EMCC Lions to close out football season at No. 8 Holmes with 3 p.m. kickoff on Halloween

SCOOBA – The Lions of East Mississippi Community College are set to close out their 2024 football slate in Goodman by taking on the eighth-ranked Holmes Bulldogs during Thursday afternoon's MACCC North Division action. Kickoff for the EMCC-Holmes Homecoming matchup on Halloween is set for 3 p.m. at Ras Branch Field.

Entering their season finale with a 4-4 overall record and 3-2 division mark, the EMCC Lions are aiming to keep their current streak of 15 consecutive non-losing football seasons intact under the guidance of 17^th-year head coach Buddy Stephens. To date, the Lions have gone at least 4-2 within the division every season in which they've played since 2008, and only once during the Stephens era (5-5 in 2010) have they not had a winning overall record.

Despite last week's commanding 49-0 home shutout victory over Mississippi Delta, the Lions find themselves on the outside looking in when the MACCC football playoffs begin next week. The two-time reigning MACCC champions have participated in 14 conference playoffs with an 18-5 composite record and nine championships dating back to the 2008 season. This year will mark only the third time that the Stephens-led Lions will not participate in postseason gridiron action. Previously, East Mississippi opted out of the 2020 football season due to health concerns caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The 2015 EMCC squad was ruled ineligible to participate in the conference playoffs following an on-field altercation that occurred late in the first half of the team's 48-0 win at Mississippi Delta in the regular-season finale and ultimately resulted in a two-game suspension for the entire team.

Guided by third-year head football coach Marcus Wood, who played football at EMCC as well as having previously served as an assistant football coach (offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach) and college administrator on the Scooba campus, Holmes currently owns records of 7-1 overall and 4-1 in division play. Previously ranked as high as sixth nationally for two weeks following a 7-0 start, the Bulldogs dropped a heartbreaking 37-35 road decision a week ago at Northwest Mississippi on a Hail Mary touchdown pass thrown from midfield on the last play of the game. The week prior at Itawamba, Holmes pulled out a last-second 27-24 road victory over the Indians with a 32-yard field goal.   

Wood's Holmes coaching staff also has some East Mississippi connections. Co-defensive coordinator/linebackers coach C.J. Johnson previously served on Stephens' EMCC coaching staff, while current Holmes running backs coach De'Andre Johnson and wide receivers coach Kameron Myers both played for the Lions.

With career coaching marks of 147-28 overall (.840) and 85-10 (.895) in MACCC North Division contests during his 17 seasons as EMCC's head football coach, Stephens owns a 14-1 career record (8-0 in Scooba; 5-1 in Goodman & 1-0 in Ridgeland) against Holmes through the years. Last season in Scooba (Sept. 21, 2023), the home-standing Lions produced their highest point total since their 2017 national championship season with a decisive 65-17 triumph over Holmes. The game was highlighted by six touchdown passes thrown by reigning NJCAA Division I Offensive Player of the Year Ty Keyes as well as pick-sixes by defensive backs Shannon Blair and Bakari McCall. Two years ago (Sept. 15, 2022) in the first head-to-head coaching meeting between Stephens and Wood, the visiting Lions claimed a 45-9 victory over the Bulldogs in a game played at Ridgeland High School. EMCC's most recent visit to Goodman (Oct. 10, 2019) resulted in a 49-42 Holmes win during an offensive slugfest that featured 1,005 yards of total offense, 91 total points scored, and 49 first downs combined between the two teams.  

Thursday's EMCC-Holmes contest will be broadcast live by WFCA-FM (107.9), out of French Camp, with Jason Crowder and Glen Beard slated to provide the play-by-play and color commentary, respectively. Jay Perry is set to handle sideline reporting duties. The game's live-streamed audio will also be carried by EMCC's campus radio station, WGTC-FM (92.7), originating from the Golden Triangle campus in Mayhew. Along with EMCC's weekly live video-streamed football broadcasts being available in HD at emcclive.com, alternate audio streams of the Lions' radio broadcasts throughout the football season will also be accessible via wfca.fm.