.jpg "Image") The EMCC basketball teams will entertain fans during Wednesday’s “EMCC Madness” activities beginning at 6 p.m. at Keyes T. Currie Coliseum on the Scooba campus.
Along with player and team introductions, Wednesday’s two-hour hoops showcase in Scooba will also feature a dunking contest by members of the EMCC men’s team as well as three-point shooting contests by both squads. The night is slated to conclude with intra-squad scrimmages from both EMCC basketball teams.
Guided by 2008-09 MACJC Coach of the Year Sharon Thompson, the Lady Lions are coming off last year’s successful 25-7 campaign, which was capped by the school’s first appearance in the NJCAA Tournament since 1978. In addition to claiming the NJCAA Region 23 Tournament championship, the 2008-09 EMCC women also captured the MACJC North Division regular-season title with an 11-1 divisional mark. Sophomore forward Martika Hull, of Meridian’s Southeast Lauderdale High School, returns as the team’s top player after averaging 13.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per game as an MACJC All-North State selection a year ago. The 5-foot-11 frontcourt performer also connected on 61 percent of her field-goal attempts in 2008-09.
With third-year head coach Mark White at the helm, the EMCC Lions return four players from last year’s much-improved ballclub, which went 17-11 overall and 8-4 in MACJC North Division play to tie for second place. The Lions also advanced to the semifinals of both the MACJC State Tournament and NJCAA Region 23 Tournament a season ago. The EMCC men look to be headlined again by sophomore guard CoCo Ware, who earned NJCAA All-Region 23 honors after averaging a team-leading 19.1 points per contest as a freshman. The former Starkville High School standout also averaged 6.5 rebounds, 3.0 steals and 1.5 assists an outing a year ago, while sinking 67 three-point attempts and shooting 71 percent from the free-throw line.
The East Mississippi basketball teams will officially tip off the 2009-2010 regular season by playing host to the defending MACJC state champions from Jones County on Monday, Nov. 2 and then entertaining East Central on Thursday, Nov. 5. Slated for EMCC’s Currie Coliseum on the Scooba campus, both basketball doubleheaders are set to commence at 5:30 p.m. with women’s action followed by men’s contests at 7:30 p.m.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 26 October 2009 )
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.jpg "Image") Freshman British Footman compiled 215 return yards, including a 91-yard punt return for a touchdown, to help lead No. 7 EMCC to a 28-10 home win over Mississippi Delta in the team’s regular-season finale Thursday night at Sullivan-Windham Field.
With their top-rated offense not clicking on all cylinders in their regular-season finale, the Lions received a huge special teams boost from freshman wide receiver British Footman, who compiled 215 return yards on the night with a pair of kickoff returns and a 91-yard punt return for a touchdown. Footman, from Tallahassee, Fla., previously brought back an 84-yard punt return for a score two weeks ago against Northeast Mississippi.
Entering the contest ranked first nationally with an average of 513.9 yards of total offense per outing, EMCC failed to put up points in the first quarter for the first time this season. With the visitors also not able to score through the first 15 minutes of action, both teams combined for four punts and four fumbles during the opening period.
The Lions’ defensive unit helped set up the team’s first score, as Anthony Hines’ third interception of the year led to a 2-yard scoring run by freshman Floyd Graves of Newton at the 13:15 mark of the second quarter. A sophomore free safety from Starkville, Hines added his team-leading fourth pick of the campaign later in the half to go along with a first-half fumble recovery.
The visiting Trojans answered five minutes later with a nine-play, 63-yard scoring drive on the game’s next possession. Jarvis Smith was rewarded for his 36-yard run on a third-and-one conversion earlier in the drive by taking it in from 3 yards out to knot the score at 7-7 with 8:15 remaining in the half.
The game’s momentum swung back in favor of the home team midway through the quarter when Footman fielded an Anthony Simpson punt inside the 10-yard line, spun away from would-be tacklers and sprinted 91 yards down the right sideline for his second return for a touchdown in the last three games. As a result, East Mississippi took a 14-7 lead into intermission.
Entering the game ranked second in the state in fewest points allowed per game (18.4) but last in the MACJC with an average of only 13 points scored per outing on the year, Mississippi Delta opened the second half with a solid eight-play drive that resulted in a 33-yard field goal by Parker Brocato. The successful 3-pointer made it a 14-10 contest with 11:34 left in the third quarter.
