Third-ranked EMCC begins defense of MACJC state championship Saturday at No. 6 Jones County

SCOOBA – The third-ranked Lions of East Mississippi Community College begin defense of their MACJC state football championship by traveling to Ellisville to take on the sixth-ranked Jones County Junior College Bobcats during Saturday's state semifinals.  State playoff action is set for a 1 p.m. kickoff at JCJC's Bobcat Stadium/Sim Cooley Field.

Saturday's other opening-round MACJC matchup will have MACJC North top seed Northwest Mississippi (7-1, 5-1) playing host to MACJC South runner-up Hinds (6-2, 5-1) in Senatobia.  The two winners from Saturday's action will advance to compete for the MACJC state championship the following Saturday (Nov. 11) at the site of the highest seeded MACJC North team remaining in the playoffs.

Having climbed two more notches to No. 3 in this week's NJCAA Top 20 poll behind top-ranked Iowa Western and No. 2 Arizona Western, the EMCC Lions are 8-1 overall after earning a 51-41 road win over then-No. 7 Hinds last Saturday in Raymond to close out the regular season.  Set to make their ninth MACJC state playoff appearance in 10 years under head coach Buddy Stephens' guidance, the second-seeded Lions' lone loss of the year was a 61-38 road setback to now-No. 4 Northwest Mississippi last month in Senatobia.  EMCC had claimed the previous six straight MACJC North Division titles (2011-16) prior to this year's runner-up finish to the Northwest Rangers.

Continuing to lead the national junior college scoring ranks with an average of 50.9 points per game on the year, the EMCC Lions stand fifth nationally both in total offense (508.8 yds/gm) and passing yards (299.1 yds/gm) as well as ranking third with 33 rushing touchdowns as a team for the season.

Individually for the Lions, LSU transfer quarterback Lindsey Scott Jr. ranks fourth among the NJCAA's statistical leaders in passing yards (286.6 yds/gm), fifth in pass completion percentage (66.4%) and sixth nationally with 22 passing touchdowns.  On the ground, EMCC sophomore running back Tyrell Price is tied with Pearl River quarterback Markevion Quinn for the national lead with 17 rushing touchdowns apiece.

Guided by second-year head coach Steve Buckley, the No. 6 Jones County Bobcats are also 8-1 overall on the season as undefeated (6-0) MACJC South Division champions.  Ranked fifth nationally averaging 43.8 points per contest with 35 rushing touchdowns (2^nd in the NJCAA), JCJC has reeled off eight consecutive wins after dropping its season opener, 47-34, on the road to East Mississippi (Aug. 31 in Scooba).  Individually for the Bobcats, sophomore running back Scott Phillips is 24 yards shy of reaching the 1,000-yard mark and has 13 rushing touchdowns for the year.

As the school's all-time leader in career wins with a 10-year head coaching mark of 95-13 (.880) and ranked as the NJCAA's all-time leader in career winning percentage for coaches with 100 or more career games coached, EMCC's Stephens owns a career mark of 6-2 against Jones County (5-0 in Scooba & 1-2 in Ellisville).  The Lions and Bobcats have opened the past two seasons against each other with EMCC prevailing, 47-34, during this year's season opener in Scooba and JCJC coming out on top, 27-25, during Week 1 a year ago in Ellisville.  East Mississippi claimed the 2013 MACJC state championship with a 61-24 home triumph over Jones County in the title game contested at EMCC's Sullivan-Windham Field.

Along with owning three national championships (2011, 2013 & 2014), EMCC's Stephens has directed the Lions to five MACJC state championships (2009, '11, '13, '14 & '16) in the past eight years.  With a 10-3 career record during the state playoffs, Stephens' Lions are 5-0 in state title game appearances, while the three setbacks have come during opening-round playoff action (2008, '10 & '12).     

EMCC's weekly live video-streamed football broadcasts are 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.

In addition, Saturday's EMCC-JCJC playoff contest will be broadcast live by WFCA-FM (107.9), out of French Camp, immediately following the conclusion of the Mississippi State-UMass football game.  Charlie Winfield is slated to call the play-by-play action during the EMCC broadcast with Glen Beard providing the color commentary.