Thursday’s EMCC-Holmes gridiron contest can be heard on WFCA-FM (107.9) – the Voice of French Camp Academy – with Jason Crowder handling the play-by-play duties.
Coach Buddy Stephens’ EMCC squad dropped a tough 23-19 road decision to seventh-ranked Jones County this past Saturday in Ellisville after opening the campaign with a 28-9 home triumph over Copiah-Lincoln on Aug. 28. The Bulldogs of Holmes Community College are also 1-1 on the young season following their 37-21 road win over East Central. Holmes opened 2008 with a 23-16 setback at Pearl River Community College. Thursday’s game will mark the Bulldogs’ season home opener.
As a team, the 1-1 Lions rank third among the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) statistical leaders in passing offense (230.5 yards/game) and fourth in total offense (340.0 yards/game) behind the play of freshman quarterback Randall Mackey of Bastrop (La.) High School. Defensively, East Mississippi is tied for second in the league behind Mississippi Gulf Coast in turnover margin (+3), while ranking third in passing defense (145.0 yards/game) behind Pearl River and Holmes.
Individually, Mackey presently ranks second among the MACJC leaders in passing yards per game (230.5) and third in passing efficiency with a 148.4 rating. Three EMCC players currently rank among the top 13 receivers in the league, with eight different players having been on the receiving end of Mackey passes through the first two games. Sophomore Mike Outlaw of Starkville sits third with 10 catches for a league-most 159 receiving yards, while fellow sophomores Leon Berry and Montrez Mosley follow with eight and seven receptions, respectively. Sophomore strong safety Alex Hill of West Point is tied for second in the MACJC with a pair of interceptions on the year – both coming in EMCC’s season-opening home win over Copiah-Lincoln to earn him player of the week honors.
The Lions will be looking to make it three straight series wins over Holmes, having edged the Bulldogs, 31-30 in overtime, last year in Scooba and earning a narrow 9-6 road victory two seasons ago in Goodman.
East Mississippi will play its third consecutive road contest next Thursday (Sept. 18) by venturing to Perkinston to meet the second-ranked and reigning co-national champion Mississippi Gulf Coast Bulldogs. Kickoff next Thursday at MGCCC is set for 7 p.m. at A.L. May Memorial Stadium. The Lions then return to Sullivan-Windham Field on the EMCC campus to play two straight home divisional contests by playing host to Northwest Mississippi on Thursday, Sept. 25 and taking on Coahoma during Homecoming festivities on Saturday, Oct. 4.