For the 25th time in its 26 years of existence, the Jackson County Central football team will open postseason play at home when the Huskies host Windom in a Section 3AA quarterfinal game at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Swearingen Field.
JCC, which has bounced back and forth between Class 3A and Class 2A since becoming a school district in 1997, has had to get on a bus for a first-round game only one time in its history.
The Huskies have advanced to the section semifinals 22 times in 25 years, compiling a 21-3 game record. JCC had a first-round bye in 2019.
Those three losses came occurred in a five-year span.
The 2004 Huskies were 4-4 during the regular season but that was only good enough for the number six seed in Section 3AAA.
JCC would travel to Pipestone in the first round and lose 27-18 to the third-seeded Arrows. Pipestone had won the regular-season game that season 28-0.
In 2005, Jackson County Central was 3-5 during the regular season but this time the Huskies were able to get a home first-round game as the No. 4 seed. However, fifth-seeded Maple River would come to Jackson and leave with a 7-0 win.
That 3-6 record that season is the only time Jackson County Central has finished below the .500 mark.
JCC’s only other first-round loss came in 2008 when the third-seeded Huskies fell 18-13 to sixth-seeded Windom 11 days after beating the Eagles 24-17 at Island Park.
Jackson County Central has won 12 straight first-round games and also had a bye.
Here are JCC first-round scores in section football playoff games.
1997: Jackson County Central 45, Montgomery-Lonsdale 0
1998: Jackson County Central 61, Sibley East 12
1999: Jackson County Central 39, LeSueur-Henderson 15
2000: Jackson County Central 38, Maple River 6
2001: Jackson County Central 22, LeSueur-Henderson 18
2002: Jackson County Central 28, St. Peter 6
2003: Jackson County Central 47, Montevideo 14
2004: Pipestone 27, Jackson County Central 18
2005: Maple River 7, Jackson County Central 0
2006: Jackson County Central 54, Montevideo 22
2007: Jackson County Central 40, Windom 7
2008: Windom 18, Jackson County Central 13
2009: Jackson County Central 27, St. James Area 6
2010: Jackson County Central 48, St. James Area 6
2011: Jackson County Central 43, Pipestone 13
2012: Jackson County Central 67, Windom 13
2013: Jackson County Central 56, St. James Area 0
2014: Jackson County Central 32, Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial 31
2015: Jackson County Central 44, Sibley East 13
2016: Jackson County Central 42, Sibley East 14
2017: Jackson County Central 37, St. Peter 27
2018: Jackson County Central 42, Sibley East 8
2019: Bye
2020: Jackson County Central 28, Worthington 6
2021: Jackson County Central 58, Windom 6
Total points: Jackson County Central 900, Opponents 295
Average margin: Jackson County Central 42.9, Opponents 14.0