SCOOBA — Adversity.
The second-ranked East Mississippi Community College football team hadn’t faced any this season. However, when the Lions found themselves in a struggle, it took the heart of a Lion to bail the team out.
After spotting fifth-ranked Mississippi Gulf Coast C.C. the first 14 points Saturday afternoon, EMCC came roaring back to take a 42-21 victory in the semifinals of the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges state playoffs.
“We really hadn’t been down like that all year,” EMCC sophomore defensive back Allen Sentimore said. “It was a strange feeling. We just tried to do what champions do. We had to go back to work and make some things happen.”
EMCC (10-0) will face No. 11 Copiah-Lincoln C.C.(8-2) in the state championship Saturday at Wesson. EMCC, which beat Co-Lin 46-10 in the regular season, will try to win its fourth state championship in six seasons. The game time will be set today.
“It’s a blessing to be in this position,” EMCC sophomore defensive back Quan Latham said. “A state championship is a great experience. We didn’t play our best in this game. But we made some adjustments and we got the job done.”
Gulf Coast (8-2) built a 14-0 lead early stages in the second quarter. The Bulldogs broke up a string of 23-straight quarters of shutout defense by the Lions. It was the first time all season EMCC had trailed in a game.
“It was all about adversity,” Latham said. “We had not been down before. We made some adjustments in the second half and did a lot better against the run. We also stopped the play action pass better. We started slow and that is not typical. But we kept believing.”
When EMCC righted the ship, the rally took place quickly. After not scoring and getting only three first downs in its first six possessions, EMCC put together a three-play, 39-yard drive. Chad Kelly hit Camion Patrick for a 25-yard touchdown.
The Lions took full advantage of a brutal wind blowing in excess of 25 mph. The Bulldogs struggled in the kicking game and couldn’t control field position when the teams swapped ends to start the second quarter.
EMCC scored twice more in the second quarter to take a 21-14 halftime lead. Kelly hit Allenzae Staggers for a 36-yard touchdown pass and Isaac Johnson for a 5-yard touchdown pass.
An interception by Sentimore helped the Lions break the 14-14 tie. Another big play kept the Lions in the lead.
Gulf Coast took the first possession of the second half and drove it 57 yards to the EMCC 5-yard line. On third down, Latham had a pass breakup in the end zone. On fourth down, Zavia Forshee had a monster sack that brought the Sullivan-Windham Field capacity crowd to its feet.
The Lions couldn’t score after that stop. However, EMCC continued to plug away despite the uphill field conditions in the third quarter.
Sentimore than had the virtual back-breaker when he intercepted quarterback Jason Smith and took the theft 46 yards for the team’s ninth non-offensive touchdown of the season.
“We feel like we change the game with one big play,” Sentimore said. “That is the philosophy of our defense. Even though we gave up some big plays early, we felt like we could turn the momentum around. It’s just a matter of time with our offense.”
EMCC followed with an eight-play, 77-yard drive. Kelly capped the drive with his fourth passing touchdown of the day — a 44-yard strike to Ja’Marcus Revies.
“We finally found a rhythm on offense,” Johnson said. “Even though we got behind, nobody got upset. We knew we would eventually start scoring. Once we got that first touchdown, it really got everybody going.”
Gulf Coast closed to within 35-21 before Preston Baker closed the door for good with a 10-yard rushing touchdown.
“We were really excited to play today, maybe too excited early,” Baker said. “The thing about this team is we always keep focus. We know it’s a four-quarter game. Even though we have won all our games, we have stayed humble and stayed true to the process. We have two more games to win and we know it takes to get there.”
Kelly was 17 of 30 for 259 yards but threw two interceptions. Baker rushed 12 times for 65 yards, while D.J. Law had 10 rushes for 57 yards. Revies finished with three catches for 58 yards, while Johnson had two catches for 57 yards.
While all thoughts Saturday night were on the state championship game, EMCC also knows its national championship title defense hopes survived a scare.
“We have to take it to another level,” Latham said. “We are in the same position we were in last year. We have two games left and we need to be the best team we possibly can be.”
Follow Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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