.jpg "Image") The North Division champion EMCC Lions play host to South Division champs Mississippi Gulf Coast Saturday afternoon on the Scooba campus for the 2009 MACJC state football championship. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. at EMCC’s Sullivan-Windham Field.
Tickets for Saturday’s state title game will be available for purchase on the day of the game at a cost of $10 for adults and $5 for students. Pre-game tailgating will run from 10 a.m. until game time on the grounds of Aust Hall.
With a two-year overall composite record of 17-3 under the guidance of head coach Buddy Stephens, the 9-1 EMCC Lions are presently ranked seventh nationally in the NJCAA/JCFootball.com poll but jumped four notches to No. 3 in the current JC Grid-Wire National Top 25. In the Grid-Wire rankings, East Mississippi sits behind top-rated Navarro College of Texas and Mississippi Gulf Coast. MGCCC is ranked third in this week’s NJCAA/JCFootball.com poll behind No. 1 Navarro and Fort Scott of Kansas.
Featuring unblemished 6-0 MACJC North Division records each of the last two seasons, EMCC has become the first junior college football program in Mississippi to post back-to-back unbeaten divisional marks since Northwest Mississippi registered three consecutive perfect North Division records during the 1998, 1999 and 2000 campaigns. In addition, this year’s EMCC squad is the first North Division program to be represented in the state championship football game since Holmes claimed the 2002 state title.
Competing in back-to-back MACJC state football playoffs for the first time in school history, Saturday will mark EMCC’s first-ever appearance in the state championship game. Prior to Stephens’ arrival on the Scooba campus, the Lions had appeared in one prior state football playoff (1984) since the MACJC implemented the state playoff system in 1970.
Riding a current six-game winning streak, including last week’s 26-16 home triumph over Jones County in the state semifinals played in Scooba, the Lions will be looking to avenge their lone loss of the 2009 campaign during Saturday’s state championship contest. On Sept. 17, the visiting Bulldogs of MGCCC posted a 43-26 road triumph over then-No. 2 East Mississippi. Prior to this year’s setback to Mississippi Gulf Coast, EMCC had previously beaten the Bulldogs 10 straight times on the gridiron dating back to the 1987 campaign, including last year’s come-from-behind 27-23 upset road triumph over then-No. 2 Gulf Coast in Perkinston.
Saturday’s clash of divisional champions pits two of the nation’s most potent offenses, as MGCCC and East Mississippi are averaging 40.8 and 35 points per outing, respectively. In addition, Mississippi Gulf Coast and EMCC rate second and third, respectively, among the nation’s total offense leaders in averaging better than 470 yards of total offense per game.
Individually, the Lions showcase Preseason NJCAA All-American Randall Mackey at quarterback. The 6-foot, 185-pound Louisiana native tops the NJCAA in completion percentage (174-of-258 for 67.4%), along with ranking third in passing yards per game (266.4) and fourth with 22 passing touchdowns on the year.
As for the visitors, Mississippi Gulf Coast features the nation’s second-best ground attack, averaging 316 rushing yards per contest. Sophomore running back Vick Ballard leads the NJCAA with 1,469 rushing yards and 18 rushing touchdowns on the season. Having dropped their season opener at home to Northwest Mississippi (30-25) back on Aug. 27, the 9-1 Bulldogs have since reeled off nine straight victories, including last week’s 58-21 home win over Coahoma in the state semifinals.
While East Mississippi aims for the school’s first-ever state football championship, MGCCC has claimed 14 state titles through the years, including each of the last two seasons. Under the direction of sixth-year head coach Steve Campbell, the Bulldogs have put together a 50-12 composite record, including a 2007 co-national championship, the two state titles and a current string of three consecutive MACJC South Division crowns.
Saturday’s state championship contest will be made available online 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.
The winner of Saturday’s state title game will earn an invitation to compete in next month’s Mississippi Bowl in Biloxi. In its second year, the 2009 Mississippi Bowl will be played on Sunday, Dec. 6 at Biloxi Indian Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 2 p.m.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 05 November 2009 )
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SCOOBA – The East Mississippi basketball teams split with the defending state champions of Jones County in season-opening action Monday evening at Keyes T. Currie Coliseum on the Scooba campus. The EMCC women dropped a 70-65 decision in the first contest, while the Lions claimed a 90-84 victory in the nightcap.
