Broncbusters ranked second in Gridiron RR preseason poll
By Mike Pilosof
Photo by Adam Shrimplin
Garden City, KS-It's early July, and expectations are already through the roof for first-year Head Coach Tom Minnick.
Garden City is ranked second in Gridiron RR's annual preseason rankings and third in Street and Smith's summer football issue.
Iowa Western is ranked No. 1, defending National Champion East Mississippi is third, Lackawanna is fourth, and Mississippi Gulf Coast is fifth.
Garden City is no stranger to preseason publications. They've been ranked in Street and Smith's three straight years. They were No. 1 entering the 2017 season following the program's first National Championship.
Of course this season, the Broncbusters are sporting a whole new look. Following the NJCAA title game in November, Jeff Sims left to become the new Head Coach at Missouri Southern State. Enter Minnick, who took Arizona Western to the big game three times including 2016, when his team was seconds away from hoisting the trophy before Peyton Huslig hit Harley Hazlett for the game-winning touchdown.
Garden city is one of six Jayhawk Conference schools in Gridiron RR's top 25. Independence is sixth, Hutchinson, who finished as the league runner-up last season, is eighth, Butler came in at No. 10, Highland is 21st and Coffeyville is 24th.
The Broncbusters open the regular season on Saturday, Aug. 24 at home vs. seventh-ranked Snow.