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PERKINSTON, Miss. -- The seventh-ranked East Mississippi Lions couldn't overcome an early two-touchdown deficit Thursday in dropping a 40-21 season-opening road decision to No. 5 Mississippi Gulf Coast at A.L. May Memorial Stadium.
In a rematch of last year's MACJC state championship game, the visitors got off to a shaky start when EMCC sophomore Fred Tate muffed a short opening kickoff to give the home-standing Bulldogs excellent field position to begin the contest. On Gulf Coast's first play from scrimmage, a double reverse resulted in quarterback Clayton Moore finding Javon Bell for a 43-yard pass play to the 1-yard line. Two plays later, Moore punched it in from a yard out with 13:40 left in the opening period. The two-point conversion pass attempt failed.
Later in the quarter, the Lions seemed poised to get on the scoreboard. However on the sixth play of the drive, Brad Henderson's pass was picked off by Will Copeland in the red zone. The Bulldogs methodically put together a 13-play drive that covered 63 yards and was capped at the 2:54 mark with a 2-yard burst up the middle by Eric Wills. Will Scott's PAT attempt was ruled no good to make it a 12-0 MGCCC advantage.
East Mississippi climbed back into the contest with a pair of second-quarter scores. Starkville's Henderson hit sophomore receiver Marcus McQuarley of Meridian on a 36-yard scoring pass at the 10:42 mark. EMCC freshman kicker Taylor Walker of Brandon followed with a 31-yard field goal with 3:16 left in the half to cut the deficit to 12-10.
Aided by a solid running game, Gulf Coast promptly responded by taking just seven plays to drive 63 yards and move on top 19-10 on Moore's 1-yard scoring pass to Kennedy Helms for the final score of the opening half.
The Bulldogs seemed to take control of the contest after picking off Henderson for the second time in the game early in the second half. Following Mario Gainer's pick of a tipped Henderson aerial, Wills capped a 46-yard drive by bolting 19 yards over the right side and into the end zone to make it a 26-10 contest with 11:55 left in the third quarter.
EMCC's quick-strike offense proved timely on its next possession, as freshman Rodney Davis' 34-yard reception set up sophomore Floyd Graves' 15-yard scoring burst up the middle to make it a one-score contest at 26-18 after Henderson's successful two-point conversion run with 10:16 remaining in the quarter. The Lions maintained the momentum on the ensuing kickoff when EMCC’s Michael Pack recovered a short, mishandled kickoff around midfield. However, the visitors couldn’t take advantage of the opportunity by failing to convert on a fourth-down pass play from the 26-yard line.
Gulf Coast all but sealed the victory two plays later as Moore and Bell hooked up once again on a 70-yard, catch-and-run scoring play over the middle that put the Bulldogs comfortably on top by a 33-18 margin with 6:48 remaining in the third quarter. EMCC's Walker added a 36-yard field goal late in the third quarter, while James Gillum's 7-yard touchdown run to begin the final period ended the scoring at 40-21.
Statistically for EMCC, Henderson completed 30-of-54 passes for 287 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. The veteran signal-caller completed passes to nine different Lion receivers, led by former Noxubee County All-American Pat Patterson with seven catches for 79 yards in his East Mississippi debut. McQuarley, Davis and Graves all had four grabs in the contest. On the ground for the Lions, Graves, the former Newton County standout, led the way with 55 rushing yards and a score on nine carries.
Coach Buddy Stephens' EMCC Lions kick off their 2010 home slate next Thursday (Sept. 9) by playing host to Hinds in a 7 p.m. contest at Sullivan-Windham Field on the Scooba campus. East Mississippi stays at home to begin defense of its back-to-back MACJC North Division titles by welcoming Northwest Mississippi to campus the following Thursday (Sept. 16) in another 7 p.m. encounter in Scooba.
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Last Updated ( Friday, 03 September 2010 )
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.jpg "Image") Coach Buddy Stephens’ seventh-ranked EMCC Lions begin defense of their school-first MACJC state football championship by taking on No. 5 Mississippi Gulf Coast Thursday evening in Perkinston in a rematch of last year’s thrilling 75-71 EMCC shootout victory over the Bulldogs.
