LINDALE — Trinity Valley Community College is the pick to repeat as conference football champions, the league’s coaches announced Thursday.

TVCC received four first-place votes and 57 points in the Southwest Junior College Football Conference poll released at the SWJCFC Media Day at Garden Valley Golf Club & Resort.

The voting is by the conference’s head coaches.

The Cardinals were followed closely by Navarro College (two first-place votes, 55 points), Tyler Junior College (one first-place vote, 49 points) and Kilgore College (47 points). Rounding out the poll are Blinn (39), Northeastern Oklahoma A&M (38) and Cisco (30).

TVCC and TJC tied for the regular season title with the Cardinals winning semifinal (38-7 over Blinn) and championship (56-45 over Navarro) games. Trinity Valley (10-2) topped off the regular season with a 72-23 win over Mesa (Arizona) in the Heart of Texas Bowl. The Cards finished No. 5 in the nation.

TVCC returns seven offensive and eight defensive starters, but coach Brad Smiley’s squad will be searching for a new quarterback.

Vying to lead the Cardinals are Ford Childress (6-5, 230, transfer from West Virginia), Kyle Postma (6-2, 195, transfer from Houston) and Jerrod Evans (6-3, 230, transfer from Air Force Academy).

Childress, the son of former Texas A&M All-American and Houston Oilers all-pro Ray Childress, started two games at West Virginia last season before begin sidelined with injuries.

TJC (10-2) ended the season No. 10 in the country after a 47-21 victory over Garden City (Kansas) in the Football Capital of Kansas Bowl.

Apaches coach Danny Palmer said he is excited about the prospects for the new season. He said the team will be improved defensively, but must find a new signal caller after Matt Davis’ sudden transfer to SMU just days after the spring game.

Palmer said three quarterbacks are competing for the starting spot with Max Staver, a transfer from Florida, more than likely taking the snaps in the first game.

Staver, who Rivals.com rated as a three-star prospect coming out of high school in Brentwood, Tennessee, cited a coming philosophical change on offense (from passing to running) as the rationale for his choice to transfer from the University of Florida.

“Simply because the new offense would not fit me,” Staver told The Palm Beach Post in a text message in December. “Nothing against Florida I had a great experience there and made many great relationships.”

Staver (6-5, 230) did not play during his freshman season in Gainesville and thus will have four years of eligibility remaining. Palmer said Staver can both pass and run.

Others battling for the position are Tevin Muse of Mansfield and Sederian Copeland of Dallas.

Muse, a Timberview graduate who was in the recent Texas High School Coaches Association All-Star game, is considered a pocket passer, while Copeland, a Skyline HS graduate, is a dual threat. “(Copeland) reminds me of Vincent McNeil (former TJC standout QB),” Palmer said. “He is a playmaker.”

Palmer added, Staver has a “great arm, football mind … he has Peyton Manning’s attitude from his work ethic to every inch of detail.”

The TJC coach, who is entering his eighth year at the helm, said “we expect Max to get the nod in the first game.”

Palmer said he feels the Apaches defense will be solid.

“… I think our defense is going to be really good early in the year and will continue to improve,” he said. “We have a lot of returners in the secondary — Tre Rosser (Clarksville), Savion Brown (Shreveport, Louisiana), Treavor Pugh (Tyler) and a freshman from (Keller) Fossil Ridge Nick Foster; and many others.”

Palmer said the offensive line is “a big question.”

“We do not know who will be the offensive linemen except for Sam Jenkins (sophomore, Duncanville) at right guard,” Palmer said.

Palmer expects his running backs to step up.

“We don’t have a proven running back with experience, but we have Shadavian Reed (freshman from Mesquite) and Chaston Bennett (sophomore from Rusk) and others, including Hayden Cole, a big back from Pearland,” Palmer said.

Palmer noted the Apaches are solid in the kicking game with sophomore Lumi Kaba, a Tyler Lee graduate. Kaba, who will handle kicking and punting, has many offers from Division I schools, Palmer said.

The Apaches have a scrimmage Aug. 23 against East Texas Baptist University in Marshall. It is scheduled for 7 p.m.

TJC opens with two conference games in the regular season — Aug. 30 vs. Trinity Valley in Athens (7 p.m.) and Sept. 6 vs. Blinn in Brenham (7 p.m.). The Apaches’ home opener is Sept. 13 vs. Arkansas Baptist (7 p.m.), followed by Rose City games against Northeastern Oklahoma (Sept. 20, 7 p.m.) and vs. Cisco (Sept. 27, 7 p.m.).

The Apaches then play two non-conference games — Oct. 4 vs. Houston Southeast Prep in Santa Fe (7 p.m.) and Oct. 11 vs. Georgia Military in Milledgeville, Georgia, just southeast of Atlanta (2 p.m.).

After a date with Navarro on Oct. 18 in Corsicana (3 p.m.), TJC concludes the regular season with rival Kilgore on Oct. 25 (3 p.m., Homecoming).

The SWJCFC semifinals are Nov. 1 with the championship game scheduled for Nov. 8.

SMOKE SIGNALS: Palmer, TVCC’s Brad Smiley and Kilgore’s J.J. Eckert are all entering their eighth seasons, with Navarro’s Brian Mayper beginning his third. Freshman coaches are Cisco’s Dion Dean (a former TJC player and three-year defensive coach at CC), NEO’s Ryan Held (former Highland CC, Kansas head coach) and Blinn’s Keith Thomas (played tight end on Oklahoma’s 1974-75 national championship teams).