The East Mississippi Community College football team will have to settle for dominance in the state of Mississippi.
Cut out of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) national championship picture, No. 3 EMCC will fight for a top-three finish when it plays No. 13 Kilgore (Texas) College at 2 p.m. today in the Mississippi Bowl at Mississippi Gulf Coast C.C.’s A.L. May Stadium in Perkinston.
“It’s another great opportunity for our fans,” EMCC coach Buddy Stephens said. “Anytime you play a bowl game in front of your fans, it’s a great opportunity. We are looking forward to this challenge. It will be a great reward for our sophomore class, which had to overcome a lot.”
EMCC is 3-0 in the Mississippi Bowl and 4-0 in bowl games under Stephens. The Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) state champion earns an automatic berth to the Mississippi Bowl.
“The team is looking forward to playing one more game,” EMCC quarterback De’Andre Johnson said. “It has been a special season, even if it doesn’t end in a national championship. We know we could be the best team in the country. We just have to go out and have a good bowl game and send a statement.”
EMCC could move to second based on the outcome of the national championship game between No. 1 Garden City (Kansas) and No. 2 Arizona Western. Garden City (11-0) scored a touchdown in the final 30 seconds to beat Arizona Western 25-22 in the El Toro Bowl in Yuma, Arizona.
EMCC won the NJCAA national championship in 2013 and 2014. A benches-clearing brawl in the final game of the 2015 regular season banned the squad from the postseason.
EMCC played short-handed in this season’s opener because of the brawl and dropped a 27-25 decision to Jones Junior College. After that setback, EMCC roared to 10-straight wins, including two in November that helped the school win its fifth state championship.
“After last season, winning the state championship is a big deal,” said EMCC sophomore running back Jacquez Horsley, a former standout at Starkville High School. “Last season was a disappointment, so we made sure to work hard to get our program back in its proper place. We have a learned about overcoming adversity the last couple of seasons. I think everybody is excited about the chance to play one more game.”
The game will be the final performance for Johnson as a Lion. The nation’s top junior college prospect, the former Florida State quarterback has thrown for 2,483 yards and 25 touchdowns.
Kilgore (6-4) placed second in the Southwest Junior College Football Conference. The Rangers will play in their 21st bowl game. They have lost their last three.
n In other bowl action Saturday, No. 4 Trinity Valley (Texas) beat No. 5 Northwest Mississippi C.C. 34-24 in the Heart of Texas Bowl in Copperas Cove, Texas. The Rangers finished 9-3 a year after winning the national title.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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