In the opener, head coach Sharon Thompson’s EMCC Lady Lions, rated 27th nationally in the preseason NJCAA rankings, were outscored 16-5 over the final 4:34 in falling at home to the Lady Bobcats. In a contest featuring a dozen ties, the EMCC women saw a six-point lead (60-54) dissipate down the stretch. Following a basket by former Kemper County High School standout RoTasha Windom with 4:34 remaining, the Lady Lions went without a made field goal over a four-minute span while also committing four costly turnovers during that stretch. In the meantime, Jones County took a six-point lead (69-63) at the 1:28 mark following a fake-and-drive basket by Sooby Cooks and two subsequent charity tosses by Tanecka Carey.
Sophomore Raona Stowers of Macon cut the deficit to 69-65 on a feed from former Noxubee County High School teammate Shanteria Tate with 10 seconds left. However, Cooks sealed the road victory by hitting 1-of-2 from the line with 6.7 ticks remaining for the final outcome.
With a dozen Lady Lion players getting into the scoring column, freshman guard Natalie Tate of Columbus High School led the way with 12 points and five assists. Shanteria Tate was the only other EMCC player in double digits with 11 points. Reigning MACJC All-North State forward Martika Hull of Meridian’s Southeast Lauderdale High School was held to just two points on 1-of-5 shooting and committed five turnovers. As a team, the Lady Lions were slowed by 29 miscues during their opener.
The visiting Lady Bobcats were led by Cooks and Erica Moore with 16 points apiece, followed by Ashley Lee’s dozen points.
In the nightcap, head coach Mark White’s Lions looked to be cruising to victory by extending their 17-point halftime lead (54-37) to 23 points (62-39) four minutes into the second stanza. Jones County steadily cut away at the deficit, eventually trimming the margin to six points (77-71) with 5:30 left on a Kadeem Fleming three-point basket and a pair of free throws by Todd McDonald. EMCC answered the initial comeback attempt by bumping the lead back up to double digits (82-71) following an inbounds basket by second-team preseason NJCAA All-American CoCo Ware and a three-point play from fellow sophomore guard Terence Bennett of Jackson.
Seemingly in control with a 10-point lead (88-78) and ball possession and with just two minutes remaining in the contest, the Lions fell victim to poor shot selection and costly turnovers down the stretch. The Bobcats took advantage of the temporary letdown by scoring six unanswered points during a stretch in which EMCC turned it over four straight times. The Lions’ 32nd turnover of the contest resulted in a dunk by Brandon Wilson to cut the deficit to 88-84 with 21.8 seconds left. The preseason second-team NJCAA All-American was also fouled on the play, but Wilson couldn’t make it a one-possession game by misfiring on the ensuing charity toss. EMCC’s Bennett capped an 11-point night, including 7-of-7 from the line, by securing the victory with two free throws with 15 ticks remaining in the game.
Ware, of Starkville, tied for game-scoring honors with 19 points to go along with six steals and five rebounds to lead five EMCC players in double figures. Fellow Starkville native Chris Brand followed with 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting and a team-most eight rebounds, while former Meridian High School product Donovan Walker tallied 14 points and six boards in his collegiate debut. Nashville’s Anthony Alexander added 12 points and six assists for the winners.
Jones County was led by Fleming’s 19 points, followed by Kendrick McDonald and Wilson with 16 and 15 points, respectively. Tyrone Brinson was also in double digits with 14 points.
The East Mississippi basketball teams stay at home to play host to East Central Thursday evening on the Scooba campus. Women’s action is set to begin at 5:30 p.m., followed by the men’s contest at 7:30 p.m. at EMCC’s Currie Coliseum.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 04 November 2009 )
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.jpg "Image") Coach Sharon Thompson’s Lady Lions and Mark White’s Lions tip off the 2009-2010 basketball season Monday by playing host to the defending state champions of Jones County. Tip-offs are set for 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. at Keyes T. Currie Coliseum on the Scooba campus.
EMCC’s season-opening hoops home stand continues with a Thursday doubleheader against nearby rival East Central. Game times at Currie Coliseum will again be at 5:30 and 7:30 p.m.
Guided by 2008-09 MACJC Coach of the Year Sharon Thompson, the Lady Lions will showcase a new-look squad in 2009-2010 with 13 incoming players on this year’s 15-person roster. Heading the list of returnees from last year’s 25-7 team that advanced to the NJCAA Tournament after capturing the NJCAA Region 23 Tournament championship and claiming the MACJC North Division regular-season title is 5-foot-11 forward Martika Hull. The former Southeast Lauderdale High School product earned MACJC All-North State honors as a freshman after averaging 13.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per game a year ago, along with shooting 61 percent from the field.
