East Mississippi Community College freshman defensive back JaQuez Akins likes where his team is headed.
“We are close to being a championship team on defense,” Akins said. “We have 11 guys flying around making plans. This team has some speed and some talent. It’s fun playing defense here.”
EMCC allowed a season-high 601 yards total offense against Itawamba Community College. Still, the top-ranked Lions made enough plays in the second half to post a 48-24 victory.
EMCC will play its second game as the nation’s top-ranked team Thursday against Mississippi Delta Community College.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Jim Randall Stadium in Moorhead.
“Playing with confidence right now,” EMCC 10th-year head coach Buddy Stephens said. “The offense is making strides. The defense is playing at a high level. We have some things to clean up. The bottom line is being 1-0 each week. We are trying to not get too far ahead. The task at hand is the only thing that matters. If you can go 1-0 each week, those weeks add up.”
EMCC (4-0, 2-0 division) will be halfway to a seventh straight Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) North Division championship with a win. Thursday’s contest sets the stage for a mammoth showdown with No. 3 Holmes Community College next week in Scooba.
“We are hungry for a championship,” EMCC sophomore linebacker Quin Jones said. “The defense has been working hard to get to that point. The national championship teams around here have been elite on defense. We have a chance to become one of those elite-type teams.”
The teams will play in Moorhead for the first time since a benches-clearing brawl in the final game of the 2015 regular season. EMCC was leading 48-0 late in the second quarter when the benches emptied and the contest was called after about a 10-minute altercation.
EMCC was awarded the victory but was banned from the MACJC playoffs. When the teams met last season, EMCC won 73-7 in Scooba. In the postgame, both teams gathered for a join prayer at midfield.
“We have grown from that moment,” Stephens said. “It was a horrific night. The players are focused on this being a business trip. We want to play hard, play well and find a way to win another division game.”
In the win over Itawamba, Lindsey Scott, Jr. completed 21 of 35 passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns. Tyrell Price (19 rushes, 120 yards, 2 TDs) and Ja’Mori Mark (5 rushes, 106 yards, 1 TD) teamed up to give the Lions their first pair of 100-yard rushers in a game this season.
EMCC has scored 47 or more points in each of the first four games of the season.
“The biggest thing about the last couple of weeks has been the balance,” Stephens said. “To win championships, you have to be able to run the football. We are beginning to see the balance we want to see. We feel like we have the three best running backs in the state.”
EMCC has won nine straight in the series.
Delta (0-4, 0-2) has scored two touchdowns this season. The Trojans are averaging 54.5 yards per game.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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