A win over Northwest gave the EMCC Lions their 6th state title in the last ten years. With their lone loss coming against Northwest, the Lions avenged their loss to the Rangers in the MACJC championship game back on November 12th in a wild 2OT thriller. The game featured seven lead changes, over 1,300 yards of offense and 70 first downs. EMCC held a 37-24 lead heading into the fourth quarter, but Northwest stormed back to tie the game with a 28-point 4th quarter, much to the dismay of head coach Buddy Stephens.
The game ended after a gutsy call for a 2-point conversion paid off for the Lions in 2OT to give them a 67-66 win. Stephens joined Supertalk Mississippi’s “Head 2 Head” on Tuesday to discuss the ending of the game, and how it came down to who had the ball last.
The Lions then went on to defeated the Arizona Western in the NCJAA Championship game by the final score of 31-28. Stephens mentioned that while many players for the “” were from out-of-state, the chemistry of his squad, which is comprised of mostly Mississippians played a role in the team’s success.
Stephens has coached many championship teams during his tenure as the Lions head coach, and he described what separates this year’s “resilient” team from all the rest.
The cameras of the Netflix’s “Last Chance U” may not be around anymore in Scooba, but Stephens says it may be for the better.