Sophomore Raona Stowers of Macon’s Noxubee County High School is EMCC’s only other returning player from last season. The 5-foot-6 sophomore guard saw limited action at the point guard position a year ago behind Northwestern State (La.) signee Kottia White. Other Lady Lion starters moving on to the senior college level were third-team NJCAA All-American Angelique Burtts (Georgia State) and Columbus High School product Jasmine Abrams (Arkansas-Pine Bluff).
Along with featuring plenty of new talent this season, the 2009-2010 Lady Lions will also showcase added height during the new campaign. Nine of the team’s 15 players are 5-foot-10 or taller, including out-of-state recruits Rickiesha Bryant (6-3) of Florida City, Fla., and Shelby Crawford (6-2) of Thomasville, Ala. Other 6-footers joining the team are Weir’s Alvionna Knox (6-1) and Nashedra Barry (6-0) of Columbus.
This year’s Lady Lion contingent will also have its usual flavor of local talent, including former Noxubee County High School teammates Shanteria Tate and Keyetta Buckhalter, as well as RoTasha Windom from Kemper County High School. Buckhalter and Tate helped lead the Tigerettes to a composite record of 70-23, including three straight Division 4-4A titles and consecutive semifinal-round appearances in the Class 4A North State playoffs in 2008 and 2007. Also from the surrounding district are newcomers Natalie Tate and Eryn Gray, who teamed with Barry at Columbus High School. The versatile Barry has also signed with EMCC’s softball program.
Former Oxford High School teammates Shavantis Thomas and Jacquelyn Carothers, Skylar Barnes of South Panola High School and Atlanta’s Malashia Chandler round out this year’s Lady Lion roster.
Under the direction of third-year head coach Mark White, the Lions return four players from last year’s 17-11 ballclub, which advanced to the semifinals of both the NJCAA Region 23 Tournament and MACJC State Tournament a season ago. The EMCC men look to again be headlined by preseason second-team NJCAA All-American CoCo Ware, a 6-foot-1, 170-pound backcourt performer. The former Starkville High School product earned NJCAA All-Region 23 honors as a freshman after averaging a team-leading 19.1 points along with 6.5 rebounds, 3.0 steals and 1.5 assists per game.
Fellow Starkville native John Harris (6-2, 200) is back after averaging 5.9 points and 4.5 rebounds per contest during an injury-plagued 2008-09 campaign. Former Forest Hill High School teammates Terence Bennett (5-11, 185) and Ken Hoskins (6-4, 190) of Jackson also return for the Lions. As reserves a year ago, Bennett averaged 5.5 points and 2.3 assists per game, while Hoskins contributed 1.9 points as a 54-percent shooter and 1.7 rebounds an outing.
Like their women’s team counterparts, the East Mississippi men’s squad will feature added depth and increased size. Eleven of the 16 players listed on the preseason roster are measured at 6-foot-4 or taller. Headlining the squad’s welcomed height is 6-foot-9, 240-pound post player Chris Brand of Starkville. Former SHS teammate Jeff Jernagin (6-4, 195) gives EMCC four former Yellowjackets on this year’s roster. The Starkville quartet will be joined by West Oktibbeha High School product Deon Bedford (6-4, 175) of Maben.
Expected to help make up for the loss of departed starters-turned-senior college signees Darian Donald of Columbus (Mississippi Valley State), Starkville’s Woodie Howard (Belhaven College) and Cataurius Taylor of Memphis (Tennessee-Martin) will be the much-anticipated debut of local standout Colby Wren. The 6-foot-6, 180-pound swing-position player averaged 17 points and 12 rebounds per game as an honorable mention all-state performer at Kemper County High School a few years back before signing with powerhouse Three Rivers Community College in Missouri.
Talented backcourt performer Anthony Alexander (6-0, 175) of Nashville and freshman forward Jonathan King (6-4, 195) of Panama City, Panama headline this year’s crop of out-of-state signees. Forward Richard Dixon (6-5, 220) of University Park Academy in Texas by way of Baton Rouge, La., is also new to this year’s EMCC contingent.
The Lions have also added a pair of versatile athletes from the Meridian prep ranks to the mix in Donovan Walker (6-4, 195) and Marino Thompson (6-7, 200) from Meridian and Southeast Lauderdale High Schools, respectively. Rounding out East Mississippi’s 2009-2010 men’s roster are Copiah-Lincoln transfer Micah Jordan (6-8, 255) of Purvis, Houston’s Deshario Gates (6-4, 195) and Joe McCoy (6-1, 220) of Raymond.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 02 November 2009 )
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.jpg "Image") In the Lions’ 26-16 semifinal-round state playoff win over Jones County Saturday in Scooba, sophomore free safety Anthony Hines picked off two passes for the second straight game to raise his team-leading total to six interceptions on the year (photo by Spruce Derden).
