SCOOBA — East Mississippi Community College ninth-year football coach Buddy Stephens made a phone call looking for closure earlier in the week.
Last season, EMCC and Mississippi Delta C.C. had an ugly benches-clearing brawl in the final game of the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) regular season.
After two Mississippi Delta players rode D.J. Law out of bounds and then held Law down for another attack, both benches cleared. Six altercations took place before law enforcement got the situation under control. Game officials called the game with less than a minute remaining in the first half.
EMCC was awarded the 48-0 victory. However, the then-third-ranked Lions were banned from the MACJC playoffs and were denied a chance to compete for a third-straight National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) national championship.
The teams met for the first time since that altercation Thursday night with No. 9 EMCC routing Mississippi Delta 73-7 at Sullivan-Windham Field.
Stephens reached out to Mississippi Delta fourth-year coach Jeff Tatum and suggested the teams meet at midfield for a joint prayer after the game.
“It was the right thing to do,” Stephens said. “I think this is closure. I looked at it as a way to put the whole incident from last year behind us. It was time to move on, let it go. It is a new start for both programs. The past is now in the past. To the casual fan, it wasn’t a big gesture. To the teams, it was.”
After the team’s formed the traditional handshake line, a huge circle was formed at midfield where players and coaches from both teams got together as a group. The Fellowship of Christian Athletes director from both schools each led a prayer.
“It was a first-class move,” Tatum said. “We both have had to do a lot of healing. I think this helps. I think this was very positive. Hopefully, neither one of us will ever experience again what happened last season.”
The MACJC issued a two-game suspension for all players who left the bench area in last year’s fight. EMCC’s postseason ban served as one game and returning players missed this season’s opening loss at Jones County Junior College. Mississippi Delta played short-handed in its first two games this season, since the Trojans weren’t under postseason consideration last season.
In those two games, Mississippi Delta lost 44-0 to Copiah-Lincoln C.C. and 52-3 to JCJC. The game against Co-Lin has been awarded to Mississippi Delta as a victory because Co-Lin played an ineligible player.
Stephens said it was the first time in his head coaching career two teams came together after a game.
“I think that showed a lot of character and a lot of pride,” EMCC sophomore defensive back and Columbus native Alex Lipscomb said. “It is a sign of respect. Their guys work just as hard as we do. It’s not easy to play this game. (It’s) a lot of hard work and preparation year-round. To have that taken away from you really hurts. This was an opportunity to let go.”
EMCC officials had said they would increase security at home games this season. Additional security has worked all gates leading to the field in each of the school’s first two home games. However, nothing appeared extra Thursday night. Mississippi Delta officials were criticized for not having ample law enforcement and for that enforcement being slow to respond a year ago.
On the field, each team had six penalties. Only one was a personal foul. There was no pushing or shoving and the game was basically over quickly after EMCC built a 24-0 lead after one quarter.
Mississippi Delta parlayed an interception into a 5-yard scoring drive in the second quarter. It was the first time since 2010 Mississippi Delta has scored on EMCC. The last six series meetings have gone to EMCC by a combined 366-7.
EMCC exercised its three second-half timeouts, but that was in large part to give the team more plays to run since elapsed time with a running clock in the second half could be as much as four minutes between a touchdown and the first offensive play of a new drive.
“I think this is the night we can finally put all of us this behind us,” Stephens said. “It has been a long time coming. When the season started we said we were not going to talk anymore about it. However, I think playing this game and getting over that hurdle is huge. It allows us to go forward with more peace.”
Cole shines
A year ago, EMCC defensive back Brian Cole was playing at Michigan.
After a season there as a wide receiver, he is shining as a safety for the Lions.
“We are one big family here. That is what has struck me from the beginning,” Cole said. “(Playing in the MACJC) has been an eye-opening experience. There are so many really great players in this league. It’s a challenge to keep up.”
Cole said Thursday night was his first interview request in Scooba. That honor was earned after a 50-yard fumble return touchdown and a punt block in the victory.
“I think the defense has come a long way as a group,” Cole said. “There are just a lot of really talented players. You just have to take a little time to put it all together. Our communication is much better, and we are showing we are capable of being totally dominant.”
North Division dominance
EMCC won its 21st-straight North Division game with Thursday night. The last division loss came in the final game of the 2012 regular season, when EMCC lost 24-23 at Itawamba C.C.
Elsewhere in the division, No. 2 Northwest Mississippi C.C. joined EMCC as the only two 3-0 teams in the division by beating No. 13 Holmes C.C. 27-12 on Homecoming in Senatobia.
EMCC will play next week at Holmes. It will face Northwest on Oct. 15 for Homecoming in Scooba.
South Division tightens
The MACJC South Division race is even more muddled.
In less than three minutes in the fourth quarter, Copiah-Lincoln C.C. scored 21 points to rally past East Central C.C. 34-23 at Wesson.
During the push, Co-Lin got the ball back when West Point native Jeffrey Drake made his second interception.
Co-Lin, East Central, and Mississippi Gulf Coast share the division lead at 2-1. Each has already played the other two with an even split by all three teams. Jones is 1-1 in the division after a 33-21 home win against Southwest Mississippi C.C. on Thursday.
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Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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