SCOOBA — Ti’Morrius Conner had a big smile on his face as he removed his jersey and pads.
As he prepared to meet friends and family and celebrate a victory, the East Mississippi Community College freshman reveled in the fact he had bragging rights over a former teammate.
Conner, a former standout quarterback at Noxubee County High School, held those bragging rights over former Noxubee County High teammate Wesley Bush on Saturday after No. 4 EMCC beat No. 1 Northwest Mississippi C.C 51-32 in a Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) game Saturday at Sullivan-Windham Field.
“I get to talk a lot to him,” Conner said. “He probably isn’t going to want to say too much. It’s a good feeling to get the win.”
Conner and Bush helped Noxubee County win the 2014 Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 4A State championship. Conner, along with current Mississippi State defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons, guided the Tigers to the 2015 MHSAA Class 4A State championship.
Bush said he and Conner didn’t talk before Saturday’s game, so there was no trash talk involved. He said they keep up on social media and hang out when they are back in Macon.
Although Conner didn’t play for the Lions (6-1) Saturday, Bush was happy to see an old friend.
“It’s nice, just to see him out there playing and balling,” Bush said. “It makes me feel good. To play against him, that’s real nice.”
Conner said they weren’t the best of friends in high school, but they were good acquaintances with football being a common factor.
Conner is the only former Noxubee County player on the EMCC roster, so getting to see an old teammate was a thrill for him.
“It was alright getting to play against one of my old teammates on the different side of the ball,” Conner said. “In high school we were always competitive against each other.”
Conner said the two used to goof around. He said they took advantage of first period and cut up a lot.
“We always boosted people’s heads up and joked around and had fun,” Conner said.
Bush had eight tackles and a fumble recovery. In the third quarter, EMCC quarterback De’Andre Johnson hit wide receiver Brooks Shannon. Shannon was hit and the ball popped out. Bush hopped on top of it to give Northwest Mississippi the ball, but the Rangers (6-1) couldn’t capitalize and turned the ball over on downs.
Bush said there was a whole “bus load” of friends and family in the stands to see him play. Although his family gets to see him almost every weekend, he said they like not having to travel far to see him play.
“It was a fun thing to do,” Bush said. “We really just tried to come down here and win and let people know we are No. 1, but they got the best of us this time. We’re going to meet them again in the state playoffs. We’re going to have to go back on our mistakes and get them fixed.”
Conner and Bush weren’t the only set of former teammates to meet up after the game. Northwest Mississippi linebacker A.J. Smith and EMCC running back Jacquez Horsley, who had a 3-yard touchdown, met at midfield after the game and took a picture together. Smith and Horsley played together at Starkville High. EMCC’s roster also features former Starkville High standouts Raphael Leonard and Maleke Bell.
Former Aberdeen High star Jerrick Orr committed to Memphis, but he decided to go the junior college route to find a better fit at another Division I school. The freshman signed with Northwest Mississippi.
Orr had two catches for 88 yards, including a 5-yard touchdown from backup quarterback Cam Bowman in the fourth quarter.
Trailing 24-17, Orr had an 83-yard catch that set the Rangers up at the Lions’ 2-yard line. Northwest Mississippi couldn’t punch it in and settled for a Drake McCarter 20-yard field goal to cut the lead down to a touchdown.
Orr said it felt like the entire city of Aberdeen, which is 77 miles from Scooba, was on hand to watch him play.
“When you know you have support like that in games like this, that makes you want to come out and just play hard,” Orr said. “You want to hear something good about yourself when you go back home. I gave it all I had.”
The Lions and Rangers could meet in the MACJC State championship game. Bush is ready for another crack at Conner and the Lions.
Smiling, Conner said he was ready, too. “I just can’t wait on him. We’re going to dominate them again,” Conner said.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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