 Sophomores Alex Shelton (left) and Josh Shields will look to lead the EMCC soccer teams in their home season openers against East Central and Copiah-Lincoln this weekend on the Scooba campus.
Though this weekend marks the official opening of their regular season, both East Mississippi teams participated in exhibition competition Wednesday afternoon against Southwest Mississippi in Summit. The Lady Lions battled back to secure a 2-2 tie in the opening match on Alex Shelton’s unassisted tally from 22 yards out during the 85th minute of play. Reigning NJCAA All-Region 23 standout Nikeisha Noel scored the match’s opening goal with an unassisted score during the 31st minute, before the Lady Bears reached the net twice to take a 2-1 second-half advantage.
The Starkville tandem of Josh Shields and Eduardo Fumo accounted for the Lions’ trio of goals, as the visitors registered a 3-2 exhibition triumph over the homestanding Bears. Shields, a sophomore, tallied his first of two scores on a penalty kick in the 45th minute of action. The former Starkville High School standout followed three minutes later with a 20-yard boot on an assist from Fumo. Fumo, an EMCC freshman and ex-SHS Yellowjacket, put the Lions up, 3-0, during the 75th minute on a pass from Quitman’s Justin Knight. Two late tallies by Southwest on penalty kicks rounded out the final outcome.
A year ago in his first season heading the EMCC women’s program, Noel guided the 2008 Lady Lions to their best record (4-7-2) since the 2001 campaign. Noel is in his third year at the helm of the EMCC men’s program. The Lions struggled to a 1-12-1 mark a year ago.
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 29 August 2009 )
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.jpg "Image") Coach Buddy Stephens’ sixth-ranked EMCC Lions kick off their 2009 gridiron campaign Thursday by traveling to Wesson to take on the Copiah-Lincoln Wolves.
Thursday’s EMCC football opener 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 contest can be heard online via EMCC’s athletics website – http://athletics.eastms.edu – or by logging onto www.wfca108.com.
Coming off last year’s successful 8-2 season, including an MACJC North Division title and the school’s first state playoff appearance since 1984, the EMCC Lions are ranked sixth nationally in the NJCAA/ JC Football.com Preseason Top 25. East Mississippi is also rated ninth in the Seattle-based JC Grid-Wire Top 25 preseason rankings to begin the season.
Leading the Lions’ potent offensive attack will be preseason NJCAA All-American Randall Mackey of Port Sulphur, La. The 6-foot, 185-pound signal-caller topped the NJCAA ranks in passing (281.8 yards per game) and stood second in total offense (330.4 yds/gm) a year ago as a freshman. Helping to provide protection for EMCC’s sophomore standout is fellow NJCAA All-American Quartney Cox of West Point at one offensive tackle position.
With the team’s five leading pass catchers from a year ago having moved on to four-year schools, including Mississippi State wide receiver Leon Berry, three of EMCC’s four starting receivers this fall look to be transfer players. One of those newcomers is 6-foot-3 sophomore Lance Lewis of Concord, N.C., who teamed with Mississippi State basketball standout Dee Bost on Concord High School’s state championship football and basketball teams in 2006-07. Back for his second season, Starkville’s Pat Shed returns after collecting a team-leading 772 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns as a collegiate rookie for the Lions.
Defensively, East Mississippi’s pass rushing attack looks to again be headlined by preseason NJCAA All-American Claude Davis of Lakeland, Fla. The sophomore defensive end led the Lions with 7.5 sacks and 15 tackles for loss last season, to go along with his 87 total tackles, two interceptions and three forced fumbles. Heading up EMCC’s linebacking corps will be fellow preseason NJCAA All-American Alvin Ellis of Columbus, who topped all Lion defenders with 113 total tackles last fall.
A year ago in the debut of the Buddy Stephens era of EMCC football, the Lions tallied four second-half touchdowns to claim a 28-9 season-opening home win over Copiah-Lincoln at Sullivan-Windham Field on the Scooba campus. Mackey was 13-of-24 passing for 207 yards and two touchdowns through the air in his collegiate debut, while Shed ran for 90 yards on 12 attempts, including a season-best 55-yard scoring jaunt in the fourth quarter.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 26 August 2009 )
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.jpg "Image") The EMCC Development Foundation is currently taking pre-orders for the forthcoming book about the life of legendary Lions football coach Bob Sullivan, “Bull Cyclone and the Lions of Scooba, Mississippi”.
