SCOOBA — The East Mississippi Community College offensive line will have a decidedly local flavor at 7 tonight when the Lions play host to Mississippi Gulf Coast at the new Sullivan-Windham Field.
Ryan Hollivay and Earnest Lang (New Hope High School), Warren Jones, Gussie Lane III, and KeShun Smith (Noxubee County), and Jarrod Atterberry (Starkville) made the final cut for EMCC”s 55-player active roster.
Tonight, some or all of those players will get a chance to show what they can do for No. 16 EMCC against No. 2 MGCCC.
“My confidence is high, I know my assignments, I know I can block that guy, and I know how much faith coach has in me to hold that position,” said Hollivay, who will compete for playing time at right tackle with Lang and sophomore Dominique Heresy, of Meridian High.
Hollivay has lost 33 pounds from last season and enters tonight”s game at 6-foot-6, 357 pounds. He said he didn”t arrive at Scooba prepared, which hurt his chances of earning playing time. This season, he said he knows his plays and feels stronger and ready to handle the responsibility of being a key contributor up front.
“I feel much more prepared,” Hollivay said. “This summer I got in a lot better shape and I know what they expect from me. I know what my job is and how to do it to the best of my ability.”
Hollivay credits EMCC coach Buddy Stephens, who also coaches the offensive linemen, for pushing him to realize his potential. He said Stephens and the other coaches remind him to “do it for your family” whenever there is a moment where he isn”t giving it his all.
“Last year, I gave up on myself because I didn”t qualify out of high school and I wasn”t getting that much playing time,” Hollivay said. “After that season I took it upon myself to be better than I was last year and to keep progressing.”
Jones and Lane III want to follow the same path.
Jones, a 6-3, 310-pounder, is competing with Tyler Stanley for playing time at guard or center. As a returning starter from last season, Jones said he worked in the offseason to improve his focus. He said he also honed his footwork, his hand placement, and his technique on snaps to be prepared for what everyone around the program feels could be a promising season.
“It is looking pretty good,” Jones said. “I feel we”re going to do some great things this year. We have the talent. It is going to be how we work together.”
Lane III, a 6-foot, 315-pounder, started every game at right guard. Like Jones, he honed his technique in the offseason and feels he can be an even better leader on the team this season.
“Last year, I wasn”t expected to be a leader,” Lane III said. “We had a lot of upperclassmen and I was a freshman and I played my part. We had a talk a couple of weeks ago and I am looking to be a leader on the offensive line and on the team to keep everybody on track and to get them to play championship football.”
Lane III said mistakes and turnovers played a big role in EMCC losing its first three games last season. But the Lions regrouped and made a late-season run that allowed them to finish second in the MACJC”s North Division and to earn a tiebreaker that pushed them into the playoffs.
Still, Lane III and his teammates know the Lions are capable of much more. He feels an offense led by sophomore Termarcus Conner, his former teammate at Noxubee County, and freshman Bo Wallace, a transfer from Arkansas State, has the potential to be as explosive as the Randall Mackey-led offensive in 2009 that propelled EMCC to its first state title.
“I have never seen so much talent,” Lane III said. “We have great receivers and a great running game. I think it is going to be fun to see the offense. I think we can put up a lot of points. I think we”re going to be scary on the offensive side of the ball.”
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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