BILOXI — The No. 1 East Mississippi Community College football team knew the time had arrived for a drive.
Scoring never has been a problem for one of the nation’s most prolific offenses. However, the stage was different and the stakes were much higher.
No. 2 Iowa Western C.C. had closed within four points, so if EMCC was going to win Mississippi Bowl VII, the time for a scoring drive was now.
Quarterback Chad Kelly helped EMCC respond by capping a 12-play, 76-yard march with the fourth of his five touchdowns. The score enabled the Lions to answer their tallest challenge in 24 months and go on to a 34-17 victory for the school’s third National Junior College Athletic Association national championship.
“The championship was there and we had to take it,” said Kelly, a sophomore. “You learn early in life that nothing is going to be given to you on a football field. We had worked too hard since the offseason for this moment. We knew what we had to do. We also knew we could do it.”
Kelly saved his best game for his final one at EMCC. While most postgame questions centered around whether Ole Miss or LSU would be his next home, Kelly helped send his current teammates out in style.
Kelly’s final stat line consisted of a season-best 40 completions in a season-best 53 attempts. The 434 yards passing were second most in a game, while the five touchdowns matched a season-high. The fourth — a 7-yarder to Camion Patrick — helped EMCC seal the deal.
“It was like magic,” said EMCC sophomore running back Preston Baker, a former standout at Starkville High School. “You feel humbled to be a two-time national champion. It takes a little while for that to sink in. We feel really blessed. This is why you play the game. We struggled early, but in the end we had a really big day.”
Before a crowd of 2,283 at Biloxi High School, EMCC extended its two-season winning streak to 24 games — the longest streak by a Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges institution. EMCC became the first MACJC school to repeat as national champions. For the 11th time in 12 games, the Lions didn’t trail.
“Special. There is really no other word to describe this team,” said Patrick, a freshman wide receiver from Knoxville, Tennessee. “This is my first year here, but you would have never known we won the championship last year. That was the motivation, though, to go back-to-back. When you needed that one little push, there was always someone around you telling you this is how you win championships.
“You could believe those people because you knew that is what we do here.”
IWCC (11-1) saw its 17-game winning streak snapped. With leading rusher Devon Paye a non-factor (three rushes for -1 yard) due to injury, the Reivers were forced to match the Lions through the air.
It didn’t work.
Quan Latham had two interceptions and Allen Sentimore had another as the Lions forced a season-high five turnovers, all in the first half. Despite the turnovers, EMCC (12-0) only led 21-7 at halftime.
IWCC took advantage of field position and a stiff wind to score on consecutive possessions in the third quarter. Again, the Lions were up to the challenge on defense. Justin Lucas had a critical third-down stop and IWCC settled for a field goal that made it 21-17 with 6 minutes, 54 seconds left in the third quarter.
“Champions have an answer,” EMCC seventh-year coach Buddy Stephens said. “You knew then we were going to see what kind of team we had. Deep down inside, I felt good about it.”
With Kelly in the zone, there was no reason not to feel good about it.
The season’s biggest drive started innocently enough on a 2-yard run by D.J. Law from the EMCC 24-yard line. After Brandon Acker dropped a slant pass on second down, a vocal crowd from Iowa was on its feet. On third down, Kelly hit Patrick, who broke a tackle for an 11-yard gain that was good for a first down.
Another 12-yard pickup to Patrick moved the ball to midfield. A 16-yard pass play to Ja’Marcus Revies converted another third down. Kelly kept for 8 yards and D.J. Law broke off a12-yard run. On second-and-goal, Patrick was all alone in the end zone for the touchdown.
“Chad is our leader,” said Revies, a sophomore from Petal. “When the chips were down, we looked at him to make plays. We have so many talented receivers, no team has an answer for all of us, so we just keep getting open and he keeps getting us the ball.”
EMCC had 15 penalties for 159 yards and committed two turnovers. Still, it had 515 yards and won in dominating fashion just like it did last year in a 52-32 win against Georgia Military College at Biloxi High School.
“The championship run last year was special, but this one is even sweeter,” EMCC sophomore running back Todd Mays said. “To be able to hold that national championship trophy again is pretty awesome.”
Baker put the finishing touches on EMCC’s season of dominance when he caught a 33-yard touchdown pass from Kelly to cap an eight-play, 63-yard drive with 2:48 left.
“A two-time champion,” Baker said. “Think about that. Everybody came after us every game for the last two years. That didn’t matter to us. In the end, we always got it done.”
Follow Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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