SCOOBA — East Mississippi Community College sophomore linebacker Justin Lucas knows what a national championship defense looks like.
After all, he played on one.
Lucas had a reserve role last season as EMCC won the National Junior College Athletic Association national championship for the second time in three seasons.
This season, Lucas is playing a much bigger role in the championship defense.
The former Aberdeen High School standout will draw his fourth start at the MIKE-linebacker position when top-ranked EMCC plays host to rival Northeast Mississippi Community College.
Kickoff for the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges North Division clash is set for 7 p.m. Thursday at Sullivan-Windham Field in Scooba.
“This defense has really grown up since the first game of the season,” Lucas said. “This defense has what it takes to win another championship. It took a while to get everybody comfortable because we have so many new faces. Now, everything is going like it should be and we will get better and better.”
“This defense has really grown up since the first game of the season,” Lucas said. “This defense has what it takes to win another championship. It took a while to get everybody comfortable because we have so many new faces. Now, everything is going like it should be and we will get better and better.”
The EMCC defense turned its best performance of the season in last Thursday’s 83-7 romp over Coahoma Community College.
The Lions have allowed 31 points in three games and have sprinted to a plus-seven advantage in the turnover department.
“We feel like our job is to take over a game,” Lucas said. “The thing about last year’s team is they could score a defensive touchdown by just about any player at any time. We are getting better at things like that. We want to force turnovers and really work hard to challenge the other team for every first down.”
Considered by many the favorites for second place in the North Division race this season, Northeast has provided little resistance in the series of late.
EMCC has earned back-to-back wins by shutout (49-0 in 2012 and 59-0 in 2013) after surviving a wild shootout 63-35 in 2011.
Ironically, Northeast owns the last North Division win by an opponent in Scooba as the Tigers snuck out of town with a 49-42 victory in 2010.
This season, this bunch of Lions are on a much different mission.
“Each week we talk about being 1-0,” Lucas said. “What we really learned last year is about focus and mind-set.
“Last year’s defense (which allowed less than 10 points per game and posted a school-record five shutouts) never took any plays off. They were focused at all times no matter who we were playing or what the score of the game was. As sophomores, we are trying to teach the younger guys how to play with that same intensity.”
Lucas leads EMCC with 23 total tackles. A year ago, he appeared in 12 games and had 14 stops.
“Everybody doesn’t want to get too far ahead but we feel like we are playing for a championship every week,” Lucas said.
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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