Friday’s 64-8 win over Minnesota Valley Lutheran marks the ninth time in 28 seasons of Jackson County Central football that the Huskies have started the started the season with a 6-0 record.
It’s also the third straight season JCC has started with a half-dozen victories.
Here are the seasons Jackson County Central has started 6-0 with the final record that year in parenthesis.
1997 (13-1)
2000 (10-1)
2003 (10-1)
2016 (10-1)
2018 (9-2)
2019 (11-1)
2022 (12-1)
2023 (11-1)
2024 (?)
60-plus points
JCC scored 60-plus points for the fourth time this season Friday. That makes 16 times that the Huskies have scored 60 points or more in a game.
Here is the list with year, opponent and score.
2019: Worthington 76-6
2019: Windom 73-7
2015: Martin County West 69-6
2012: Windom 67-13
2018: St. James Area 67-17
2024: Minnesota Valley Lutheran 64-8
2002: Windom 63-27
2024: Blue Earth Area 63-0
2016: Martin County West 62-23
2022: Windom 62-28
2024: Worthington 62-7
1998: Sibley East 61-12
2015: St. James Area 61-3
2018: Martin County West 61-21
2024: Le Sueur-Henderson 61-14
2019: St. James Area 60-13
Win streak reaches 23
Jackson County Central has won 23 straight regular season games, extending the school record.
JCC won its final regular-season game of the 2021 season and went 8-0 in both 2022 and 2023.
It’s the sixth time in school history that the Huskies have had a regular season winning streak reach double figures.
The list:
23: 2021-2024
16: 2015-2017
12: 1997-1998
12: 1999-2001
11: 2002-2004
10: 2018-2019
South (Central-Silver) District
Standings
Jackson County Central 2-0
Luverne 2-0
Pipestone 2-1
Redwood Valley 0-2
Minnesota Valley Lutheran 0-3
Thursday, Oct. 10
Jackson County Central at Luverne
Friday, Oct. 11
Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial at Pipestone
Redwood Valley at Minnesota Valley Lutheran
District games only
Section 3AA
Jackson County Central will compete in Section 3AA in postseason play.
Here’s how the teams did this week and what’s ahead next week. Won-loss records are in parentheses.
Jackson County Central (6-0): Defeated Minnesota Valley Lutheran 64-8; at Luverne (6-0)
Pipestone (5-1): Lost to Luverne 6-0 (OT); vs. Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial (3-3)
Redwood Valley (4-2): Defeated Sibley East 56-6; at Minnesota Valley Lutheran (2-4)
Windom (4-2): Defeated Wabasso 48-20; vs. Sleepy Eye United (4-2)
Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial (3-3): Defeated Blue Earth Area 27-21; at Pipestone (5-1)
Minnesota Valley Lutheran (2-4): Lost to Jackson County Central 64-8; vs. Redwood Valley (4-2)
Le Sueur-Henderson (2-4): Defeated Maple River 35-21; vs. Blue Earth Area (0-6)
Sibley East (0-6): Lost to Redwood Valley 56-6; vs. Maple River (2-4)
Section 3AA playoffs
There is a change to the Section 3AA playoff format this season as only the top six teams as seeded by the coaches will compete.
The No. 1 and No. 2 seeds will receive first-round byes.
The No. 7 and No. 8 seeds will not participate in the section playoffs but will play each other to finish their season.
Section 3AA schedule
Tuesday, Oct. 22
First round
No. 5 seed at No. 4 seed, 7 p.m.
No. 6 seed at No. 3 seed, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 26
Semifinals
No. 4-5 winner at No. 1 seed, 3 p.m.
No. 3-6 winner at No. 2 seed, 3 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 1
Championship
At SMSU
Semifinal winners, 2 p.m.
Top 10 list
Here are this week’s results for the top 10 teams in this week’s media state Class 2A football rankings, along with next week’s schedule.
1. Barnesville (6-0): Defeated Park Rapids Area 32-12; at Crookston (0-6) (Fri.)
2. Eden Valley-Watkins (6-0): Defeated Maple Lake 2-0 (forfeit); at Kimball Area (6-0) (Fri.)
Chatfield (6-0): Defeated Class 3A La Crescent/Hokah 52-8; at Class 3A Lake City (3-3) (Fri.,)
Jackson County Central (6-0): Defeated Minnesota Valley Lutheran 64-8; at Class 3A Luverne (6-0) (Thurs.)
Caledonia (5-1): Defeated St. Charles 28-0; at Triton (4-2) (Fri.)
Holdingford (5-1): Lost to Kimball Area 34-8; vs. Paynesville (2-4) (Fri.)
Norwood Young America (5-1): Defeated Class 1A Cleveland 68-20; at Class 1A Mayer Lutheran (1-5) (Thurs.)
Barnum (6-0): Defeated Class 1A Mille Lacs 29-0; at Class 1A Ely (1-5) (Fri.)
Cannon Falls (5-1): Defeated Triton 36-6; vs. Dover-Eyota (1-4, at Red Wing Sat.) (Fri.)
International Falls (5-1): Lost to Moose Lake-Willow River 38-33; at Aitkin (3-3) (Thurs.)
State leaders
JCC is now first among Class 2A teams in both points scored and points allowed.
The Huskies have outscored their six opponents 340-36 for an average of 56.7-6.0 per game.
Here are the top five teams in the state in each category according to statistics on Minnesota-scores.net.
Points for
56.7: Jackson County Central
45.7: Kimball Area
44.7: Norwood Young America
44.0: Rush City
41.0: Cannon Falls
Points against
6.0: Jackson County Central
6.7: Caledonia
7.0: Kimball Area
8.2: Barnum
8.7: Staples-Motley
Mountain Lake supporting Kirk
It’s been a difficult season for the Mountain Lake Area football team, although not necessarily in terms of wins and losses.
The Wolverines are continuing the success they’ve had on the field the past couple of decades.
They shut out Madelia 52-0 Friday at Munson Field in Mountain Lake to improve their record to 5-1. That loss was 21-12 on the road to nine-player seventh-ranked Spring Grove.
Residents of Mountain Lake and surrounding communities have rallied around Kirk and his family after Tim was diagnosed with stage four gall bladder cancer.
A number of Kirk’s former players were on hand to honor their coach at the Madelia game and there was a golf tournament Saturday as well as a basket raffle and silent auction.
Kirk coached 21 years, compiling a 137-85 record, a .617 percentage. He coached five teams to the state tournament, reaching the championship game twice and winning a state title in 2019.
He and his son, Jordan, also coach the Mountain Lake Lakers of the adult amateur Southern Plains Football League.
Mountain Lake won last year’s SPFL title with several former Wolverines on the roster.
Also, among those on the roster at Jackson County Central graduate Nate Hotzler and Pipestone grad Brayden Baartman, son of one-time Jackson High School and JCC football coach Darren Baartman.