Five-time reigning MACJC North champion EMCC Lions to kick off home slate and division play against unbeaten Northeast

SCOOBA – The 14^th-ranked Lions of East Mississippi Community College begin defense of their current string of five consecutive MACJC North Division football titles by playing host to the Northeast Mississippi Community College Tigers Thursday evening on the Scooba campus.  Kickoff for Thursday's home opener and division lid-lifter for the Lions is set for 7 p.m. at EMCC's Sullivan-Windham Field. 

Bouncing back from their tough 27-25 season-opening setback at now-No. 13 Jones County, the EMCC Lions evened their season record at 1-1 with a convincing 45-7 road triumph over then-No. 17 Mississippi Gulf Coast last Thursday in Perkinston.  In his ninth year as EMCC's head football coach with a 77-12 (.865) career record, Buddy Stephens' three-time national champion Lions have now prevailed in 53 of their last 57 contests dating back to their first national title in 2011.

With seven regular-season division crowns (2008-09, 2011-15) to their credit over the past eight years, the EMCC Lions have posted a 45-3 (.938) composite record against MACJC North Division opponents dating back to the 2008 campaign, including a current streak of 18 consecutive division victories that encompasses the last three seasons.  EMCC's most recent division loss came at Itawamba (24-23) to close out the 2012 regular season.

Along with being 23-1 in division road games since 2008, the Lions are 21-2 in division play at home (not including a 40-34 win over Itawamba played at West Point in 2008) under Stephens' guidance.  EMCC owns a current streak of 16 consecutive MACJC North Division home wins dating back to the 2010 season when the Lions dropped home division decisions to Northwest Mississippi and Northeast Mississippi.

Since that 49-42 home loss to Northeast six years ago (Oct. 7, 2010), the Lions have won 24 consecutive regular-season home contests.  Entering the current campaign owning a 38-6 (.864) composite home record in eight-plus seasons under Stephens' leadership, EMCC's only home setback at Sullivan-Windham Field has been a 47-46 loss to eventual state champion Copiah-Lincoln in the 2012 MACJC state semifinals.  Now 27-1 in their 5,000-seat home facility that opened in 2011, the Lions currently own a 17-game home win streak since that playoff loss to Co-Lin four years ago.

Most recently with their team at full strength for the first time since being saddled with an MACJC-mandated, two-game suspension for last year's season-ending, on-the-field altercation at Mississippi Delta, the EMCC Lions scored 45 unanswered points in earning a decisive 45-7 road victory over previously nationally ranked Mississippi Gulf Coast last Thursday in Perkinston.  Marking his EMCC playing debut, Florida State transfer quarterback De'Andre Johnson threw for 235 yards and three touchdowns on 22-of-35 passing a week ago at Gulf Coast while adding another 56 yards on the ground.  Johnson and back-up signal caller Vijay Miller connected with nine different receivers on the evening, led by sophomore Brooks Shannon's five catches for 88 yards and a touchdown.

Defensively last week, the Lions limited MGCCC to less than 200 yards of total offense for the game with 10 tackles behind the line of scrimmage.  While forcing seven three-and-out possessions on the night, EMCC also had interceptions from defensive back Dontavius Powell, linebacker Diamante Pounds and defensive lineman Kam Carter against the Bulldogs.

Guided by second-year head coach Greg Davis, the Tigers of Northeast Mississippi are 2-0 on the young season after posting three-point victories over Pearl River (17-14 in Booneville) and East Central (24-21 at Decatur) to open the year.

Under Stephens' direction, the EMCC Lions are 7-1 against Northeast Mississippi dating back to the 2008 season, which includes a 4-0 record in games played in Booneville and a 3-1 mark in contests held on the Scooba campus.  Most recently in the series, last year's EMCC squad scored 28 third-quarter points to blow open a 21-7 halftime lead en route to a recording a 56-7 road triumph over the Tigers.  Two years ago in Scooba, three defensive touchdowns on pick-six scores by Demetrius Cain (now at Troy), Allen "Bo" Sentimore (Arkansas State) and Quan Latham lifted the Lions to a 65-7 home victory over NEMCC.                                

Thursday's MACJC North Division opener between EMCC and Northeast will be broadcast live by WFCA-FM (107.9), out of French Camp, with Jason Crowder and Charlie Winfield slated to provide the play-by-play and color commentary, respectively, and Glen Beard set to serve as the Lions' sideline reporter.  EMCC's 2016 football radio broadcasts will also be carried live by SuperTalk Mississippi (WZKR-FM 103.3) out of Meridian as well as through EMCC's campus radio station, WGTC-FM (92.7), originating from the Golden Triangle campus in Mayhew.

In addition, EMCC's weekly live video-streamed football broadcasts will be available in HD at www.EMCCAthletics.com/live.  Alternate audio streams of the radio broadcasts are also available at www.wfca.fm.  Fans are also encouraged to follow EMCC Athletics through the college's athletics website, www.EMCCAthletics.com, and on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (@EMCCAthletics) via the school's social media hub at www.EMCCAthletics.com/Social-Media-Hub.