Thursday’s season opener is set for a 7 p.m. kickoff at A.L. May Memorial Stadium on MGCCC’s Perkinston campus. Thursday’s EMCC-Gulf Coast season opener will be broadcast live by WFCA-FM radio (107.9) with Jason Crowder set to describe the play-by-play action and Glen Beard slated to provide the color analysis. The live broadcast can also be heard online via EMCC’s athletics website – http://athletics.eastms.edu – or by logging onto www.wfca108.com.
In addition, Thursday’s state championship rematch can be seen live via streaming audio and video at www.mgcccbulldogs.com. Game highlights and post-game interviews will also be available at www.jucoweekly.com as part of the website’s 2010 MACJC Game of the Week schedule.
On Nov. 7 a year ago at Sullivan-Windham Field on the Scooba campus, EMCC and Gulf Coast combined for 146 points and more than 1,200 yards of total offense in a regulation contest that was ultimately preserved by Anthony Hines’ game-saving interception in the end zone on a third-and-one attempt from the 22-yard line. Last year’s school-first state championship victory over MGCCC helped avenge East Mississippi’s 43-26 home setback to the Bulldogs during the 2009 regular season (Sept. 17).
Having compiled a 19-3 overall record and consecutive undefeated North Division marks the past two seasons under Stephens’ guidance, the Lions of East Mississippi enter the 2010 campaign ranked No. 7 in the NJCAA Football Preseason Top 25. A year ago, EMCC posted a school-best 11-1 campaign that was capped by a 27-24 Mississippi Bowl victory over Arizona Western – this year’s No. 2 preseason-ranked team in the NJCAA Top 25. A season-ending, eight-game winning streak last year lifted the 2009 EMCC Lions to a program-best No. 4 final ranking.
With NJCAA All-American quarterback Randall Mackey having taken his talents to Ole Miss, the 2010 East Mississippi offensive squad returns but two starters from a group that ranked fourth nationally in team total offense and second in passing offense a year ago. Starkville sophomore Brad Henderson and freshman Termarcus Conner of Noxubee County’s 2008 MHSAA Class 4A state championship team appear to be the preseason front-runners for EMCC’s starting quarterback position. Sophomore Floyd Graves, a former state high school rushing champion at Newton County, looks to be Pat Shed’s successor at the running back position, while fellow sophomore Marcus McQuarley of Meridian High School’s 2008 Class 5A state championship club is the lone EMCC pass-catcher returning from last year’s talented receiving corps.
Defensively, a veteran East Mississippi stops unit figures to be headlined by preseason all-star candidate Quinton Dial, a University of Alabama commit from Clay-Chalkville (Ala.) High School. The 6-foot-6, 325-pound defensive lineman appears ready to challenge for national honors as one of the top defensive performers in the Mississippi junior college ranks. Sophomore Jimmy Roby, another of EMCC’s standouts from Noxubee County’s 2008 state title contingent, seems primed to lead East Mississippi’s linebacking corps this fall. Having ranked among the national team leaders with 33 total interceptions over the past two seasons combined, the Lions’ defensive secondary looks to be spearheaded by sophomores Fred Tate of Noxubee County and Columbus’ Johnny Cockrell.
Guided by seventh-year head coach Steve Campbell, the Bulldogs of Mississippi Gulf Coast stand fifth in the NJCAA Football Preseason Top 25 after posting a 9-3 campaign and claiming a third straight MACJC South Division crown last season. Back-to-back state champions in 2007 and 2008, MGCCC fell to Navarro (Texas) College in last year’s Heart of Texas Bowl.
East Mississippi has prevailed in 11 of the last 12 meetings with Mississippi Gulf Coast dating back to the 1987 football campaign. Two years ago (Sept. 18, 2008) in the first head-to-head gridiron encounter between the two teams since 2003, then-freshman quarterback Randall Mackey engineered two unanswered fourth-quarter drives to lift the visiting Lions to a come-from-behind 27-23 upset road victory over the then-second ranked and defending state champion Bulldogs in Perkinston.
