MERIDIAN —
Prior to finishing off an unbeaten season with an El Toro Bowl win against Arizona Western to clinch the NJCAA national championship last December, East Mississippi Community College had never been ranked No. 1.
Now that they got it, it looks like the defending champion Lions have no plans on relinquishing the top ranking as they open the 2012 season atop the NJCAA national rankings that were released Wednesday.
“It’s a tremendous compliment and a tremendous honor,” EMCC coach Buddy Stephens said. “But I don’t think they give out trophies for being No. 1 in the preseason.
“It doesn’t mean much other than people are going to talk about it for awhile. But after that first game, it doesn’t mean much unless you take care of business you put yourself in position to play in a nice bowl game and nice rewards.”
Following the Lions are Butler (Kan.) Community College, Arizona Western, Mississippi Gulf Coast and Blinn (Texas) College.
Other MACJC schools ranked in the preseason top 20 are Hinds at No. 6 and Northwest Mississippi at No. 11.
And with three other state schools ranked and the talent that resides across the league, Stephens is aware of the target that has now been placed on his Lions.
“It gives everybody fodder for the game,” he said. “It makes the bull’s-eye even bigger on you and we’re going to have to deal with that. We’ll prepare the way we always have. But it gives other people more reason to want to beat your butt.”
Still, Stephens and EMCC will take the honor as a compliment for the hard work put in to earn the respect nationally. Prior to his arrival, EMCC had played in just one playoff game. The Lions have since played in six state playoff games, winning two state championships and have a Mississippi Bowl win and an El Toro Bowl win.
“When we first came here, we said we wanted to be thought of in this manner and this light,” Stephens added. “We wanted to be thought of as one of the best teams in the country, and this proves that people think highly of us and that’s great.
“It’s been a lot of hard work by a lot of people. Our assistants do a great job and we’ve had some great players.
“We’ll take it with a tremendous amount of appreciation. And we’ll be very humbled by it. Now we just have to go out and earn it.”
CONFERENCE PICKS
In addition to a top 20 ranking, the NJCAA also released conference predictions, which include EMCC pegged to win its fourth MACJC North Division championship in Stephens’ five seasons in Scooba. The Lions also made the state playoffs in 2010, the lone season they didn’t win the division.
Following EMCC, which has gone 36-8 the past four years, in the North are Northwest, Itawamba, Northeast Mississippi, Holmes, Coahoma and Mississippi Delta.
While the Lions are expected to continue the unprecedented success Stephens has brought to the program, East Central Community College is predicted to struggle in Brian Anderson’s third season at the helm. The Warriors, who have finished 2-7 in each of his previous two seasons as head coach plus a 2-7 mark in 2009 when Anderson was an interim coach, are picked last in the MACJC South Division.
Gulf Coast, which suffered only a pair of losses at EMCC last season, is predicted to win the South, while Hinds is picked to finish second. The Eagles also lost twice to EMCC last year. Jones County, Pearl River, Copiah-Lincoln and Southwest Mississippi round out the division.
Sports
Opening at the top
Lions ranked No. 1 in NJCAA preseason rankings
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