Footman, who previously had a 44-yard kickoff return in the first half, once again changed the complexion of the game by setting up a 4-yard scamper by reserve quarterback Brad Henderson with a tackle-breaking, 80-yard return on the ensuing kickoff. Henderson’s fourth rushing touchdown of the season increased EMCC’s lead to 21-10 with 11:12 remaining in the period.
In second-half relief of All-America signal-caller Randall Mackey, Henderson capped the night’s scoring by connecting with sophomore Stephon Johnson of Gulfport on a 16-yard scoring strike at the 10:49 mark of the final period. Battling nagging injuries, Mackey played the entire first half, hitting 9-of-15 passes for 91 yards and one interception.
As a team, the Lions could muster only 194 yards of total offense (114 passing & 80 rushing) on the night against the MACJC’s top-ranked team in both total defense and rushing defense.
Now 16-3 overall and a perfect 12-0 against North Division competition under the guidance of second-year head coach Buddy Stephens, EMCC’s 15-game winning streak versus the MACJC North dates back to the 2007 campaign.
Following last year’s MACJC state playoff appearance against Pearl River – EMCC’s first playoff berth since 1984 – East Mississippi is set to make a second consecutive state playoff appearance for the first time in school history. As the North Division’s No. 1 seed for the second straight year, the Lions will play host to the South Division’s runner-up to begin the MACJC state playoffs on Saturday, Oct. 31. The two winners of the semifinal-round contests will contend for the state championship on Saturday, Nov. 7.
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Last Updated ( Friday, 23 October 2009 )
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.jpg "Image") The seventh-ranked EMCC Lions look to keep their perfect North Division record intact by playing host to Mississippi Delta Thursday to close out their 2009 regular-season slate.
Ranked seventh in this week’s JC Grid-Wire National Top 25 and ninth in the NJCAA/JC Football.com poll, head coach Buddy Stephens’ EMCC squad brings a 7-1 overall record and 5-0 divisional mark into Thursday’s regular-season finale after claiming a 28-6 road win over Itawamba this past Saturday in Fulton. Now 15-3 overall and a perfect 11-0 against MACJC North Division competition under Stephens’ direction, the Lions have won 14 consecutive North Division contests dating back to the 2007 season, including last year’s 35-15 road triumph over Mississippi Delta.
Following last year’s MACJC state playoff appearance against Pearl River – EMCC’s first playoff berth since 1984 – East Mississippi secured its school-first second consecutive state playoff appearance two weeks ago with a 48-10 homecoming victory over Northeast Mississippi. As the North Division’s No. 1 seed for the second straight year, the Lions will play host to the South Division’s runner-up to begin the MACJC state playoffs on Saturday, Oct. 31. The two winners of the semifinal-round contests will contend for the state championship on Saturday, Nov. 7.
Offensively as a team, EMCC remains the nation’s top-rated club statistically in total offense, generating an average of 513.9 yards per contest with All-America quarterback Randall Mackey at the controls. This past weekend at Itawamba, with Mackey on the sidelines, reserve signal-caller Brad Henderson of Starkville stepped up to account for 285 yards of total offense and four touchdowns against the Indians.
Fellow Starkville product Pat Shed is averaging a team-leading 75.9 rushing yards per game on the ground for EMCC, including his fourth 100-yard rushing effort of the year coming last Saturday at Itawamba. On the heels of his third 100-yard receiving outing in the last four games, sophomore wide receiver Lance Lewis has moved into the No. 2 spot on the team’s reception list behind sophomore Bill Franks of State Line. A former football and basketball standout at Concord (N.C.) High School, Lewis is averaging 18.2 yards on 29 catches, including nine touchdown receptions, on the season.
In addition, East Mississippi’s improved defensive unit has limited each of its last two opponents (Itawamba and Northeast Mississippi) to less than 150 yards of total offense apiece. The Lions have also held the opposition’s ground game to less than two yards per carry each of the last two weeks.
