EMCC Lions set to compete for fifth MACJC football title against reigning champion Northwest Mississippi
The third-ranked Lions of East Mississippi Community College are set to compete for their fifth MACJC state football championship Saturday afternoon on the Scooba campus against No. 4 Northwest Mississippi Community College. Kickoff between the three-time national champion EMCC Lions and the reigning state and national champion NWCC Rangers is set for 2 p.m. at Sullivan-Windham Field.
SCOOBA – The third-ranked Lions of East Mississippi Community College are set to compete for their fifth MACJC state football championship Saturday afternoon on the Scooba campus against No. 4 Northwest Mississippi Community College. Kickoff between the three-time national champion EMCC Lions and the reigning state and national champion NWCC Rangers is set for 2 p.m. at Sullivan-Windham Field.
Having earned previous state football titles in 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2014 under ninth-year head coach Buddy Stephens, this year's 9-1 EMCC squad has reeled off nine consecutive victories after dropping a 27-25 season-opening decision at Jones County. After concluding the regular season by posting back-to-back 42-0 shutout wins at Coahoma and at home against Hinds, the Lions enter Saturday's state title game in Scooba on the heels of last Saturday's hard-fought 27-24 semifinal home victory over Mississippi Gulf Coast.
With an overall head coaching record of 85-12 (.876) since being hired at EMCC in December 2007, including a 61-4 (.938) ledger over the last six seasons, EMCC's Stephens owns a 9-3 composite mark in MACJC state playoff competition. Under his guidance, the Lions have previously prevailed in all four state championship games in which they've competed. Their three playoff losses (2008, 2010 & 2012) have all come during the state semifinals. This year marks the first time EMCC has faced a fellow MACJC North Division foe for the state football championship after previously knocking off MACJC South members Mississippi Gulf Coast in 2009 (75-71) and again in 2011 (42-17) as well as Jones County in 2013 (61-24) and Copiah-Lincoln in 2014 (54-15) in the title tilt. All but the Co-Lin contest two years ago were contested on the Scooba campus.
As the reigning NJCAA and MACJC football champions from last season, the Northwest Rangers are a combined 20-2 over the last two seasons with both setbacks having come in Scooba. One month ago (Oct. 15) during EMCC's Homecoming Weekend, the Lions earned a 51-32 victory over then-No. 1 Northwest. On the same date last year (Oct. 15, 2015), the Lions handed the then-No. 4 Rangers their lone loss of the year with a 49-16 decision at EMCC's Sullivan-Windham Field. EMCC's Stephens is 8-1 against Northwest since 2008, including a current streak of six straight victories over the Rangers.
In addition, the EMCC Lions are 32-1 at home since their 5,000-seat facility opened in 2011, including a current streak of 22 consecutive home victories over the last four years. East Mississippi's lone loss at the current site of Sullivan-Windham Field was a 47-46 last-second setback to Copiah-Lincoln in the 2012 MACJC state semifinals.
Ranking as the sixth-leading scoring team within the NJCAA ranks with an average of 46.6 points per game, the EMCC Lions continue to be engineered offensively by Florida State transfer quarterback De'Andre Johnson. The two-time NJCAA Offensive Player of the Week recipient currently ranks sixth nationally with an average of 263.6 passing yards per game and is tied for fifth with an MACJC-leading 24 touchdown passes. Johnson also rates as EMCC's leading rusher with 628 rushing yards on the year.
Sophomore running backs Jacquez Horsley, of Starkville, and Florence's Isaiah Wright follow with 461 and 421 rushing yards, respectively, for the Lions. Including freshmen Tyrell Price and Brieton Sykes, EMCC's ball-toting quartet has combined for 18 rushing touchdowns between them on the year. With 31 rushing touchdowns as a team for the season, freshman back-up quarterback Vijay Miller leads the Lions with seven scores on the ground.
Through the air, East Mississippi features five receivers with 20 or more catches on the season. North Pontotoc's Brooks Shannon leads the way with 36 receptions for 427 yards and four touchdowns, followed by fellow sophomores Mario Lanier and Damion Willis with 30 grabs apiece.
Defensively, sophomore linebacker Diamante Pounds picked up EMCC's seventh MACJC Player of the Week honor of the year following his 18-tackle performance during last week's home playoff win over Gulf Coast. The Saltillo High School product joined previous Lion recipients De'Andre Johnson (three times on offense), Dakota Allen (twice on defense) and Taylor Crabtree (once on special teams).
Saturday's EMCC-Northwest battle for this year's state football championship will be broadcast live by WFCA-FM (107.9), out of French Camp, with Charlie Winfield and Jay Perry slated to provide the play-by-play and color commentary, respectively, and Glen Beard set to serve as the Lions' sideline reporter. The radio broadcast will also be carried live through EMCC's campus radio station, WGTC-FM (92.7), originating from the Golden Triangle campus in Mayhew.
In addition, EMCC's live video-streamed football broadcast will be available in HD atwww.EMCCAthletics.com/live. An alternate audio stream of the radio broadcast will also be available atwww.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.