SCOOBA — The championship was one year in the making for the East Mississippi Community College football team.
It was two years in the making for the player who made the biggest play of the day.
Columbus native Alexander Lipscomb had the game-changing interception Saturday afternoon to help No. 3 East Mississippi C.C. defeat No. 4 Northwest Mississippi C.C. 38-30 to win the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) State championship.
“I have never been a state champion,” said Lipscomb, who played the final home game of his two-year EMCC career Saturday. “This is the greatest feeling in the world. I have never had a chance to be on a championship team. Other guys have had this experience, but I haven’t, so I feel great. God has blessed me. I am really humbled He placed me here and gave me this opportunity.”
EMCC won its fifth state championship in Buddy Stephens’ nine seasons as head coach. With the win, EMCC earns a spot in the Mississippi Bowl, which is set for Dec. 4 in Perkinston. The final National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) national rankings come out Monday.
If EMCC (10-1) moves to No. 2, it could opt out of the local bowl game and play on the road for the national championship. If EMCC moves to No. 1, the Mississippi Bowl would play host to the national championship game for a third straight season.
Northwest Mississippi C.C. (9-2) led 27-24 at halftime. EMCC scored on the first possession of the second half, as quarterback Vijay Miller’s 2-yard run capped a seven-play, 60-yard drive.
EMCC’s defense then took center stage. T.J. Jallow tipped Cam Bowman’s pass over the middle, which allowed Lipscomb to snare the ball off the deflection and return it to the Northwest Mississippi C.C. 48-yard line.
“I thought the ball had hit the ground at first, but then I realized I had a clean catch and my heart skipped a beat,” Lipscomb said. “It was my first college interception. I had been waiting two years on it. It was just a matter of time. I am glad it came in this game. Again, God put me in the right spot. The defense had a big day.”
Earlier in the season, the EMCC defense struggled to play a consistent game. With the team’s winning streak at 10 games, the defense is playing at a championship level.
In the MACJC semifinals, EMCC led Mississippi Gulf Coast C.C. 17-14 at halftime. The Lions then allowed 10 third-quarter points in a 27-24 victory. EMCC allowed only one field goal in the final half against Northwest Mississippi C.C.
“It’s like we are a total different team,” EMCC sophomore linebacker Diamante Pounds said. “We were missing that confidence earlier in the season. I think there was some doubt we could play championship defense. We kept working at it and the confidence really grew throughout the season.”
When Lipscomb signed with EMCC, the Lions were coming off a school-record setting season on defense in 2014. Lipscomb liked the style and expected the physical, hard-hitting brand of ball to continue.
A year ago, he moved up the depth chart due to injuries. As a sophomore leader this year, the challenge was to get this squad playing like squads from the past.
“We weren’t a very good defense a month ago,” Lipscomb said. “Nobody was happy. It was really frustrating. You know the talent was there, but it wasn’t coming out. It wasn’t showing through. We were giving up a bunch of points and a bunch of big plays. Fortunately, the coaches believed in us. They would ride us one day and encourage us the next. We knew we had that winning combination. We just had to put it all together.”
Chauncey Rivers, Kam Carter, and former Starkville High standout Maleke Bell were dominant on the defensive line. River had two pass deflections at the line of scrimmage and two sacks. Carter added three tackles for loss.
Sophomore linebacker Ryan Lee set the tone when he intercepted a pass and returned it 31 yards for a touchdown to give EMCC a 21-13 lead midway through the second quarter.
“The defense came out really hungry today,” Lee said. “It was championship Saturday, and we really wanted to come out and make a statement. When you play alongside one of the best offenses in the nation, you want to take pride in what you are doing and you want to hold up your end of the equation.
“Today was all about playing that type of championship defense. They have won a lot of championships here playing this way.”
In the second half, big plays were abundant on the defense. Dakota Allen was in on a pass breakup and two quarterback hurries. The Lions got two punts, a takeaway, and a turnover on downs before Northwest Mississippi C.C.’s Drake McCarter hit a 30-yard field goal with 3 minutes, 31 seconds remaining.
Even on the field goal make, the EMCC defense stood tall, as the Rangers drove 77 yards on 12 plays.
EMCC then recovered the onside kick and essentially ran out the clock before Northwest Mississippi C.C. had two desperation plays in the final 12 seconds.
“This team has come a long way, and I am really proud of them,” said Carter, who transferred from Penn State. “Our job is to make life miserable for the other team’s quarterback. We were able to do that.”
Northwest Mississippi C.C.’s misery equaled celebration for EMCC. Even though EMCC has three of the last four state titles, this one is special because it was banned from postseason play a year ago after a brawl in its final regular-season game against Mississippi Delta C.C. The 2016 championship trophy will go where most thought the 2015 trophy would reside.
“This was a long time coming,” Lipscomb said. “In a way, it feels like we won two championships today. For me, this was a big day because I had to wait much longer than I wanted to.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 32 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.