Chronicling the storied 16-year coaching career of Robert Victor “Bull/Cyclone” Sullivan, the book is written by Mike Frascogna, who has also previously penned “Gridiron Gold” and “Y’all vs. Us”. Slated to be available next spring, “Bull Cyclone and the Lions of Scooba, Mississippi” can be pre-ordered through the EMCC Development Foundation. Football fans are encouraged to take advantage of the pre-published price of $18 to insure the project’s success. Checks should be made payable to the EMCC Development Foundation and mailed to P.O. Box 158; Scooba, MS 39358. Phone orders with Visa and MasterCard credit cards can be made by calling the EMCC Development Foundation at 662-476-5063. Information is also available online at www.eastms.edu.
A native of Aliceville, Ala., and a former All-American at Union University in Tennessee, Sullivan produced 31 All-Americans, including All-American quarterbacks for five consecutive seasons, and had more than 200 of his players enter the coaching profession during his 16 years (1950-52, 1956-68) on the Scooba campus. In addition, he was the first Mississippian to serve on the NCAA’s football rules committee along with being instrumental in the establishment of the mandatory mouthpiece rule.
Having passed away in 1970, Sullivan is a member of the NJCAA Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame, Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame, Mississippi Community & Junior College Sports Hall of Fame, and EMCC Sports Hall of Fame.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 10 August 2009 )
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.jpg "Image") Brothers Tony (left) and Jacob Frederick (right), along with first cousin Randy Frederick II (sitting) from Kaplan High School in Louisiana, have all signed to play baseball at EMCC. Before reporting to the Scooba campus, the trio will represent Abbeville, La., in the upcoming Babe Ruth Baseball 16-18 World Series to be played in Moses Lake, Wash.
Members of head coach Jason Morvant’s Kaplan High School baseball program, the trio helped lead the Pirates to records of 29-6 this past year and 27-9 in 2008 en route to making the quarterfinals and semifinals of the Louisiana Class 3A state tournament, respectively. Most recently, the threesome competed together this past week on the Abbeville (La.) team that captured the Babe Ruth Baseball 16-18 Southwest Regional Tournament championship in Nederland, Texas. The Abbeville club will now participate in the upcoming Babe Ruth Baseball 16-18 World Series, Aug. 15-22, in Moses Lake, Wash.
Primarily used as a middle infielder in high school, Tony Frederick was a four-year starter who earned All-District and All-Parish honors during each of his varsity seasons. This past year, he hit .453 with 10 home runs and 48 runs batted in. As a junior, the versatile infielder was named the 2008 All-Parish MVP along with being selected to the All-State and All-Acadiana teams.
His younger brother, Jacob, batted .475 with 10 homers and 51 RBIs this past spring to earn 2009 All-Parish MVP laurels as a catcher. He capped his prep career by participating in the Louisiana West All-Star Game, which consisted of high school players from all classifications. The two-year starter collected All-State, All-Acadiana, All-Parish and All-District honors during his junior and senior seasons.
A four-year starter and four-time All-District standout who played virtually every position in high school, Randy Frederick II hit .469 with a pair of round-trippers, 18 RBIs and 24 stolen bases as a senior. In addition to being a three-time All-Parish selection as a utility player on the diamond, he was also a two-year All-District and All-Parish performer on the basketball court for the Kaplan Pirates.
Tony and Jacob Frederick are the sons of Flynn Frederick and Michelle Matte, while Randy is the son of Randy and Charlotte Frederick.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 06 August 2009 )
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.jpg "Image") Versatile all-district infielder Cayla Coleman will join her former Clarkdale High School softball teammate and fellow EMCC signee Courtney Castleberry on the Scooba campus.
A part of three state championship teams and a pair of state runner-up clubs at Clarkdale, Coleman will join former CHS teammate and fellow EMCC signee Courtney Castleberry on the Scooba campus.
Having started at various times throughout her high school career at third base, shortstop and second base as well as in the outfield for head coach Rick Roberson’s Clarkdale teams, Coleman batted .419 this past spring to earn all-district fast-pitch honors for the 18-8 Lady Bulldogs.
Last fall during Clarkdale’s 24-7 Class 2A state championship slow-pitch campaign, Coleman hit .489 with a dozen doubles to collect all-state and all-district accolades. During CHS’s run to the state slow-pitch championship a year ago, she was honored as The Clarion-Ledger’s Female Athlete of the Week.
This past June at Newton County High School in Decatur, Coleman capped her prep career at Clarkdale by participating in the Mississippi Association of Coaches (MAC) Class 1A/2A/3A All-Star Game for slow-pitch competition.
Coleman’s high school accomplishments extended beyond the playing field, as she was a member of the National Honor Society and Spanish Honor Society as an honor roll student-athlete at Clarkdale.
Coleman is the daughter of Jimmie Coleman and Sheila Speed.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 03 August 2009 )
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