T-Birds Jump to #6 In NJCAA Football Polls
The latest NJCAA football polls have been released and the Mesa Thunderbirds have jumped seven spots from #13 to #6.
Mesa defeated then #7 Phoenix College Saturday night, 58-13, to win their fifth straight game and move on to a 5-1 overall record.
In the T-Birds victory, Mesa scored the most points in a game since 2008 when they scored 58 against Pima.
This is the highest ranking the T-Birds have held since 2001, while in 2013, Mesa held down the #7 ranking.
Rathen Ricedorff led the way for Mesa on the offensive side by scoring seven total touchdowns, six through the air and one on the ground. He passed for 447 yards on 33-43 passing, connecting with 10 different receivers and six different receivers for all six touchdown passes. Ricedorff also had five rushes for 32 yards.
Jocquez Kalili was the lead rusher with 78 yards on five carries, with a 66 yard touchdown scamper in the fourth quarter.
Defensively, safety Marcus Brantley had 13 total tackles (11 solo) while also forcing a fumble while Aaron Blackwell recorded two sacks and three tackles. Mesa's defense recorded seven sacks and broke up eight pass plays.
Click on the link below for the full rankings this week.