Following EMCC’s 2010 season opener this week at Mississippi Gulf Coast, the Lions will usher in their home football slate by entertaining Hinds on Thursday, Sept. 9. Kickoff at Sullivan-Windham Field is set for 7 p.m. on the Scooba campus. EMCC will stay at home to begin MACJC North Division competition by welcoming Northwest Mississippi on Thursday, Sept. 16. Game time will again commence at 7 p.m. at EMCC’s Sullivan-Windham Field.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 31 August 2010 )
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SCOOBA – East Mississippi Community College men’s golf coach Dale Peay has completed the Lions’ 2010-11 golf roster with the addition of six newcomers for the coming academic year.
Locally, the Lions have added former Caledonia High School teammates Zac Taylor and Zack Bailey, who helped lead the Confederates to Class 4A state tournament appearances in 2007 and 2009. This past season as a third-year team captain, Taylor earned district runner-up honors to pace Caledonia to the district team title and a sixth-place finish in the state tournament.
Bailey, who graduated from Caledonia in 2009, earned medalist honors a dozen times during his prep career. Along with Taylor, he qualified for the Coca-Cola Junior Tour during his high school days. Bailey will be a sophomore on EMCC’s 2010-11 golf squad.
East Mississippi has also brought in Tyler Slocum from DeSoto Central High School and Andrew Spiers of Pearl River Central High School. A four-year member of DCHS’s golf team, Slocum placed second at this year’s MHSAA Class 6A district tournament with a score of 71 and was a member of the Jaguars’ state runner-up contingent. An honors graduate, Slocum also received the U.S. Army Scholar-Athlete Award.
Despite playing his senior season with a torn ACL, Spiers helped lead Pearl River Central to a district championship en route to a runner-up team showing in the 2010 Class 5A state tournament. In addition, he led the state tournament field after firing an opening-round 74. Spiers gained valuable experience competing in two summer tour events a year ago, carrying a solid 77 stroke average during both tour events.
Earlier in the year, East Mississippi landed Northwest Rankin High School teammates Bobby Bowlin and Weston Wallace, who were ranked fourth and sixth, respectively, in the Mississippi Junior Golf Association’s 2009 Division A Player of the Year standings. The tandem helped pace the Cougars to the 2005 MHSAA Class 5A state championship and three consecutive state runner-up finishes in 2007, 2008 and 2009.
“I’m excited about the addition of these six student-athletes to the EMCC golf program,” East Mississippi golf coach Dale Peay noted. “They are all quality young men with quality golf games, and they should collectively provide a major impact on our young golf team this coming season.”
EMCC’s half-dozen newcomers will join returning sophomores Ian McAdams of Madison Central High School and Jackson Bryant of Natchez’s Trinity Episcopal Day School on the Lions’ golf roster for the upcoming 2010-11 campaign.
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 14 August 2010 )
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.jpg "Image") The EMCC Lions, reigning MACJC state champions and defending Mississippi Bowl champions, will enter their Sept. 2 season opener at Mississippi Gulf Coast ranked seventh nationally in the 2010 NJCAA Football Preseason Top 25.
Under the direction of third-year head coach Buddy Stephens, the EMCC Lions are the reigning MACJC state champions who went on to claim the 2009 Mississippi Bowl title with a 27-24 win over 2010 preseason No. 2-ranked Arizona Western last December in Biloxi. With a combined 19-3 overall record the last two years, including an 11-1 mark and No. 4 final ranking a year ago, East Mississippi enters the 2010 campaign having claimed back-to-back MACJC North Division titles with consecutive 6-0 league marks.
Blinn College (Texas) begins 2010 as the nation’s top-ranked team after winning the national championship last season. Arizona Western and Fort Scott (Kan.), last year’s NJCAA runner-up, are ranked second and third, respectively, in this year’s preseason national poll. Navarro College (Texas) is fourth, followed by Mississippi Gulf Coast and Butler (Kan.) at No. 5 and No. 6, respectively. The NJCAA’s Preseason Top 10 concludes with No. 8 Snow College (Utah), No. 9 Ellsworth (Iowa) and No. 10 Grand Rapids (Mich.). Other Mississippi-based schools listed in this year’s NJCAA Preseason Top 25 include Pearl River (13th), Jones County (19th), Northwest Mississippi (22nd) and Coahoma (25th).
