East Mississippi Community College football coach Buddy Stephens began his very successful tenure in Scooba in 2008. Thanks to the MACCC’s scheduling rotation, the 2022 Lions will play a schedule identical to the one they faced during Stephens’ first season.
If history repeats itself, the Lions should do well this fall. Stephens’ first season at EMCC resulted in an 8-1 regular-season record — the Lions’ first winning season in a decade — along with an MACCC North Division title and a trip to the playoffs.
Along with games against their six divisional foes, the Lions will face Copiah-Lincoln, Jones and Mississippi Gulf Coast from the South Division. Jones and Mississippi Gulf Coast are on the Lions’ schedule for the first time since 2017.
The Lions will play four home games and five away games, with the Sept. 1 opener marking the debut of a new playing surface at Sullivan-Windham Field. Back-to-back home games against Northwest Mississippi (Sept. 29) and Coahoma (Oct. 6) will be followed by the Lions’ homecoming game against Itawamba, which will complete the home schedule at 2 p.m. Oct. 22.
The regular season ends on Oct. 27 against Mississippi Delta in Moorhead.
The top two teams in each division will advance to the MACCC playoffs, with semifinal games on Nov. 5 and the championship game on Nov. 12.
The Lions are coming off of their fifth undefeated regular season since 2011. They lost a 42-41 playoff game to 10th-ranked Hinds to end the season at 9-1 with a No. 6 national ranking.
Stephens brings a record of 125-18 into his 15th season. He ranks second all time in the NJCAA in winning percentage (.874) among coaches with at least 100 games. He is the fifth-winningest active JUCO coach in the nation, and he is 30th on the NJCAA all-time wins list.
2022 EMCC football schedule
Sept. 1 COPIAH-LINCOLN 7 p.m.
Sept. 8 at Jones 7 p.m.
Sept. 15 at Holmes 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 22 at Mississippi Gulf Coast 7 p.m.
Sept. 29 NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI 7 p.m.
Oct. 6 COAHOMA 7 p.m.
Oct. 13 at Northeast Mississippi 6:30 p.m.
Oct. 22 ITAWAMBA 2 p.m.
Oct. 27 at Mississippi Delta 6:30 p.m.
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