| Fifth-ranked EMCC to play No. 6 Arizona Western in 2009 Mississippi Bowl |
|
|
.jpg "Image") The 2009 Mississippi Bowl, slated for Sunday, Dec. 6 in Biloxi, will pit the No. 5 East Mississippi Lions and the sixth-ranked Matadors of Arizona Western College. General admission tickets for the Dec. 6 bowl contest are available at a pre-sale price of $8 per ticket by ordering online at www.mississippibowl.com or by calling the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Foundation Office at (601) 928-6344. Tickets will be $10 at the gate on the day of the game. Ranked fifth nationally in this week’s NJCAA/JCFootball.com poll, head coach Buddy Stephens’ 10-1 Lions enter the Mississippi Bowl riding a seven-game winning streak after claiming the school’s first-ever state football championship with a 75-71 home triumph over the two-time defending state champions of Mississippi Gulf Coast earlier this month (Nov. 7). With a composite two-year mark of 18-3 under Stephens’ guidance, EMCC has claimed back-to-back MACJC North Division championships and made consecutive state football playoff appearances for the first time in school history. Guided by second-year head coach Tom Minnick, the Matadors of Arizona Western College are 9-1 on the year as regular-season co-champions (with Snow College) of the Western States Football League. Based in Yuma, Ariz., AWC’s lone setback of the year was a 40-33 loss at New Mexico Military Institute back on Oct. 17. While EMCC’s potent offensive attack is directed by All-America quarterback candidate Randall Mackey, Arizona Western features the nation’s leading rusher in freshman running back Reggie Bullock of Las Vegas. Despite missing a pair of late-season games due to injury, Bullock averages an NJCAA-best 162 rushing yards per game and trails only Vick Ballard of Mississippi Gulf Coast with 17 rushing touchdowns on the season. Having tied the school record with 10 wins this season, the 2009 Lions will be making the program’s first postseason bowl appearance since Hall of Fame head coach Bob “Bull” Sullivan’s 10-1-1 EMJC squad claimed the 1963 Hospitality Bowl title with an 18-14 victory over Tyler (Texas) Junior College in a contest played in Gulfport. Prior to that, Sullivan’s Lions posted a 13-6 win over Marion (Ala.) Military Institute in the Columbus-hosted 1962 Magnolia Bowl, while also dropping a 26-0 decision to Wharton (Texas) Junior College during the 1961 Hospitality Bowl in Gulfport. In addition, Sullivan’s first East Mississippi team fell, 46-20, to Holmes in the 1950 Laurel Lions Bowl. This year’s other NJCAA football bowl games include: top-ranked Fort Scott CC (Kan.) vs. No. 2 Blinn College (Texas) in the Citizen’s Bank Bowl (Dec. 6 in Pittsburg, Kan.); No. 3 Grand Rapids CC (Mich.) vs. No. 8 Snow College (Utah) in the Zions Bank Top of the Mountains Bowl (Dec. 5 in Salt Lake City, Utah); No. 4 Navarro College (Texas) vs. No. 7 Mississippi Gulf Coast CC in the C.H.A.M.P.S. Heart of Texas Bowl (Dec. 5 in Copperas Cove, Texas); No. 9 Central Lakes College (Minn.) vs. No. 13 Ellsworth CC (Iowa) in the Graphic Edge Bowl (Nov. 22 in Cedar Falls, Iowa); Glendale CC (Ariz.) vs. No. 11 Dean College (Mass.) in the Valley of the Sun Bowl (Dec. 5 in Phoenix, Ariz.); No. 14 Rochester CTC (Minn.) vs. No. 19 Coffeyville CC (Kan.) in the North Star Bowl (Nov. 21 in Rochester, Minn.); and No. 16 New Mexico Military Institute vs. No. 20 Hutchinson CC (Kan.) in the Central Bank Salt City Bowl (Dec. 5 in Hutchinson, Kan.). |
|
| Last Updated ( Tuesday, 17 November 2009 ) |
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|