FULTON — The No. 12 Itawamba Community College football team will look for its first 4-0 start to season since 1996 at 7 p.m. Thursday when it plays host to Holmes C.C. at Eaton Field.
“It’s going to be a battle,” ICC football coach Jon Williams. “Holmes is much better than their record indicates and after their win last week they are going to come in with a lot of confidence and hungry for another win.”
ICC (3-0, 1-0 MACJC North) jumped eight spots in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) national rankings after defeating Mississippi Delta C.C. (0-3, 0-1) 39-9. Backup quarterback Griff Loftis had 331 yards and three touchdowns. Running backs Courtney Gladney and Tobias Lofton also sparked an improved ground game.
“I was proud of the way our guys responded,” Williams said. “We didn’t have our starting quarterback or running back and guys stepped in and stepped up for us all night. As coaches you like to see when players take advantage of their moment to shine in the spotlight.”
Rashad Pargo, of Aberdeen, had 121 yards and two touchdowns for the Indians, who had 474 yards of total offense in the victory.
ICC held Mississippi Delta to 218 yards, led by CJ Jackson’s 11-tackle performance, while Randal Boyd and Ted Esom had breakout performances.
“I thought we had some guys make major steps in playing to their potential,” Williams said. “It’s up to us to build on the positives and the confidence to keep getting better because as coaches we are never satisfied and we want that attitude to be contagious amongst our players.”
Mississippi Delta (1-2, 1-0) notched its first win of the season with a 34-14 victory against Northeast Mississippi C.C. (1-2, 0-1). Sophomore quarterback Dennis Robertson rushed for 61 yards and completed 18 of 28 passes for 159 yards.
Defensively, the Bulldogs forced the Tigers into eight turnovers and had four sacks.
“They are very physical and aggressive on defense,” Williams said. “They held a good Jones County team to 10 points and only allowed Northeast to score 14 points last week. Coach (Chris) Woods has a great track record of good defensive teams throughout his career.”
The game can be heard starting with the Davis Ford Pregame Show at 6:40 on WAFM 95.7 FM (Amory).
n In related news, ICC will play host to Military Appreciation Night on Oct. 4 when it plays host to Copiah-Lincoln C.C.
At halftime, past and current members of the armed forces will be invited to be a part of a special recognition ceremony on Eaton Field. Other plans include static displays and a presentation of colors by an Armed Services color guard.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on the Fulton Campus. Admission will be free to all past and current members of the armed forces and their families.
For more information on Military Appreciation Night, call Jennie Cates at 662-862-8272.
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