SCOOBA — In one third-quarter stretch, the No. 1 East Mississippi Community College football team registered sacks by linemen Kane Taylor, Everitt Cunningham, and Darel Middleton on three-straight plays.
That was way past the point Copiah-Lincoln C.C. quarterback Hayden Davis had seen enough of the red and black.
Another dominating defensive performance was the theme Saturday afternoon as No. 1 EMCC routed No. 16 Copiah-Lincoln C.C. 31-7 in a semifinal round game of the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) playoffs at Sullivan-Windham Field.
EMCC (10-0) will face No. 6 Jones College (9-1) at 2 p.m. Saturday in Ellisville for the state championship. The Lions will play in a third-straight state championship game.
“We feel like we are the No. 1 defense in the nation,” EMCC freshman linebacker Fred Hervey said. “Our job is to go out there and dominate. If we can shut down the run, then the other team has to pass. If we get the other team where they have to pass, we are at our best. We are just going to tee off and come after the other team’s quarterback.”
The method to the madness has worked for EMCC, which moved to 13-3 in MACJC playoff games under Buddy Stephens.
EMCC has held five opponents to seven or less points.
“The best thing about today was the emotion,” EMCC defensive coordinator Cliff Collins said. “Anytime we can play with that much passion, we are usually in good shape. We are in the playoffs now, so the investment level goes up just a little bit more. We just played with a lot intensity. We played smart, discipline football.”
Co-Lin (6-4) entered the stadium with a swagger. The Wolfpack attempted to stir the Lions up through some intimidation tactics.
Stephens was proud of his team’s composure.
“It was a long day of football and honestly could not be prouder of how our guys handled this moment,” Stephens said. “The job we did to keep our composure was phenomenal. We just approached this like business to be taken care of. We faced a lot of adversity during the game and also had some injuries.
“Proud of the entire team for continuing to battle. We just stayed within ourselves and understood what we are trying to do. In the postseason, we need three wins to reach the ultimate goal (the national championship). This was a huge first step.”
EMCC was in complete control. The Lions had two long scoring drives for a 14-0 halftime lead.
Messiah deWeaver set a career-high with 28 completions in 34 attempts for 275 yards (his second most in a game).
The Lions also showed the balance Stephens wanted by season’s end.
Deon McIntosh inched closer to the 1.000-yard mark with his fifth 100-yard rushing game. McIntosh ran 22 times for 105 yards.
“Proud of the balance for the offense,” Stephens said. “In the last half of the season, we have done a great job of running the football. Earlier in the season, we had some offensive line injuries, so we had to play some people out of position. In this game, we had a couple of players go down but someone else steps up. We are in the playoffs now and everybody can see the end goal.”
While EMCC should benefit from continued balance on offense, the biggest story is on defense.
Co-Lin was held to 200 yards on 56 plays. The Lions wound up with 26 extra plays to gain their 435 yards.
Cunningham was credited with four sacks. The Lions have had nine or more sacks in four games.
“We have taken the fight to the other team quite well this year,” Cunningham said. “You can tell when the other team quits being aggressive. When they let their guard down just a little bit, that’s when we go for the knockout blow. It’s not always perfect. We wanted the shutout. Still, you got to be happy with how the defense is playing. We are going for that championship.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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