BOONEVILLE — Alexander Lipscomb had to be patient when he arrived at East Mississippi Community College in the summer.
Coming in as a freshman out of Columbus High School, Lipscomb knew playing time was going to be at premium. Even so, Lipscomb went hard every day in practice and surprised defensive coordinator Jordan Lesley with the amount of effort he gave in training camp.
In the first three games of the season, Lipscomb played sparingly and saw at the most five minutes at the end of each game. That changed Thursday night, as Lipscomb replaced injured Jalen Boney midway through the second quarter. He played the rest of the game in No. 7 EMCC’s 56-7 victory against Northeast Mississippi C.C.
“Hard work will pay off one day,” Lipscomb said. “I knew this opportunity would come. It was more like, when will it come? Will it come next year? I just tried to stay humble, encourage my teammates in practice, and learn a lot from (Boney).”
EMCC coach Buddy Stephens said Boney will have surgery today to repair his broken leg and will miss the rest of the season.
Even though Lipscomb has a history of going hard in practice, things will be different this week in practice when he takes snaps with the first string.
“He can take a lot. It’s a great film to watch,” Lesley said. “This was a great game for him to get put in (tight) situations, so he can learn how to react.”
Entering Thursday night’s game, Lipscomb had two tackles (one for loss).
T.J. Jallow, Dontavious Powell, and C.J. Reavis make up the rest of the secondary. Reavis had two interceptions in the win, including a 30-yard return for a touchdowns in the second half.
Lipscomb admitted there were a couple of times he lost sight of a receiver that led to a few busted coverages, but he said his performance raised his confidence.
“Mentally, I was getting a little down about not playing, but now it’s like my opportunity’s here and I have to make the most of it,” Lipscomb said.
Lipscomb tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee against Warren Central in his final high school game last November. The injury prevented him from doing a lot in the spring. He said the healing process was hard but, looking back, he’s glad the EMCC coaches took it slow with him.
“I think it was kind of a blessing because I don’t think my knee was really ready to be able to play on the level I’m playing on now,” Lipscomb said.
Lipscomb said his knee hasn’t healed all the way, but it is getting there. Now that he knows he has a chance to start, Lipscomb plans to do his part to help the defense continue to shine. The Lions have allowed 58 points in four games, including seven points in the last eight quarters.
Next Saturday, Lipscomb could earn his first start when Itawamba C.C comes to Scooba for a 2 p.m. kickoff. He feels ready, and Lesley is excited about what’s on the horizon for the 6-foot-1, 190-pound safety.
“He gives you a lot of length in the middle, gives you some power when you roll him down in the slot,” Lesley said. “The more we can do that stuff with him, the better he’ll be.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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