The Trojans of Mississippi Delta currently own a 2-6 overall record, with both victories having come during MACJC North Division play against Northeast Mississippi (14-7) and Itawamba (13-7). Having surrendered the second-fewest points (147; behind Jones County) of any MACJC team this season, Delta leads the state in total defense by allowing an average of only 247.8 yards per outing. However, the Trojans rate as the lowest-scoring club among the state ranks, having totaled but 104 points offensively in eight games.
Thursday’s EMCC-MDCC contest will be broadcast 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 game can be heard online via EMCC’s athletics website – http://athletics.eastms.edu – or by logging onto www.wfca108.com.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 21 October 2009 )
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.jpg "Image") Sophomore wide receiver Lance Lewis increased his team-leading touchdown total to nine on the year with a pair of scoring grabs during Saturday’s 28-6 road win over the Itawamba Indians (photo by Petre Thomas).
A redshirt freshman from Starkville, Henderson played the entire contest in place of All-American Randall Mackey, who sat out the game with nagging injuries. On the heels of last week’s 88-yard rushing effort, including a 49-yard touchdown run, against Northeast Mississippi, Henderson’s starting assignment against ICC was the first of his collegiate career.
After EMCC freshman Izauea Lanier picked off his third interception of the season – all coming in the last two games – on Itawamba’s opening possession, Henderson capped a 10-play, 55-yard drive with a 6-yard scoring run up the middle with 8:39 left in the first quarter.
Special teams came into play early, as both teams capitalized on blocked punt opportunities late in the opening period. After Itawamba’s Jerhushua Williams blocked and recovered a Phillip Dimino punt at the 3-yard line, ICC starting quarterback Ty Ferrell took the next snap up the middle and into the end zone. The point-after-touchdown attempt was blocked, keeping the score at 7-6 with 5:19 remaining in the quarter.
Despite turning the ball over by fumbling at midfield on their next offensive possession, the Lions’ defense forced a three-and-out and set up EMCC’s next score with a blocked punt of their own by wide receiver Derrick Steele. Four plays later, Henderson found sophomore Lance Lewis in the middle of the end zone for a 23-yard scoring strike with 39 seconds left in the opening period.
On the visitors’ next possession, a 27-yard reverse by sophomore Bill Franks of State Line initiated a successful 9-play, 71-yard scoring drive that culminated with Henderson’s second scoring burst of the game – from 4 yards out – and third of the season. Brett Spencer’s third of four accurate PAT tries on the day put the Lions on top by a 21-6 tally with 9:18 left in the half.
The home-standing Indians looked to cut into the deficit on their ensuing possession, but an incomplete pass from Bret Jefcoat out of a fake field-goal formation on a fourth-and-long attempt kept it a two-score contest. After the two teams traded turnovers late in the half, EMCC benefitted from a successful fourth-and-10 conversion and scored on the final play of the first half. A play after they teamed up to keep the drive alive with an 11-yard connection, Lewis went up high between a pair of ICC defenders to haul in a 30-yard Henderson aerial to make the score 28-6 at the break.
A former football and basketball standout at Concord (N.C.) High School, Lewis finished the afternoon with a season-most eight catches for 110 yards and two touchdowns – his eighth and ninth scoring grabs of the year. He has now reached the century mark for receiving yards in three of his last four outings.
Neither team was able to put up points during the second stanza, as the Lions turned the ball over three more times over the final two quarters. Fortunately, EMCC’s defensive unit collectively rose to the challenge by limiting Itawamba to just 62 yards rushing and 84 passing yards for the game. ICC fell to 2-6 overall and 1-4 in the North Division with the setback.
Henderson finished the contest 27-of-38 through the air for 203 yards, two touchdowns and a pair of interceptions. He also ran for 82 yards on nine attempts, including the two scoring runs. Fellow former Starkville High School teammate Pat Shed topped the century mark on the ground for the fourth time on the year with exactly 100 rushing yards on 19 carries for the winners.
Having now won 14 consecutive MACJC North Division contests dating back to the 2007 campaign, including an 11-0 divisional mark and two straight North titles under second-year head coach Buddy Stephens, the 7-1 EMCC Lions will look to close out a possible second consecutive unblemished North Division slate by playing host to Mississippi Delta on Thursday (Oct. 22). Kickoff at Sullivan-Windham Field on the Scooba campus is set for 7 p.m.