Winners of six straight games since dropping a 43-26 home decision to now-No. 5 Mississippi Gulf Coast back on Sept. 17, head coach Buddy Stephens’ 9-1 EMCC Lions will look to avenge their lone loss of the season by playing host to the two-time defending state champions next Saturday (Nov. 7) in the 2009 MACJC state championship game. The Bulldogs of MGCCC bested Coahoma, 58-21, in the state’s other semifinal-round contest played Saturday afternoon in Perkinston.
Kickoff for Saturday’s state title game in Scooba is set for 2 p.m. at EMCC’s Sullivan-Windham Field. Tickets for the championship gridiron battle, pitting this year’s respective divisional winners, will be available for purchase on the day of the game at a cost of $10 for adults and $5 for students. The winner will earn the right to play in the Mississippi Bowl, Dec. 6, in Biloxi.
Now 17-3 overall in two seasons under Stephens’ guidance, Saturday’s playoff victory over Jones County marked the Lions’ third win of the season over a ranked opponent (Jones County twice and Northwest Mississippi). In reaching the nine-win mark for the first time since going 9-1 for head coach A.J. Kilpatrick’s 1969 Lions’ team, East Mississippi becomes the first representative from the MACJC’s North Division to compete in the state championship football game since Holmes claimed the 2002 state title.
During a turnover-prone opening half, the home-standing Lions managed to post the lone points of the opening 30 minutes of play during their second possession. On a third-and-two play, preseason All-America quarterback Randall Mackey connected with fellow sophomore Lance Lewis on a 73-yard touchdown reception with 10:39 left in the first quarter. The play marked the fourth time this season that Mackey has hooked up with Lewis on scoring plays of 70 yards or better.
Both teams missed opportunities to put points on the board via the foot during the second quarter. EMCC redshirt freshman kicker Brett Spencer had a 34-yard field goal blocked at the start of the quarter, while JCJC’s Jacob Chancellor’s 47-yard attempt fell short midway through the period. The Lions would reach the red zone two more times over the final five minutes of the half, but a Mackey interception and a Lewis fumble after a catch would keep the score at 7-0 heading into the intermission.
After the visiting Bobcats cut the deficit to 7-3 on Chancellor’s 38-yard field goal at the 11:35 mark, EMCC sophomore Phillip Dimino of West Point pinned JCJC on its 2-yard line with a 41-yard punt. Two plays later, sophomore free safety Anthony Hines picked off his second pass of the game and scored on a 20-yard interception return with 9:13 left in the quarter to make it a 14-3 contest. With a pair of picks in each of his last two games, the former Starkville High School standout raised his team-leading total to six interceptions on the year.
East Mississippi tacked another seven points later in the period when Lewis took a pass from reserve quarterback Brad Henderson of Starkville, cut inside and spun back outside to score from 14 yards out at the 4:48 mark. A former football and basketball all-state performer at Concord (N.C.) High School, Lewis finished the day with five catches for a season-high 161 receiving yards. With a team-high 11 touchdowns on the season, Lewis has eclipsed the century mark for receiving yards in four of his last six outings.
Jones County closed the gap to 21-10 on the first play of the final period, as backup quarterback Robert Ross hit Anthony Jackson with a 5-yard scoring pass. After the two teams traded turnovers four plays apart inside’s EMCC’s red zone, the Bobcats used some trickery on Halloween day to make it a one-score ballgame midway through the quarter. With JCJC lined up for a 44-yard field-goal attempt with 8:41 left on the clock, holder Chris Lofton found Chancellor wide open in the end zone for a 27-yard touchdown pass. However, in trying to go for the two-point conversion, Ross’ pass attempt was intercepted by former Northeast Lauderdale product T.J. Ballou and returned 100 yards the other way. Instead of JCJC potentially cutting the margin to just a field goal, the resulting runback put the home team on top by a 23-16 tally.
The Lions used their ensuing possession to take nearly six minutes off the clock, with Spencer’s 20-yard field goal capping an 11-play drive and leaving but 3:09 on the game clock. In closing out their season with a 6-4 overall record, the Bobcats could only muster a missed 38-yard field-goal attempt by Chancellor during the remainder of the contest.
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 31 October 2009 )
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