By Jamie Wachter / Sports Editor
The Meridian Star
MERIDIAN —
A season-opening loss didn’t crush East Mississippi Community College’s confidence.
If anything, it bolstered the No. 16 Lions’ resolve heading into today’s home opener at Sullivan-Windham Field in Scooba against Hinds.
“I saw from the ballgame that we’re a good football team,” EMCC coach Buddy Stephens said about the 40-21 loss at Gulf Coast last Thursday. “We just have to focus and have some discipline in some situations and we’re going to be a very competitive football team.”
In that setback, the Lions managed to churn out 360 yards of offense with quarterback Brad Henderson completing 30 of 53 passes for 290 yards. He threw a touchdown to former Meridian High standout Marcus McQuarley, who snagged four passes for 49 yards. Former Noxubee County standout Pat Patteson hauled in a team-high seven passes for 80 yards in his first game with the Lions. Newton County produce Floyd Graves led EMCC with 54 yards rushing.
“We just didn’t play well,” Stephens added. “We got the ball down into the red zone five times and came away with two field goals, two interceptions and one out on downs. It’s something where we can’t do that, especially against a good football team, we have to make sure we make the most out of our trips into the red zone.
“We turned the ball over and just made too many mental mistakes.”
Meanwhile, Hinds rolled past Itawamba 52-31 behind the exploits of sophomore running back Mathew Willis, who rushed for 207 yards and four touchdowns. Quarterback Anthony Sheppard added 285 yards and two scores on 20 of 34 passing as the Eagles racked up a state-best 614 yards on 84 plays.
Despite that dynamic offense, Stephens said that isn’t a concern for the Lions. Rather, EMCC has spent the week worrying about EMCC and fixing the miscues that hampered the Lions a week ago.
“In preparation for this week’s game, we kind of went about it in a let’s just worry about what we do and not worry about what anyone else does,” he said. “We just want to get better at what we do, let’s polish up and let’s get the ship righted. Let’s see how good we can be.
“(Hinds) throws the ball well, they run the ball well, they are sound in their special teams. Defensively, they play sound, fundamental football and when you do that, there’s not much room for error. We’ll definitely have some questions answered after this one.”
To get back on the winning track, though, EMCC will have to buck history. The Lions have dropped 10 of the past 11 meetings with Hinds, including a 53-7 Eagles win in the 2004 season opener, the last meeting between the two teams. EMCC’s only win in that span came via forfeit in 1996, while the Lions’ last win on the field against Hinds was a 14-10 decision in 1983.
Still, in Stephens’ three-year tenure EMCC has shown a knack for rebounding from defeats. Following the Lions’ first loss in 2008, a 23-19 defeat to Jones County Junior College, they rolled off seven straight wins in capturing the MACJC North Division before falling to Pearl River in the state playoffs. Last season, Gulf Coast topped EMCC 43-26 before the Lions won eight straight, including the 75-71 state championship win against the Bulldogs and a 27-24 win against Arizona Western in the Mississippi Bowl.
