SCOOBA – The two-time reigning MACCC football champion East Mississippi Community College Lions have announced their 2024 gridiron slate.

EMCC’s nine-game, regular-season football schedule kicks off Aug. 29 with a conference semifinals rematch against MACCC South Division foe Mississippi Gulf Coast on the Scooba campus. A year ago in the MACCC football playoffs, the Lions claimed a 33-21 home win over the Bulldogs before moving on to capture their ninth conference championship in 15 years with a 27-20 home victory over Copiah-Lincoln in the title tilt.

The Lions’ month of September begins with challenging road contests against MACCC South Division opponent Hinds and perennial MACCC North Division power Northwest Mississippi, before consecutive home division games versus Itawamba and Coahoma close out the month. With a 2 p.m. Saturday afternoon start time at Sullivan-Windham Field on the Scooba campus, the Coahoma contest during Week 5 will mark EMCC’s earliest homecoming playing date since the 2015 football season.

Following the MACCC’s newly implemented bye week during the first week of October, head coach Buddy Stephens’ reigning national runners-up will play three of their last four regular-season games on the road. After traveling to Booneville to meet Northeast Mississippi and taking on MACCC South Division foe Pearl River in Poplarville, the Lions will wrap up their regular-season home slate against Mississippi Delta on Oct. 24. EMCC’s regular-season finale will be played at Holmes with a 3 p.m. kickoff for the Bulldogs’ homecoming contest in Goodman on Halloween. 

Featuring the top two teams from each division based on regular-season division play, the 2024 MACCC football playoffs will begin on Nov. 9 with semifinal-round action. The MACCC championship game will be played Nov. 16.  

With a 16-year head coaching record of 143-24 (.856) with the Lions, EMCC’s Stephens enters the upcoming 2024 football season ranked second on the NJCAA’s all-time list for career winning percentage among coaches with 100 or more career games coached. Along with ranking tied for third among the NJCAA’s winningest active head football coaches, Stephens is currently tied for 23rd on the NJCAA’s all-time wins list and is fifth in Mississippi junior college football history. In addition to the Lions’ nine conference titles (2009, ’11, ’13-14, ’16-18 & ’22-23) in the last 15 years, Stephens’ EMCC football teams have also captured five national championships (2011, ’13-14 & ’17-18), along with last year’s national runner-up finish, as well as 11 division crowns (2008-09, ’11-16, ’18, ’21 & ’23) dating back to the 2008 season.

2024 EMCC FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

Aug. 29 – MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST – SCOOBA – 7:00 p.m.

Sept. 5 – at Hinds – Raymond – 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 12 – at Northwest Mississippi* – Senatobia – 7:00 p.m.

Sept. 19 – ITAWAMBA* – SCOOBA – 7:00 p.m.

Sept. 28 – COAHOMA* (Homecoming) – SCOOBA – 2:00 p.m.

Week of Sept. 30-Oct. 6 – MACCC BYE WEEK

Oct. 10 – at Northeast Mississippi* – Booneville – 7:00 p.m.

Oct. 17 – at Pearl River – Poplarville – 7:00 p.m.

Oct. 24 – MISSISSIPPI DELTA* – SCOOBA – 7:00 p.m.

Oct. 31 – at Holmes* – Goodman – 3:00 p.m.

*MACCC North Division game