Blinn to host No. 12 Trinity Valley in SWJCFC showdown

The Blinn College football team has its sights set on getting back on track this week when it hosts No. 12 Trinity Valley Community College.

The Southwest Junior College Football Conference rivals will battle it out at 3 p.m. on Saturday at Cub Stadium in Brenham with both teams looking to make headway in the conference standings.

“It’s a big game every time these two teams play each other,” Blinn head coach Ryan Mahon said. “You expect a gritty, blue-collar dogfight and I think Saturday will be no exception.”

The Bucs (3-1, 1-1 SWJCFC) will celebrate homecoming this weekend and hope to cap the festivities with their first win over the Cardinals since 2021.

Blinn dropped a conference road tilt at No. 5 Navarro last week, but believes a series of fixable unforced mistakes have been cleaned up in time to knock off Trinity Valley (3-1, 1-1).

“Untimely penalties, mistakes in the red zone … you look at that stuff and feel confident that you can get it corrected because those are things you did to yourself,” Mahon explained. “If we play clean football, we have a good chance to win this week and that’s what we’ve preached every day since the Navarro game.”

The Cardinals present challenges offensively with a stout passing attack (265 yards per game) and an effective ground game (117 yards per game).

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Sophomore quarterback Kaden Brown leads the passing game with 978 yards this season but has five touchdowns compared to four interceptions. Freshman wide receiver Jake Peveto has been Brown’s favorite target to the tune of 222 yards and a TD.

“Trinity Valley can hurt you with the pass and the run, and I think that’s where the comparisons between our two teams sort of line up,” Mahon said. “We always try to take what the defense gives us, but also know we can be effective running and throwing the football.”

Blinn’s offense has done well with both avenues of attack, posting averages of 237 yards passing and 148 yards rushing.

Freshman running back Jordan Hayes has been dynamic out of the backfield with 385 rushing yards and seven touchdowns, including back-to-back 100-yard games.

“He has been nothing short of a workhorse for us,” Mahon said. “Jordan is one of those players you feel confident handing the football to again and again, and we won’t be shy about letting him loose Saturday.”

As it stands, third-ranked Tyler Junior College (3-0) and Navarro (2-0) remain as the only unbeaten teams in the SWJCFC. Blinn and Trinity Valley are two of four teams sitting at 1-1. Saturday’s matchup serves as an opportunity for both the Bucs and Cardinals to inch closer to one of the conference’s four playoff spots.

“Winning in this conference is a big deal, and if we can come out of this weekend 2-1, we’ll feel great about how that sets us up for the rest of the season,” Mahon said. “We’re going to be on our home field against a talented, ranked opponent, and we have an opportunity to move up in the conference standings. How can you not be pumped up for that?”