EMCC Lions set to host Coahoma for Homecoming 2024 at midway point of MACCC football season

SCOOBA – Having reached the midway point of the MACCC's regular-season football schedule, the Lions of East Mississippi Community College are set to close out their brief two-game home stand by playing host to the Coahoma Community College Tigers as part of Saturday's EMCC Homecoming festivities on the Scooba campus. Kickoff for the MACCC North Division contest is set for 2 p.m. at Sullivan-Windham Field.

Along with the presentation of EMCC's 2024 Homecoming Court, Saturday's EMCC-Coahoma halftime activities will also feature the recognition of Larry Anderson as EMCC's 2024 Alumnus of the Year and Michael Ted Evans as EMCC's 2024 Distinguished Service Award recipient.

Saddled with a 1-3 overall record through the season's first four games for the first time since starting 0-3 during their 5-5 campaign in 2010, the EMCC Lions are looking for their first divisional win of the year after dropping back-to-back MACCC North decisions at now-No. 10 Northwest Mississippi (33-14) and at home to Itawamba (36-34) the past two weeks. In interdivisional play to begin the season, EMCC bounced back from a 34-28 season-opening home setback to now-No. 4 Mississippi Gulf Coast with a 43-3 road victory at Hinds the following week.

The Lions will also be aiming for their first home win of the season during Saturday's homecoming contest against Coahoma. Despite having dropped consecutive home decisions for the first time since moving to the current Sullivan-Windham Field location back in 2011, EMCC still owns an impressive 60-7 (.896) composite home record under head coach Buddy Stephens during the past 14 years. The Lions were 43-1 collectively at home during their first eight seasons at the current stadium site (2011-18 – with all five of their NJCAA championships coming during that span), while six of EMCC's seven total home losses at the field's present location have occurred over the past five seasons.    

Guided by second-year head football coach and former Ole Miss All-America offensive lineman Terrence Metcalf, the 2024 Coahoma Tigers are eyeing their first win of the season after falling to Copiah-Lincoln (47-0), Jones (31-16), Holmes (42-23) and Northwest Mississippi (35-16), which are all ranked among the nation's top-15 teams in the current NJCAA Division I football poll. Coahoma is led by 6-foot-3, dual-threat quarterback Ashton Strother, who has totaled 608 passing yards over his last three games and ranks as the team's leading rusher with 108 net rushing yards on the year. The transfer from Missouri Baptist University via Memphis' Christian Brothers High School has accounted for five touchdowns (3 pass & 2 rush) this season. The Tigers also have a scoring threat in kicker/punter Damian Gonzalez, who currently ranks second in NJCAA Division I football with seven made field goals (in 10 attempts) this season, including a pair of successful 53-yard kicks against Jones during Week 2.   

Coahoma currently stands as one of four MACCC schools that EMCC's Stephens remains undefeated against during his EMCC head coaching career. Along with owning 15-0 career records versus Coahoma and Mississippi Delta, he is also 5-0 against MACCC South Division foes East Central and Southwest Mississippi. Most recently against Coahoma, the visiting Lions scored three touchdowns during the opening three minutes and 23 seconds of last year's contest (Oct. 12, 2023) in Clarksdale en route to posting an insurmountable 35-0 first-quarter lead and an eventual commanding 56-0 road victory over the Tigers. In contrast, the year prior in Scooba (Oct. 6, 2022), the visiting Tigers battled the Lions to their closest decision of the head-to-head series (since 2008). EMCC hung on for a hard-fought 24-16 home win despite being outgained by Coahoma in total offense yards, 436-407, including a sizeable 283-90 advantage on the ground for the visitors.

The Lions are unbeaten (15-0) in EMCC Homecoming contests during the Stephens era, including last year's 38-31 Homecoming victory over Northeast Mississippi in a battle of top-15 teams on Oct. 21. With Saturday's upcoming meeting, Coahoma will join Northeast in becoming EMCC's most common homecoming opponents dating back to 2008. Along with current homecoming marks of 4-0 against Northeast (2009, '19, '21 & '23) and 3-0 versus Coahoma (2008, '13 & '17), Stephens' Lions have also defeated Holmes (2012 & '18) and Itawamba (2015 & '22) twice during Scooba homecomings. In addition, Mississippi Delta (2011), Northwest Mississippi (2016), Jones (2014), and Pearl River (2010) have all been one-time homecoming foes since the 2008 season.

Saturday's homecoming matchup between the Lions and Tigers will mark the earliest date for an EMCC Homecoming since EMCC claimed a 48-24 victory over Itawamba during Homecoming 2015 on Sept. 26. The only other previous September homecoming for the Lions during the Stephens era resulted in a record-setting 90-7 triumph over Coahoma that was played on Week 5 (Sept. 28) of East Mississippi's 2013 national championship season.

Saturday's EMCC-Coahoma homecoming contest will be live-streamed at www.EMCCLive.com with Jason Crowder calling the game's play-by-play action. John King and EMCC head men's basketball coach Billy Begley are set to handle the color commentary and sideline reporting duties, respectively.