth jacobson (@bethbeeston) May 24, 2021
Of course, Hutchinson isn't so bad either. The Blue Dragons (7-0) boast their third undefeated season in school history — and first since 1969, while playing for their first-ever appearance in the NJCAA national championship game in the 89-year history of the junior college located in Hutchinson, Kansas.
The Blue Dragons have outscored their opponents 334-80 this season, including wins over then-No. 3 Garden City and No. 5 Independence.
"We will be matched up against an extremely good football team in Hutchinson Community College," Erekson said. "They are very well coached and have a ton of talent on their roster."
Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. MT on Saturday, June 5 and will be televised on CBS Sports Network.
