The No. 3 East Mississippi Community College football team will try Thursday to go where no other group of Lions has gone.
EMCC can complete its first undefeated regular season at 7 p.m. Thursday with a victory against Holmes C.C. in the final regular-season game for both teams at Ras Branch Field in Goodman. WFCA-FM (107.9) will broadcast the game locally.
“We have a chance to make history,” EMCC sophomore wide receiver Lacoltan Bester said. “But we are not going to stop there. We want to keep winning when the second season starts, too.”
The second season will begin Nov. 5 when EMCC will play host to Mississippi Gulf Coast C.C. or Hinds C.C. in a first-round playoff game. EMCC secured the right to play host to each game it will play in the four-team state playoffs by virtue of winning the North Division championship.
EMCC made it three division championships in the past four seasons Saturday with a 54-0 Homecoming victory against Mississippi Delta C.C.
“Winning the division was the first goal for this season,” EMCC coach Buddy Stephens said. “Now we are in position to play for even bigger championships. I really like the way this team has progressed. Even though we have had success, they have continued to stay focused and continued to work really hard.”
EMCC is 8-0 and 5-0 in the MACJC North Division. The 8-0 start is the second one in school history, and first since 1964. In addition to playing for the undefeated regular season, the Lions also will try for the first 9-0 start in program history. The 1964 squad lost two of its final three and finished 9-2.
In three seasons with Stephens as coach, the Lions have racked up a 21-2 record in division play. EMCC can finish 6-0 in league play for the third time in four years with a victory Thursday night.
While Mississippi Gulf Coast or Hinds will present a challenge next weekend, the regular-season finale could prove something different. The Lions have defeated three South Division opponents by an average margin of 10 points. In the division, the Lions have posted five victories by an average margin of 35 points.
“This team has really grown up a lot this year,” EMCC freshman defensive back Jason Yarbor said. “If you look at our first couple of games, you would find it hard to believe we were the same team. I think what sets this team apart is its focus. We have a drive to be excellent in everything that we do.
“Winning is fun, but we make it a challenge. The offense wants to score every time it has the ball. The defense wants to make a stop every time it has the ball. Everything is intense. Yet we have a lot of fun playing.”
The attention to detail was on full display Saturday. EMCC’s defense had flirted with shutouts two others times only to have Itawamba C.C. and Coahoma C.C. tack on cosmetic touchdowns in the final halves of those games.
Against Delta, EMCC posted its first shutout and held the Trojans to a season-low 125 yards of offense. Delta crossed midfield twice. EMCC also received a defensive score from Amos Tatum, who rambled home with a 61-yard interception return in the closing minutes.
“I was pretty pumped about getting a defensive touchdown,” Stephens said. “It was our first one of the season. It didn’t have any outcome on the game. However, it pumped me up. Our defensive effort was really great Saturday. It has been really great for several weeks now.”
Holmes is 2-6 and 2-3 in division play. It dropped a 66-41 decision to Northwest Mississippi C.C. in Senatobia in its last game. Holmes had 500 yards of offense, but allowed a Bobby Franklin Stadium-record 698 yards to the Rangers.
Northwest built a 24-0 lead after one quarter. However, the Bulldogs scored 20 second-quarter points, including a defensive touchdown, to pull within 31-20 at halftime. Northwest scored on its first two possessions of the second half to put the game away.
“Holmes has some really good athletes on the offensive side of the ball,” Stephens said. “Even though we have clinched, the game still has a lot of meaning. We want to complete the regular season undefeated. That is a big goal. That makes the game Thursday night full of meaning. We want to travel to Holmes, play well, and do the things we are capable of doing.”
EMCC is first in the state in total offense (533 yards per game), first in passing offense (379.3), and seventh in rushing offense (153.8). Holmes is eighth in total offense (347.38), sixth in passing offense (206.25), and eighth in rushing offense (141.13).
EMCC is sixth in the state in total defense (302), fifth in passing defense (181.8), and seventh in rushing defense (120.3). Holmes is last in total defense (386.13), first in passing defense (129.12), and last in rushing defense (257).
With only 277 passing yards against Delta, EMCC freshman quarterback Bo Wallace has slipped to second in the state rankings for the first time in more than a month. Wallace has completed 67.2 percent of his passes and has thrown for 2,967 yards (2 yards less than Pearl River C.C.’s Melvin German) and 32 touchdowns. Of those 32 scores, 18 have come in the past three games.
Freshman running back Rodriguez Moore is third in the state with 774 rushing yards and four touchdowns. Moore recorded his third 100-yard rushing game with 102 yards against Delta. Bester is third in the state in receiving with 656 receiving yards and nine touchdowns.
EMCC lineman Denico Autry has a team-best 55 tackles, which is 27th in the state. Linebacker Michael Pack has 52 tackles. Autry has a team-best four sacks (16th in the state), while defensive back Justin Cox, a former standout at West Point High School and a Mississippi State signee, is sixth in the state with three interceptions.
EMCC has won five straight in the series, including a 38-14 victory last year in the final game at the original Sullivan-Windham Field.
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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