Published: September 25, 2008 10:00 am      

Lions prep for 'big one'

By Chris Brennaman

assistant sports editor

On the verge of its first top 20 ranking in more than a decade, East Mississippi Community College's football team is beginning to turn heads in Scooba.

However, it is not a surprise for first-year head coach Buddy Stephens.

"When (this coaching staff) first came here, we were expecting to win," Stephens said. "That's why they hired us."

And the wins have come in grand fashion for the Lions (3-1, 1-0 MACJC/Region 23 North Division), highlighted by a 27-23 victory last Thursday over then-No. 2 Gulf Coast.

Led by NJCAA football player of the week Randall Mackey, Scooba Tech engineered a pair of touchdown drives late in the fourth quarter to erase a 10-point deficit and earn the upset.

"The kids played hard," Stephens said. "They never lost their composure and kept fighting. This gives us confidence going into the rest of our schedule.

"This type of win puts us in a different category. Now there's a bullseye on our backs."

After three straight road games, the Lions now return home to face North Division foe Northwest (2-2, 1-0), which is coming off a 33-10 win over Itawamba. EMCC's potent offense, which ranks second in the state with 435 yards per game, will face a Ranger defense that has only allowed 281 yards and nine touchdowns on the season.

"They're very big and very talented," Stephens said of the Northwest defense. "They have five Division I transfers on defense alone. They will be the most talented team we have played."

Mackey, the state's only 1,000-yard passer, has no shortage of targets to look for. Three Lion receivers — Mike Outlaw, former Meridian Wildcat Montrez Mosley and Leon Berry — rank in the top 11 in the state in receiving yards.

"We feel like we can go to anybody at any time," Stephens said. "Mackey is a very good player, but we have a lot of go-to guys.

"We don't do anything real complicated. We just run a real simple offense, we've just been able to execute really well. That's been our mantra — If we execute our game plan better than our opponents execute their game plan, we'll be alright."

Kickoff from from Sullivan-Windham Field is set for 7 p.m. tonight.

While East Mississippi is enjoying success under its rookie coach, East Central Community College is still trying to find the win column for the first time under Steve Cheatham.

The Warriors, coming off a near-upset of then-No. 5 Jones County Junior College, return to Decatur for homecoming Saturday.

Ex-Northeast Lauderdale standout Maurice Langston scored four touchdowns for ECCC, but it was Mark Gray — a former Wayne County War Eagle — who made the biggest play of the night for Jones.

Down a touchdown and threatening, East Central quarterback Emmanuel Taylor was intercepted by Gray at the Bobcat 3-yard line with 2:47 remaining to put an end to ECCC's hopes of pulling off the upset.

The Warriors, who face off against the also winless Southwest Bears, boast the state's fourth best offense, putting up 363 yards a game. The Bears are only averaging 204 yards per contest.

Kickoff Saturday will be at 2:30 at Bailey Stadium on the East Central campus.