East Mississippi Community College has more than a chance to win its first state championship today.
In addition to the MACJC football crown, the No. 7 Lions also have the opportunity to make a statement against defending state champ No. 3 Gulf Coast at 2 p.m. at Sullivan-Windham Field in Scooba.
"They are who you have to go through to win state," EMCC coach Buddy Stephens said. "We've just established the past two years that the North Division goes through Scooba. We want to make the statement that to win the state championship, you have to go through Scooba.
"We've won the North and it's now time to take that next step and get a gold football. Saturday is as good a time as any to take it."
Right now that road goes through the Bulldogs (9-1), who are playing in their third straight championship game. And that's OK with Stephens.
"To be the best, you have to beat the best and they are the best — two-time defending state champs" he added. "This just validates that we are and will be a contender for championships."
The Lions (9-1) had a chance to start making that statement earlier this season when then-No. 2 EMCC hosted Gulf Coast. However, the Bulldogs pulled away in the second half for a 43-26 win behind Vick Ballard's 173 yards rushing. Ballard, the NJCAA leader, has churned out 1,469 yards and 18 touchdowns.
Bulldog quarterback Greg Jennings also threw for 236 yards — 211 in the first half — as Gulf Coast racked up 503 yards against the Lions. Kevin Bolden, who scored three touchdowns in the game, had 112 yards receiving on four catches, while Brett Moncrief added 111 yards on seven grabs.
They have two good receivers, too"," Stephens said. "This is probably the best football team that I've seen there. They have weapons at wide receiver, running back and quarterback. They have the full package on offense."
Still, the Lions possess their own weapons, too. EMCC's All-American quarterback Randall Mackey has completed 67.4 percent of his passes — tops in the NJCAA — for 2,398 yards and 22 touchdowns. Lance Lewis and Bill Franks are Mackey's top targets as Franks has caught a team-high 40 passes for 351 yards. Lewis, meanwhile, is the Lions' big-play threat as 11 of his 38 receptions have gone for touchdowns. The sophomore also has a team-high 737 yards receiving and has four scoring catches of more than 70 yards.
EMCC has also been getting contributions on special teams and from its defense. Lions return specialist British Footman has returned kicks for scores against Northeast Mississippi and Mississippi Delta in the past four weeks. Defensive back Anthony Hines, meanwhile, has intercepted two passes in each of the past two games. He returned one of those picks for a touchdown in last week's 26-16 playoff win against Jones County.
Sports
Lions look to take championship road
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Clarkdale serves notice in rout of Enterprise
The Clarkdale girls’ basketball team served notice that it belonged among the top teams in MHSAA Class 2A with a 59-56 division win at defending 2A state champion Scott Central on January 31.
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Northeast Lauderdale stuns, upsets Northeast Jones in opening round.
Shaquanta McDonald and Tarmecia Mack each scored 10 points as The Trojans beat the Tigers 42-28 in the opening round of the District 5-4A District Tournament held at West Lauderdale Tuesday. Brittany Williams added nine points for Northeast Lauderdale (5-21).
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Season Ender
The defense was there, but the offense never came around and Meridian High saw its playoff hopes disappear as Oak Grove pulled away in the final minutes to knock off the host Wildcats 58-48 on Tuesday night in the Region 5-6A Tournament.
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Kemper County wins thriller over Heidelberg
In a division with traditional powerhouses Choctaw Central, Southeast Lauderdale and Newton – the fourth-and-fifth-seeded Kemper County and Heidelberg girls both were hoping to just punch their ticket to the Class 3A state playoffs and hope to hit a hot streak.
Part one of that equation was successful for Kemper County Tuesday night, but it was far from easy. -
New-look Lions set to open 2012 softball season
Coming off the most successful season of fast-pitch softball competition in the program’s history, the East Mississippi Community College Lions are set to open their 2012 softball campaign by playing host to Marion Military Institute Tuesday afternoon on the Scooba campus. First pitch for the season-opening doubleheader is set for 1 p.m.
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Yellowjackets survive Hornets, keep season alive
Rarely does a team commit 46 turnovers and not get run out of the gym, but the Union girls overcame their ballhandling woes to knock off Lake 41-38 in overtime of the MHSAA Division 6-2A Tournament Monday night.
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Roundup — MCC baseball splits pair at tourney
The Meridian Community College Eagles salvaged a split of its final games in the 2012 T.J. Fleming Invitational at Lurleen B. Wallace Community College on Sunday. -
Crusaders use experience, speed to topple Tornadoes
Philadelphia and Sacred Heart both entered Friday's Class 1A/2A/3A soccer state championship game looking for their first state crown.
The Crusaders, though, had finished as runners-up the previous two seasons, and used that experience and their speed to their advantage as they scored three first half goals in route to a 3-1 win. -
Roundup — West girls rally past Louisville
The West Lauderdale girls basketball team overcame an early deficit to top visiting Louisville 60-56 to close out the regular season Friday.
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Dreams Dashed
A real life David vs. Goliath meeting took place in the Class 1A/2A/3A girls state championship soccer game Friday afternoon at Clinton High School's Arrow Field.
Having never advanced farther than the second round of the MSHSAA soccer playoffs, Clarkdale entered looking to shock the state and win its first state title. In th way stood Our Lady Academy, a nine-time state champion from Bay St. Louis.
The Crescents blanked the Bulldogs 5-0 for their third straight title and 10th since 2000. - More Sports Headlines
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