SCOOBA — East Mississippi Community College defensive coordinator Ed Holly didn’t need a road map to find Scooba when accepted his present position.
Holly’s third stint as a member of the Lions’ coaching staff begins Sept. 1 when No. 1 EMCC takes on Jones Junior College to open the 2016 Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) regular season.
“East Mississippi has been a great home to me,” Holly said. “When coach (Buddy) Stephens called, I was excited because this is a special place for me. We don’t really want to change the history here. We just want to add to it.”
Holly served as defensive coordinator under Roger Carr at EMCC in 2004. After leaving the coaching profession, he returned as defensive line coach for each of Stephens’ first two teams in 2008 and 2009.
While working under then-defensive coordinator William Jones, Holly saw the beginnings of a dynasty. Jones was Stephens’ defensive coordinator for five seasons. The past three seasons Jordan Lesley served in that capacity. Lesley is now on the staff at Troy.
“William Jones knows so much about defense,” Holly said. “It was a base 4-3 formation. We will basically run his defense with some minor tweaks to it. You always want to put your own stamp on things. If you look at what Jordan did the last couple of years, it was amazing. It was one of the best defensive jobs done in this association. You simply come here and want to continue that tradition. Those defenses played with passion and had a tremendous amount of speed. It seemed like nine or 10 guys were always where the ball was at all times.”
Columbus High School sophomore defensive back Alexander Lipscomb will be a key returnee for the Lions. Holly has praised Lipscomb’s leadership in fall camp.
“This defense is going to be exciting this year,” Lipscomb said. “There really have not been a lot of changes. We do a few things differently, but it has overall gone very well. We got some serious speed. That is what set us apart last season. You will see more of that this year. We have speed and we are very physical.”
Despite a top-five ranking and an 8-1 record, EMCC’s season ended on a down note last year when a benches-clearing brawl in the regular-season finale cost it a spot in the MACJC playoffs. EMCC won the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) national championship in 2013 and 2014.
“We are a very athletic group of student-athletes,” Holly said. “They are high energy, energetic, fun to coach. It has been fun around to be these players. Each year when you start a new season, everybody is excited. This year has been way different. Everybody is mad about how last season ended. That has been the motivation. The attitude in this camp is different than any I have been around.”
Several first-year players will have to lead the way in the season opener. EMCC will dress around 30 players because returning players have to serve the second game of a two-game suspension for last year’s brawl. The full roster will be available one week later for a game at No. 4 Mississippi Gulf Coast C.C.
“I just think the preparation is more important that week than usual,” Holly said. “The sophomores will have to do a great job of leading since they can’t play in the first game. It will be an opportunity for some of the new guys to make a statement. I am looking forward to seeing what those guys do in a live game.”
Dontavious Powell returns to join Lipscomb at safety. T.J. Jallow is back at a cornerback. Duke Upshaw and Ty Williams have had impressive debuts at camp.
The linebacking group of Ryan Lee, Alex Spurlock, and Diamante Pounds returns. Quin Jones, Ty’Ree Evans, and Dakota Allen are first-year players ready to contribute.
Allen was a starting linebacker at Texas Tech last season. Defensive lineman Kam Carter is a transfer from Penn State, while fellow lineman Chauncey Rivers is a transfer from Georgia.
“We only have one returnee up front (D.J. Henderson),” Holly said. “We will have a lot of new faces on the defensive front. We should be fine in with the linebackers and the secondary. We will see how quickly the line comes together.”
A 23-year coaching veteran, Holly spent the past five seasons as a high school head coach in Florida. He is a South Florida native.
“I have been real fortunate in this business,” Holly said. “I have had a lot of friends take care of me. When this opportunity came along, it was too good to pass up.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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