Red Ravens Lose Opening Round KJCCC Playoff Game to Butler 48-7

Red Ravens Lose Opening Round KJCCC Playoff Game to Butler 48-7

Coffeyville, Kan. - The Coffeyville Community College Red Raven Football Team fell in their opening round of the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference playoffs to the Butler Grizzlies 48-7.  With the loss, the Red Ravens end their 2021 season with a 6-2 record.

As the #1 seed in the KJCCC playoffs, the Red Ravens were slated to play the #8 seed, Fort Scott.  However, Butler was ruled to have played an ineligible player throughout their season and were then ordered to forfeit their games this season and fall to 0-8 on the season.  With the 0-8 record, the KJCCC then reseeded the seeding for the playoffs, and with the new seeding, Coffeyville was scheduled to play Butler, who had been the #3 seed originally, in the opening round.

The game opened favorably for the Red Ravens as their defense came early to play.  Coffeyville's defense forced two early three and outs from the Grizzlies and the Ravens were able to take their second possession of the game and score on a 30-yard Jakson Thomson touchdown pass to Chris Bellamy to take a 7-0 lead at the 8:37 mark of the first quarter. 

Butler answered on their next possession with a 19-yard touchdown pass of their own to tie the game at 7-7 with 6:16 left in the first quarter.

The rest of the game can be summed up with one stat, third-down conversion.  Butler was able to convert and the Red Ravens were not.  For the game, Butler converted 11 of 17 third downs, while the Red Ravens converted 1 of 12.

With the third-down conversions, the Grizzlies were able to push the score and once the Ravens were playing from behind and chasing points in the second half, the game got away from them. 

The Red Ravens do end the 2021 season with a 6-2 record and the KJCCC regular-season title.