SCOOBA — Bidding to nail down a second straight 8-1 regular-season record and keep their unblemished divisional mark intact, the seventh-ranked Lions of East Mississippi will close out the 2009 regular-season football campaign by hosting Mississippi Delta on Thursday at 7 p.m. at Sullivan-Windham Field.   

Ranked seventh in this week’s JC Grid-Wire National Top 25 and ninth in the NJCAA/JC Football.com poll, coach Buddy Stephens’ Lions brings a 7-1 overall record and 5-0 divisional mark into the regular-season finale after claiming a 28-6 road win against Itawamba on Saturday. Now 15-3 overall and a perfect 11-0 against MACJC North Division competition under Stephens’ direction, the Lions have won 14 consecutive North Division contests dating back to the 2007 season, including last year’s 35-15 road triumph against Mississippi Delta. 

Following last year’s MACJC state playoff appearance against Pearl River — EMCC’s first playoff berth since 1984 — East Mississippi secured its school-first second consecutive state playoff appearance two weeks ago with a 48-10 homecoming victory against Northeast Mississippi. As the North Division’s No. 1 seed for the second straight year, the Lions will play host to the South Division’s runner-up to begin the MACJC state playoffs on Oct. 31. The two winners of the semifinal-round contests will contend for the state championship on Nov. 7.

Offensively, EMCC remains the nation’s top-rated club statistically in total offense, generating an average of 513.9 yards per contest with All-America quarterback Randall Mackey at the controls. This past weekend at Itawamba, with Mackey on the sidelines, reserve signal-caller Brad Henderson stepped up to account for 285 yards of total offense and four touchdowns against the Indians.

Pat Shed is averaging a team-leading 75.9 rushing yards per game on the ground for EMCC, including his fourth 100-yard rushing effort of the year coming at Itawamba.

On the heels of his third 100-yard receiving outing in the last four games, sophomore wide receiver Lance Lewis has moved into the No. 2 spot on the team’s reception list behind sophomore Bill Franks. Lewis is averaging 18.2 yards on 29 catches, including nine touchdown receptions, on the season. 

In addition, EMCC’s improved defensive unit has limited each of its past two opponents to less than 150 yards of total offense apiece. The Lions have also held the opposition’s ground game to less than two yards per carry each of the past two weeks. 

The Trojans of Mississippi Delta currently own a 2-6 overall record, with both victories coming during MACJC North Division play against Northeast Mississippi (14-7) and Itawamba (13-7).

Having surrendered the second-fewest points (147; behind Jones County) of any MACJC team this season, Delta leads the state in total defense by allowing an average of only 247.8 yards per outing. However, the Trojans rate as the lowest-scoring club among the state ranks, having totaled just 104 points in eight games.