from school reports
SCOOBA — As first-time state football champions, the fifth-ranked Lions of East Mississippi Community College have accepted an invitation to take on No. 6 Arizona Western College in the 2009 Mississippi Bowl. The second annual contest will be played Dec. 6 in Biloxi. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. at 6,000-seat Biloxi Indian Stadium.
† General admission tickets for the Dec. 6 bowl contest are available at a pre-sale price of $8 per ticket by ordering online at www.mississippibowl.com or by calling the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Foundation Office at (601) 928-6344. Tickets will be $10 at the gate on the day of the game.
† Ranked fifth nationally in this week‚Äôs NJCAA/JCFootball.com poll, head coach Buddy Stephens‚Äô 10-1 Lions enter the Mississippi Bowl riding a seven-game winning streak after claiming the school‚Äôs first-ever state football championship with a 75-71 home triumph against the two-time defending state champions Mississippi Gulf Coast on Nov. 7. With a composite two-year mark of 18-3 under Stephens‚Äô guidance, EMCC has claimed back-to-back MACJC North Division championships and made consecutive state football playoff appearances for the first time in school history.
† Guided by second-year head coach Tom Minnick, the Matadors of Arizona Western College are 9-1 on the year as regular-season co-champions (with Snow College) of the Western States Football League. Based in Yuma, Ariz., AWC‚Äôs lone setback of the year was a 40-33 loss at New Mexico Military Institute back on Oct. 17.
† While EMCC‚Äôs potent offensive attack is directed by All-America quarterback candidate Randall Mackey, Arizona Western features the nation‚Äôs leading rusher in freshman running back Reggie Bullock of Las Vegas. Despite missing a pair of late-season games due to injury, Bullock averages an NJCAA-best 162 rushing yards per game and trails only Vick Ballard of Mississippi Gulf Coast with 17 rushing touchdowns on the season.
Having tied the school record with 10 wins this season, the 2009 Lions will be making the program’s first postseason bowl appearance since Hall of Fame head coach Bob “Bull” Sullivan’s 10-1-1 EMJC squad claimed the 1963 Hospitality Bowl title with an 18-14 victory against Tyler (Texas) Junior College in a contest played in Gulfport.
Prior to that, Sullivan’s Lions posted a 13-6 win against Marion (Ala.) Military Institute in the Columbus-hosted 1962 Magnolia Bowl, while also dropping a 26-0 decision to Wharton (Texas) Junior College during the 1961 Hospitality Bowl in Gulfport. In addition, Sullivan’s first East Mississippi team fell 46-20 to Holmes in the 1950 Laurel Lions Bowl.
