BOONEVILLE — East Mississippi Community College sophomore defensive lineman Eriq Kitchen knew the time had come to make a play.
The No. 1 EMCC football team was unexpectedly in a tight game. A persistent rain had turned the playing surface of Tiger Stadium into a mud pit. The Lions were leading on the scoreboard, but their undefeated regular season was in jeopardy.
After Northeast Mississippi C.C.’s DJ Strong returned the second-half kickoff 81 yards, EMCC faced four plays from its 4-yard line to protect a 6-0 lead.
On third-and-goal at the 1 and then fourth-and-goal at the 2, Kitchen turned Northeast Mississippi C.C. away twice. The goal-line stand was a defining moment in a 26-7 Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) North Division victory.
“That is what this team lives for, moments like that,” Kitchen said. “It’s just man on man. We had a goal line to protect. We had an undefeated season to protect. Pretty much this was a hard game to play. At that time, there were no excuses. Plays just had to be made.”
EMCC improved to 9-0 and finished North Division regular-season play 6-0. The Lions finished an undefeated regular season for the fourth time in program history, including the first time since 2014.
“I had never played on an undefeated football team,” said EMCC freshman running back Keon Moore, who had 13 carries for 126 yards. “This was a pretty big deal. This was a big game for me. I had no idea how many yards I had. I just knew we had to do some things on offense. It wasn’t a fun night to play the game. We just had to make do and get the win.”
After the stop to start the second half, Northeast Mississippi C.C. (1-8, 1-5) continued to have the better of the field position. It grabbed a 7-6 lead one possession later on 23-yard drive that was set up by a bad snap on fourth down and a 19-yard punt by EMCC.
Two possessions later, EMCC made everyone on the visitors’ side breath easier with an 80-yard, seven-play drive that coincided with the only time the rain let up. Messiah deWeaver had four completions on the drive, including a 29-yard touchdown to Adrian Miller.
But Moore was the offensive star. He had his first 100-yard rushing performance thanks in part to a 50-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter that to put the game away.
“We pretty much did everything we could to give this game away,” EMCC coach Buddy Stephens said. “Whether it was a missed assignment, missed tackle, penalty, or turnover. We did it all. It was just not our best night. Credit to the kids for finding a way to win the game. After a certain time, you just want to come away with the win.”
On a night where the teams combined for six turnovers, 22 penalties, and a bevy of special teams’ adventures, EMCC’s defense delivered another masterful performance, holding Northeast C.C. to 61 yards. The Tigers ran the ball 39 times for 1 yard.
EMCC has held four opponents to less than 100 yards. The 61 yards was a season-best for EMCC.
“Everyone is really playing great on the defense,” Kitchen said. “We just set goals of under 100 yards and shutouts each week. We did the yards part and were close to a shutout. It’s just a testament of the attitude of this team. We had a lot of things go against us, but we kept battling. This is some championship defense. We just have to keep it up.”
The defense even found its way into the scoring column on a 35-yard fumble return touchdown by Kane Taylor. This score came 26 seconds before Moore broke loose to find the end zone.
Former West Point standout Everitt Cunningham had eight tackles, including two-and-a-half sacks. Kitchen, Taylor, and Jeremiah Braziel had fumble recoveries, while Shavoke Herrington had an interception. The Lions had 16 tackles for loss.
EMCC will play host to No. 15 Copiah-Lincoln C.C. at 2 p.m. Nov. 3 to open the MACJC playoffs.
“We have nine days to rest up and get ready for the playoffs,” Stephens said. “Super proud of this team to go undefeated in the regular season. The last three teams to do that (won the National Junior College Athletic Association championship). That’s a good sign.
“This group has done everything we have asked of them. They have overcome adversity and won some tight games. The weekend will be good for them to clear their minds, to rest up, and to get ready. It will be time to give a great effort when we play again.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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