TJC quarterback Hunt Young fires a pass against New Mexico Military on Oct. 8 at Christus Trinity Mother Frances Rose Stadium in Tyler. Blocking for Young are tackle Judea Milon (73) and tight end Owen Olsen (7).

The rock band Chicago will be performing at the UT Tyler Cowan Center but before enjoying those tunes you could see another great form of entertainment with “Saturday in the Park” or in this case on Fair Park Drive.

The best junior college rivalry in the nation renews as Kilgore College and Tyler Junior College tangle on Saturday at Christus Trinity Mother Frances Rose Stadium in Tyler. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Earl Campbell Field.

Along with the intense football matchup, there is always the show business value when KC and TJC meet with the World Famous Kilgore College Rangerettes and the Internationally Famous TJC Apache Belles.

The groups have Broadway-style performances that are unmatched. Plus, the TJC Band and Belles are celebrating 75 years, so their halftime should be extra special in the last regular season home game of the season.

As far as football, this is definitely a “Hard Habit to Break” as a rivalry as this is the 129th meeting between the two with the Rangers holding a 64-62-2 lead. They met back on Sept. 3 in Longview with KC winning 41-10 in a non-conference matchup.

But since that meeting the Apaches are “Feelin’ Stronger Every Day” under first-year coach Tanner Jacobson. TJC is 5-2 overall and 4-1 in the Southwest Junior College Football Conference after winning four consecutive games. Tyler is ranked No. 15 in the nation by the NJCAA and No. 10 by JucoWeekly.org.

Kilgore is 4-3 overall and 2-3 in the SWJCFC. The Rangers were a preseason top 10 pick and are still ranked No. 19 by JucoWeekly.org.

This is a huge matchup for the playoffs.

The top four teams earn a playoff berth. The SWJCFC standings heading into this weekend are: Trinity Valley (5-0), New Mexico Military (5-1), TJC (4-1), Navarro (3-2), Kilgore (2-3), Blinn (1-4), Cisco (1-5) and Northeastern Oklahoma A&M (0-5).

Other games on Saturday include: NEO at Blinn, 1 p.m.; NMMI at TVCC, 1 p.m.; and Navarro at Cisco, 3 p.m.

The regular season concludes on Nov. 5.

TOP PLAYERS

For years, the Southwest Junior College Football Conference has filled the NCAA and NAIA ranks with quality players.

This season is no different.

Here is a look at some of the top 10 players in a league that includes schools in Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma.

1, McCoy Casey (6-2, 240, DL), Trinity Valley Community College — The freshman from Crosby has made a huge difference as the Cardinals are atop the Southwest Junior College Football Conference. The swift-footed big guy can move, while being double- and triple-teamed at times. He still averages nine tackles a game with three sacks and 12 tackles for loss.

2, Dane Jentsch (6-0, 195, QB), Navarro College — The sophomore from Grandview is the only player in Texas high school football history to be named offensive and defensive MVP of a state championship game twice. He led the Zebras to two state titles. He originally signed with Lamar University as a defensive back but elected to go the juco route to play quarterback. Jentsch is very accurate, hitting 69% of his passes, hitting 90 of 130 attempts for 1,395 yards with 10 touchdowns and six interceptions. Navarro Coach Ryan Taylor, “One tough dude. Competitor to his core.”

3, Donerio Davenport (6-1, 205, RB), Kilgore College — The sophomore from Mansfield is one of the top rushers in the league. He is speedy, can bulldoze defenders and he can even hurdle defenders, just as he did on on Saturday, beginning at the three-yard line he leaped over a TVCC defensive back to score one of his two TDs. The other TD was a 53-yard dash. He now has 13 touchdowns on the season with 714 yards rushing on 106 attempts.

4, Austin Skoglund (6-1, 220, LB), Tyler Junior College — He is the heart of the TJC defense that held three-straight opponents, including defending national champion New Mexico Military, to under 200 total yards. The former 6A All-Stater at Austin Vandegrift had back-to-back sacks against NMMI during the fourth quarter. He is a sophomore.

5, Horacio Moronta (5-11, 196, LB), New Mexico Military — The under-sized sophomore from Mission is all over the field. He not only is one the Broncos’ leading tacklers, but he is also a special teams force who blocked a field goal in NMMI’s win over Northeastern Oklahoma A&M.

6, JJ Branham (5-10, 205, RB), Blinn College — The sophomore from Columbus, Ohio has gained 631 yards and scored six touchdowns on 99 carries. One of the coaches in the league said, “JJ is a hard, down-hill runner with speed and understanding of blocking schemes.”

7, Judea Milon (6-3, 300, OT), Tyler Junior College — The sophomore from Killeen is one of the top blockers in the league. He is noted for his quick feet and the ability to play guard or tackle. He has interest from several schools, including Power 5 teams of Missouri, Kansas and Washington State.

8, Ben Osueke (6-1, 180, CB), Blinn College — The Houston native “is a player with a high football IQ. Not afraid to come make a tackle. A leader that plays with great intensity.” The Richmond Foster High School graduate has 23 tackles and two pass breakups in is freshman season.

9, Zayteak McGhee (5-10, 185, DB), Trinity Valley Community College — The freshman from Texas High School football powerhouse Allen has three interceptions on the season and three pass breakups. Along with averaging 5.3 tackles per game, the Cardinal has recovered four fumbles and caused another.

10, Brandon Hawkins (5-8, 177, WR), Navarro College — The speedster from Waxahachie is the Bulldogs’ leading receiver with 27 receptions for 526 yards and four touchdowns.