MERIDIAN —
East Mississippi Community College can’t wait to play East Central Community College.
And it has nothing to with the longtime rivalry between the area schools. Rather, the top-ranked Lions are eager to face the next challenge on the schedule. The Warriors lead the series 35-24-4 including the past six meetings, starting with a 31-20 win in 2007. EMCC’s last win in the rivalry was a 12-7 decision in 1998.
“We look forward to playing them,” EMCC coach Buddy Stephens said. “Brian (Anderson) is a friend of ours and we look forward to getting to play him, but at the same time, it’s just another game. It’s just the next game on the schedule.”
That philosophy worked for EMCC last season when they went 1-0 for 12 weeks in capturing the school’s first national championship. It worked Saturday when the Lions pulled away from Pearl River Community College for a 35-15 season-opening win.
“Pearl River, that one’s wore off,” Stephens said. “Yeah, it’s my alma mater but it’s just another game. And now East Central is the next game, and they can beat you if you don’t play well.
“We’re concentrating on us and trying to get ourselves ready. We have to play as hard against them as we play against anybody. And that shouldn’t be a problem. We’ve got guys playing against friends and that makes it fun.”
One Lion that played well against the Wildcats on Saturday was freshman LeDarious Clark, a Southeast Lauderdale product. In his lone two touches, Clark returned kicks 58 and 74 yards, with the 74-yard return setting up the go-ahead, and ultimately, game-winning score late in the first half. Clark was named the NJCAA Special Teams Player of the Week on Wednesday.
“LeDarious is a talent,” Stephens said. “We have to find a way to get him the ball and let him go play.
“We, as coaches, have to do our job and find ways to get him involved on offense and just get him the ball.”
The Lions are also hoping for a sharper performance on the offensive side of the ball. Making his first start in two years, quarterback Quez Johnson completed only 18 of his 38 passes for 212 yards and three touchdowns. The freshman, who sat out last season following a shoulder injury his senior season at Starkville High, did complete his last six passes, though, in helping EMCC close out Pearl River.
That strong finish, as well as a host of weapons, including sophomore Corey Smith — ranked second in the state with 110 yards receiving on five catches — have Stephens expecting improvement there. Smith, Ole Miss transfer Nick Brassell and Billy Shed all had touchdown catches, while sophomore running back Rodriguez Moore rushed for 112 yards on 15 carries.
“The key is just playing freely,” Stephens said. “He needs to be free and not afraid of making a mistake. We also have to do a better job of protecting him, we gave up two sacks and that’s two more than we ever want to give up.
“Quez takes on a lot of the responsibility of the offense on his own shoulders and we’ve been trying to tell him to just be the mailman. Just put the mail where it’s supposed to go and everything takes care of itself.”
Sports
Top-ranked Lions ready for next challenge
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(PHOTOS) Newton County Class 4A State Championship
Slideshow from games one and two of the MHSAA Class 4A State Championship.
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Not done yet
After being shutout less than 24 hours earlier, the Newton County Cougars used a 10-inning affair to force a Game 3 in the Class 4A championship series, topping Lewisburg, 2-1, in Game 2 at Trustmark Park.
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Hollins focused on Spurs, not his contract
Lionel Hollins has been more successful than any Grizzlies coach and will be a free agent after June 30.
He has the Grizzlies in the Western Conference finals for the first time and has won more games with this team than any other coach. -
Slive focused on future after big changes
Mike Slive sprawls in a comfy arm chair, propping his feet on a coffee table between one massive tome on Winston Churchill and an even thicker "Encyclopedia of Southern Culture."
He's relaxed and feeling awfully good about the state of the Southeastern Conference.
It's a rare moment of calm for the SEC's cerebral commissioner, but he can afford it since his "A pile" of things to do has gotten considerably slimmer over the past two years. -
’Bama bounces Ole Miss from SEC Tourney
For the second day in a row, the Rebels went into extra-innings but were unable to emerge with the victory as No. 21 Ole Miss (37-22) fell to Alabama (34-25) 7-5 in 10 innings at the SEC Tournament on Thursday.
With the loss, the Rebels were eliminated from the SEC Tournament and will now await NCAA Tournament selection announcements at 11 a.m. on Monday. The selection of the NCAA Tournament field will be televised by ESPNU.
Tanner Bailey (4-2) suffered the loss for the Rebels, allowing two runs on one hit with two walks in 2.1 innings of work. -
Roy shows big-league talent in win
Every youth leaguer dreams of being a Major League Baseball player. In Tuesday's Cardinals-Mets game, 8-year-old Trace Roy swung the bat and flashed some leather that looked like a glimpse into the future.
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Cougars fall in Game 1
A sixth inning rally by Lewisburg handed the Newton County Cougars their first lost of the postseason, 2-0, in Game 1 of the Class 4A baseball championship at Trustmark Park.
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Bulldogs win again, beat S. Carolina in SEC Tournament
Demarcus Henderson and Wes Rea both had RBI singles in the ninth inning to lift Mississippi State to a 5-3 win over South Carolina Wednesday night in the second round of the Southeastern Conference tournament.
The Bulldogs (42-16) loaded the bases with one out before Henderson and Rea drove in runs on consecutive at-bats for the second time in the game.
Mississippi State had beaten Missouri 2-1 in 17 innings Tuesday night, matching the longest game in SEC tournament history.
Reliever Myles Gentry (4-0) limited the Gamecocks (39-17) to a one-out single in the bottom of the ninth.
Gentry pitched 5-2/3 scoreless innings, allowing three hits while striking out eight.
Rea was 3 for 4 while Henderson drove in three runs.
Mississippi State led 3-0 before South Carolina tied it up in the fourth.
Max Schrock drew a bases loaded walk and Brison Celek followed with a two-run single. -
Hogs top Ole Miss in SEC Tournament
For the second time this season the Rebels played an extra-inning affair with the Razorbacks, but with a different outcome as No. 21 Ole Miss (37-21) fell to No. 15 Arkansas (36-19) 2-1 in 10 innings on Wednesday.
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Fundamentals leading Newton County to Jackson
In 2006, Newton County baseball won the 3A state title. Since then, they've moved up a class but haven't had much luck – until now.
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