Following the regular season, East Mississippi will make a school-first second straight MACJC state playoff appearance by playing host to the South’s No. 2 seed in semifinal-round action on Saturday, Oct. 31. The state championship game will be played the following Saturday on Nov. 7 on the home field of the highest-seeded North Division team remaining.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 19 October 2009 )
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.jpg "Image") Coach Buddy Stephens’ seventh-ranked Lions will play at Itawamba on Saturday afternoon before closing out the regular season next Thursday (Oct. 22) at home against Mississippi Delta.
Head coach Buddy Stephens’ EMCC Lions are 6-1 overall on the season and unbeaten in four divisional outings after claiming a 48-10 homecoming triumph over Northeast Mississippi this past Saturday in Scooba. The victory secured EMCC’s second consecutive MACJC North Division football championship and assured the Lions of making back-to-back state playoff appearances for the first time in school history.
Now 14-3 overall and 10-0 in divisional play under Stephens’ guidance, East Mississippi currently owns a 13-game winning streak against North Division competition dating back to the 2007 campaign. That string includes last year’s 40-34 victory over Itawamba in West Point and a season-ending 31-28 overtime road win over the Indians two years ago in Fulton.
After ranking as high as second nationally this season prior to dropping a 43-26 home decision to two-time defending state champion Mississippi Gulf Coast on Sept. 17, the Lions moved from ninth to seventh in this week’s JC Grid-Wire/JCFootball.com Top 25. EMCC remained at No. 10 in the current NJCAA/JCFootball.com national poll.
Statistically, East Mississippi remains atop the national team leaders in total offense with an average of 527 yards per contest. Having scored at least 26 points in every game this season, the Lions have topped the 40-point mark four times in 2009, including each of the last three contests.
All-America quarterback Randall Mackey triggers EMCC’s potent offensive game plan by ranking second nationally in total offense (354.1 yards per game) and third in passing (300 yds/gm). The reigning NJCAA Region 23 Offensive MVP has completed nearly 70 percent of his passes for 2,100 yards and 21 touchdowns on the year. With nine different players having at least a dozen grabs for the season, sophomores Bill Franks of State Line and Stephon Johnson of Gulfport lead the pass-catching parade with 32 and 25 receptions, respectively. Big-play specialists Lance Lewis (Concord, N.C.) and Derrick Steele of Utica have combined for a dozen scoring grabs thus far in 2009.
Spearheaded by current NJCAA Defensive Player of the Week Claude Davis, EMCC’s defensive unit is coming off one of its top collective efforts of the fall. In last week’s division-clinching win over Northeast Mississippi, the Lions limited the visitors to just 146 yards of total offense on the day, including but 65 net rushing yards on 34 attempts and only 8-of-19 passing for 81 yards. EMCC also combined for five quarterback sacks and eight additional tackles behind the line of scrimmage, in addition to a pair of pass interceptions by freshman safety Izauea Lanier (Gordo, Ala.) and a blocked punt for a touchdown by sophomore linebacker Maurice Owens of Mount Olive.
The Indians of Itawamba are 2-5 overall on the season and 1-3 in North Division play after dropping a 31-16 decision at Hinds last week. ICC’s wins this year have come at home over Jones County (21-7) in the season opener and at Holmes (35-34) two weeks ago. The Indians will close out their regular season by traveling to Coahoma next week.
Saturday’s EMCC-ICC contest from Fulton will be available through WFCA-FM’s website at www.wfca108.com with Jason Crowder and Glen Beard set to call the play-by-play action during the audio-streamed broadcast. The game can also be heard online by logging onto EMCC’s athletics website at http://athletics.eastms.edu.
East Mississippi will conclude regular-season competition by playing host to Mississippi Delta on Thursday, Oct. 22. Kickoff at EMCC’s Sullivan-Windham Field on the Scooba campus is set for 7 p.m. As the North Division’s No. 1 seed for the second straight year, the Lions will again host the South Division’s runner-up to begin the MACJC state football playoffs on Saturday, Oct. 31. The two winners of the semifinal-round contests will contend for the state championship the following Saturday on Nov. 7. The title game is set to be played on the home field of the highest-seeded North Division team remaining after the Oct. 31 semifinals.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 15 October 2009 )
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