PERKINSTON — With No. 3 East Mississippi Community College and No. 13 Kilgore College tied at 14 in the third quarter, Lions head coach Buddy Stephens told his offensive players to be ready to go whenever he called on them.

Southeast Lauderdale High School alumnus Damion Willis heeded the call. 

Willis pulled in a 19-yard reception from quarterback De’Andre Johnson to set up a 2-yard touchdown run from backup signal-caller Vijay Miller to give the Lions a 20-14 lead they wouldn’t surrender, en route to a 27-17 victory against Kilgore College in the 2016 Mississippi Bowl at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College’s A.L. May Memorial Stadium in Perkinston.

“Coach said we needed to move fast, and that when your play is called, be ready to execute,” Willis said. “I was trying to get into the end zone, but we got down to the 2-yard line and my teammate punched it in.”

Willis found the end zone two drives later on a 22-yard touchdown toss from Johnson to extend EMCC’s lead to 27-14.

“We called a play, and they told me to run a go (route),” Willis, who finished with a team-high 47 yards, recalled. “The ball was placed well, and I caught it.”

The Lions’ win against Texas-based Kilgore College capped an 11-1 season, which included 11 straight wins after EMCC dropped its season opener 27-25 to Jones County Junior College, where the Lions played without a number of starters due to suspensions stemming from last year’s season-ending altercation against Mississippi Delta Community College.

“The bowl wins are nice, but I really think our coaches did a really good job of preparing the guys,” Stephens said. “I think we lulled a lot in the first half. In the second half, when Kilgore got to going on those drives, it just killed our momentum offensively, and we didn’t have any stuff. When we got the ball, we would go, but we would have to stop and sit for so long that the defense never got off the field on third down. But they made critical stops at critical times; they were bend-but-don’t-break today — which we hate — but it worked, and we won. And at the end of the day, that’s really all that matters.”

The Lions scored two first-quarter touchdowns when backup quarterback Vijay Miller tossed a 36-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Raphael Leonard with 9:31 left in the first, and 5-foot-11, 190-pound running back Jacquez Horsley powered his way into the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown run to move EMCC’s lead to 14-0. Kilgore’s offense was held to no first downs and just 16 yards of total offense in the first quarter.

Rangers quarterback Chandler Eiland left the game early in the second quarter after a hard hit from an EMCC defender. Kilgore running back Marquis Broussard, who only earned 8 yards in the first quarter, ripped off a 14-yard run with 6:55 remaining in the second quarter to give the Rangers their first points of the game.  

On the ensuing kickoff, Kilgore’s Ty Hayter recovered an EMCC fumble to give the Rangers the ball at the Lions’ 34-yard line. Backup quarterback Cam Martin rifled a beautiful pass to wide receiver Zach Newbell that dropped over his left shoulder as he crossed the plane for a 25-yard score, which tied the score at 14 with 5:50 remaining in the first half. Martin went 7-for-7 for 90 yards and a touchdown off the bench in the second quarter. 

The Rangers’ defense, feeding off Broussard’s and Martin’s energy, forced EMCC to turn the ball over on downs after pressuring Lions’ quarterback Johnson and forcing him to overthrow his receiver on fourth down, giving the Rangers the ball at their 31-yard line late in the second quarter. 

Kilgore gained 168 yards in the second quarter and gained 14 first downs to take a 14-14 tie into halftime.

During EMCC’s first drive of second half, Johnson took off for a 60-yard gain after a breakdown in protection in the pocket, igniting his Lions’ teammates on the sideline. Johnson then hooked up with Willis for their 19-yard pass and catch, which set up a 2-yard run on a quarterback keeper by Miller to put the Lions ahead 20-14 after a missed extra point. 

Jay Johnson snagged a third-quarter interception of Martin after Martin attempted a screen pass that was tipped at the line by Chauncey Rivers. Two plays later, Willis pulled in his 22-yard touchdown pass from Johnson with 4:52 left in the third quarter, giving the Lions a 27-14 lead. 

Alvin Kenworthy booted a 28-yard field goal with 9:37 left in the fourth quarter to trim EMCC’s lead to 27-17.

While some may wonder what could have been if not for a loss to Jones earlier this season, Willis said Stephens and Lions’ players are grateful to play in the postseason.   

“Coach said don’t get down over that one loss,” Willis said. “He told us even though we didn’t go to the national (championship), we still had a bowl game to go to. He told us to be happy that we’re here because some teams aren’t able to say that. I’m just thankful to be here.”

Johnson earned offense MVP honors behind 163 passing yards and a passing touchdown and a team-high 101 rushing yards. He was also named the Mississippi Bowl Player of the Year. Defensively, Ryan Lee led the Lions in tackles with 10, and TJ Jallow, Diamante Pounds and Rivers each logged 9 tackles. Pounds, who recorded two sacks, earned defensive MVP honors. 

For Kilgore, Martin finished 25-for-31 for 218 yards and a passing touchdown and Broussard ended the contest with 81 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. Troy Burnett paced the Rangers’ defense with nine tackles.