BOONEVILLE — East Mississippi Community College sophomore wide receiver Kalem Reddix is having the time of his life.
“Playing here is the best thing to happen to me in football,” Reddix said. “Every day is treasured. I had no idea it would be this great. Winning games and playing with great teammates. It’s just been special. It really has been.”
Reddix had a big hand with a second-half resurgence as No. 1 EMCC closed an undefeated regular season with a 26-7 victory against Northeast Mississippi C.C. in Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) North Division play Thursday night at Tiger Stadium.
A consistent rain shower destroyed the playing surface at Tiger Stadium. As the rain drops mounted, so did the frustration for EMCC’s offense.
EMCC had eight possessions in the first half. Six went for 13 or fewer yards and four or fewer plays.
Finally, the Lions shrugged off the conditions and the mind games of the Tigers.
EMCC (9-0, 6-0) drove 80 yards on seven plays to take a 14-7 lead with 3 minutes, 21 seconds left in the third quarter. Reddix (four catches for 59 yards) broke open over the middle for a 15-yard catch to help kick start the drive.
“This offense has faced a lot of adversity,” said Reddix, a Mississippi Gulf Coast native, who played at Mississippi Gulf Coast C.C. last season. “We lost one of the best linemen in the state before the season and then some more during the season. (Quarterback) Vijay (Miller) went down. There are a lot of reasons why the offensive production hasn’t been where it normally is in this program.
“Still, we won all of our games. Messiah (deWeaver) is a great leader, and we got two backs (Deon McIntosh and Keon Moore) that can deliver big plays. It’s been a long road to get here, but we are right where we wanted to be when the season started.”
Moore shines
McIntosh, the team’s leading rusher, will have another week to wait in his pursuit of a 1,000-yard rushing season.
On a night where offensive snaps were a mystery, McIntosh finished with 19 yards on 10 carries.
But another Gulf Coast standout picked up the slack. While Reddix played at St. Martin High School, Moore played down the road at Harrison Central High.
Against Northeast C.C., Moore set a new career high with 126 rushing yards on 13 tries. He had a season-long 50-yard touchdown run.
Moore credits McIntosh, a transfer from Notre Dame, for teaching him so much about the game.
“He has taught me how to run behind my pads,” Moore said. “Deon has taught me all these little things to make my game better, but that’s the main thing. He played at Notre Dame, so he has played on the biggest level there is. You can’t help but want to hang out with him, watch him in practice, learn all you can.”
Local flavor
In a difficult season for Northeast C.C. (1-8, 1-5), former Noxubee County High linebacker Terry Joiner has become a standout.
Joiner was credited with a team-high seven tackles, one sack, and one quarterback hurry on Thursday night.
Former Noxubee County High Tigers Kymbotric Mason, a sophomore wide receiver, and Armoni Clark, a freshman quarterback, also are on Northeast Mississippi C.C.’s roster. Mason was recognized on Sophomore Night.
Familiar foe
EMCC will play host to No. 15 Copiah-Lincoln C.C. at 2 p.m. Nov. 3 in an opening-round game of the MACJC playoffs.
The two have a rich recent history.
In the last series meeting in 2015, Co-Lin defeated EMCC 31-24 in overtime at Stone Stadium. That loss snapped EMCC’s 25-game winning streak. The streak fell a win shy of a National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) record.
EMCC coach Buddy Stephens only has 13 losses in his 11 seasons. Co-Lin leads the way with three wins in seven series meetings.
In 2012, Co-Lin ran a kickoff back in the closing seconds for a 47-46 playoff win. It is the only home loss in the last eight seasons at Sullivan-Windham Field. EMCC is 42-1 since it moved to its new field.
“They have cause us a lot of problems over the years,” EMCC sophomore defensive lineman Eriq Kitchen said. “We will have something for them this time.”
The EMCC-Co-Lin winner will face No. 7 Jones College or No. 5 Northwest Mississippi C.C. on Nov. 10 in the MACJC State championship game.
EMCC will enter the postseason on a 14-game winning streak.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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