PERKINSTON — East Mississippi quarterback Lindsey Scott Jr. shuffled around Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College’s George Sekul Field shortly before dusk Sunday as he shared congratulatory handshakes with teammates, coaches and fans.

In one hand, Scott Jr. held his 2017 Mississippi Bowl Offensive Most Valuable trophy, while he balanced his 2017 Mississippi Bowl Player of the Year trophy in the other. A smile splashed across his face as he bounced from person to person.

Scott threw for 176 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for another 41 yards as No. 1-ranked East Mississippi defeated No. 2-ranked Arizona Western 31-28 in the Mississippi Bowl to claim the 2017 NJCAA national championship.

“I think it’s a testimony to the hard work that started back in the summer and in the fall,” Scott Jr. said. “You see a group of guys that faced adversity at Northwest back in the season, and really regrouped and rallied and got the right picture in mind. We moved forward and we didn’t stop, and I think that’s been the big picture.”

Sunday’s win gives East Mississippi (11-1) a state-leading fourth NJCAA national championship, and it puts the Lions and coach Buddy Stephens at 4-0 in national-title games, as they’ve claimed the crown in 2011, 2013, 2014 and 2017.

“It feels fantastic,” Stephens said. “Nobody in the state’s ever won four, so we’re happy. We’re happy for this team. There’s a lot of people involved with this team; obviously up front, the kids did a great job. Our coaching staff did an unbelievable job of coming in with a great game plan.”

Scott Jr. connected with wide receiver Dontario Drummond for a 13-yard touchdown to give East Mississippi the 7-0 lead after a nine-play drive that spanned 63 yards. East Mississippi defensive back Ty Williams netted a 49-yard pick-six when he intercepted Arizona Western quarterback Bryce Perkins late in the first quarter to push the Lions lead to 14-0.

“I saw the receiver try to get a stutter step and try to go inside,” Williams said. “But the quarterback threw it behind him. We worked all week on tips and overthrows in case the ball gets tipped. When the ball got tipped and I caught it, the first thing that went through my mind was I’m going to catch it, and I’ve got to score it. And then I did.”

Arizona Western (9-1) tallied its first score of the afternoon on Jack Colletto’s 3-yard pass to Dominick Anderson with just under six minutes remaining in the second quarter.

The Matadors led the Lions in first downs, rushing yards, passing yards and time of possession in the first half, but East Mississippi carried a 14-7 lead into halftime.

“They’re a great bunch,” Scott Jr. said of Arizona Western. “They’re big, they’re fast and they’re ferocious. It was really a great challenge, and I wish them the best in the future. (They’re) definitely one of the best teams we’ve played this year.”

East Mississippi received the football to begin the second half and put together an 11-play drive that spanned 64 yards and ended when Tyrell Price scampered for an 8-yard touchdown run to give the Lions the 21-7 lead.

Arizona Western running back Greg Bell III, who finished with a game-high 122 yards, tallied his lone touchdown of the contest with a 7-yard carry in the third quarter to whittle East Mississippi’s lead to 21-14.

Scott Jr. threw a bubble screen to wide receiver Kirk Merritt late in the third, and Merritt flashed his speed when he turned it into an 18-yard touchdown pass. Merritt deflected credit for helping swing momentum to East Mississippi’s favor with his touchdown reception.

“That was one of the things that turned it around, but mainly, in the first half, it was the defense,” Merritt said. “The defense held us through… We just had to make plays every chance we got.”

Lions kicker Taylor Crabtree booted a 34-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter that proved the difference.

EMCC Defensive lineman Tyone Clemons died tragically in a car wreck last month, and East Mississippi honored his memory throughout the afternoon. Gulf Coast-area skydiver Craig Saucier descended onto George Sekul Field wearing Clemons’ No. 99 jersey and was met by members of Clemons’ family, including his mother, Wynette Tally, who donned No. 99 T-shirts. Lions players chanted “99 strong” on the turf field as they celebrated the victory.

“This one is for Tyone,” Stephens said. “This one is for the ’15 and ’16 team that didn’t get to play, and this is for these kids. Our college and our community, we now set the standard for community colleges as far as football goes… But we set the standard, and I’m just proud to be in line today.”

East Mississippi linebacker Ty’Ree Evans earned Mississippi Bowl defensive Most Valuable Player honors behind 10 tackles. Price finished with a team-high 50 rushing yards, and Drummond’s 46 receiving yards were a Lions team-high.