The 2010 EMCC Lions return only 15 lettermen, including just seven starters, from last year’s school-first state championship squad. A total of 27 players from East Mississippi’s program-best 11-1 club went on to sign with four-year schools this past year, including All-American quarterback Randall Mackey at Ole Miss and defensive lineman Brandon Lewis of the defending national champion Alabama Crimson Tide.
Additionally, the EMCC Lions are ranked fourth in JCGridwire.com’s Dirty 30 preseason rankings and 17th nationally by The Sporting News’ preseason publication.
East Mississippi kicks off the 2010 campaign by taking on Mississippi Gulf Coast, Sept. 2 in Perkinston, in a much-anticipated rematch of last year’s high-scoring MACJC state championship affair. Last Nov. 7 in Scooba, the home-standing Lions scored a memorable 75-71 shootout victory over MGCCC to earn the school’s first state football championship. EMCC’s 2010 home slate begins with back-to-back home outings against Hinds and Northwest Mississippi on Sept. 9 and 16, respectively, at Sullivan-Windham Field on the Scooba campus.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 28 July 2010 )
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.jpg "Image") Michael Wallace has joined Chris Rose’s EMCC baseball coaching staff as the program’s pitching coach and recruiting coordinator.
Originally from Centerville, Tenn., Wallace comes to EMCC following a successful two-year coaching stint at the University of South Carolina Beaufort. While serving as USCB’s pitching coach and recruiting coordinator under the guidance of head coach Rick Sofield, Wallace helped lead the Sand Sharks to a two-year composite record of 72-36 during the first two seasons of the program’s existence. This past year, USCB posted a 39-15 overall mark en route to earning a No. 2 regional seeding for the school’s first-ever appearance in the NAIA Baseball National Championship. In just their second year of competition, the 2010 Sand Sharks earned a runner-up finish in The Sun Conference regular-season standings and were ranked as high as 19th nationally in the NAIA coaches’ poll. In addition, Wallace’s 2010 USCB pitching staff ranked fourth nationally in walks allowed per game (2.04) and 14th in team earned run average (3.93).
A former left-handed pitcher at Martin Methodist College in Pulaski, Tenn., Wallace previously sandwiched two separate coaching stops at his alma mater around a three-year head coaching stint at his hometown Hickman County High School. Most recently at MMC as the program’s pitching coach and recruiting coordinator, Wallace helped direct the 2008 RedHawks club to a school-best, semifinal-round berth in the regional tournament.
During his lone prep coaching experience to date, Wallace guided Hickman County High School to 37 total victories from 2005 through 2007 to rank among the most successful three-year spans in school history. In Wallace’s debut season at the school, the HCHS Bulldogs claimed the district division championship in 2005 with a dozen victories after the program had managed but nine total wins over the previous three years combined.
Wallace’s baseball coaching career began in 2003 at his college alma mater following a two-year playing career under the guidance of former Martin Methodist head baseball coach Jeff Dodson, who is now the head coach at the University of North Dakota. As a senior hurler at MMC, Wallace helped lead the 2003 RedHawks to a runner-up finish in the TranSouth Athletic Conference Tournament, which led to a school-first team appearance in the regional tournament. While completing his undergraduate degree in childhood learning in the fall of 2003, Wallace was named on an interim basis to succeed Dodson as head baseball coach at Martin Methodist. Wallace stayed onboard to serve as MMC’s assistant baseball coach during the 2004 campaign prior to moving to the high school coaching ranks in his hometown of Centerville, Tenn.
Having played high school baseball for former major leaguer and current Centerville resident Mike Smithson, Wallace has been working as a baseball coach and camp instructor for the Baseball Factory organization since 2008. Wallace’s collegiate baseball playing career began at Jackson State Community College in 2001 before he transferred to Martin Methodist. Off the field at MMC, he earned the school’s Outstanding Student Teacher Award and was a member of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society.
The son of Tony and Vickie Wallace of Centerville, Wallace has a younger brother, Marty, who is senior majoring in turf management at the University of Tennessee.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 22 July 2010 )
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