No. 15 EMCC Lions claim 12th MACCC North title of Stephens era with 50-39 home win over Holmes

SCOOBA – With their fifth straight win on the year, the 15^th-ranked Lions of East Mississippi Community College claimed a share of their 12^th MACCC North Division football championship during the Buddy Stephens coaching era with Thursday night's 50-39 home victory over the visiting Holmes Bulldogs in the regular-season finale played at EMCC's Sullivan-Windham Field.

EMCC (7-2, 5-1 MACCC North) and fourth-ranked Northwest Mississippi (8-1, 5-1 MACCC North) share the title as 2025 MACCC North Division football co-champions, but the Lions earned the division's No. 1 seed by virtue of their 34-28 home win over the Rangers back on Sept. 11. By earning the division's top seed, East Mississippi will play host to eighth-ranked Mississippi Gulf Coast (8-1, 5-1 MACCC South) in the upcoming MACCC Semifinals to be played on Saturday, Nov. 8. Kickoff for Saturday's playoff game between the Lions and the Bulldogs on the Scooba campus is set for 3 p.m.

Saturday's other semifinal matchup with have the second-seeded Northwest Rangers traveling to Wesson to take on sixth-ranked and No. 1 MACCC South seed Copiah-Lincoln (8-1, 5-1 MACCC South), who shares the 2025 MACCC South Division co-championship with Gulf Coast. The Wolves earned the top seed via their 27-26 road victory over the MGCCC Bulldogs on Oct. 16.

The 2025 MACCC Football Championship Game will be played on Saturday, Nov. 15, at the home site of the highest-seeded MACCC North Division team remaining in the playoffs following this Saturday's semifinals.

Thursday's offensive shootout between East Mississippi and Holmes featured 89 total points and 55 total first downs (Holmes led, 29-26) between the two teams. With the Lions and Bulldogs having combined to run 158 total offensive plays for 1,121 yards of total offense, EMCC owned the advantage on the ground (350-87 rushing yards) and Holmes earned the nod through the air (482-202 passing yards).

Along with touchdowns having been scored by both teams during every quarter, there were four lead changes in the first half. On the heels of Trey Irving III's 61-yard keeper to the 4-yard line on EMCC's first offensive play of the game, the home-standing Lions scored the game's first points at the 12:21 mark on Gavin Griffin's first of four rushing touchdowns on the night.

 Holmes took its first lead of the game late in the opening quarter when Dan Lindsay's 25-yard field goal at the 1:32 mark was followed by a 45-yard fumble return for a touchdown by the Bulldogs' Kam'Ron Robinson on a completed pass during EMCC's ensuing offensive possession. The visitors owned a 10-7 lead at the end of the opening 15 minutes of play.

The high-scoring second quarter saw a total of 34 points scored with three lead changes. Griffin's second rushing touchdown of the night from a yard out on the second play of the quarter was followed by Irving's 54-yard touchdown toss to Noreel White after a Holmes three-and-out possession to put the Lions back in the lead, 21-10, with 10:20 left in the half.

The Bulldogs responded by scoring touchdowns on consecutive drives while holding EMCC to a three-and-out between possessions. Easton Sartin's 2-yard scoring burst and Chase Richardson's 30-yard scoring pass to Jamarius Grayer reclaimed Holmes' lead by a single point, 22-21, with 2:24 remaining despite a pair of failed PAT conversion kicks.

The Lions answered right back on their next possession to close out the first-half scoring. Following Irving's 38-yard keeper to the 2-yard line, EMCC's freshman signal-caller again connected with White three plays later from a yard out to put the home team back on top, 29-22, heading to intermission.

The third quarter marked the lowest-scoring quarter of the contest with only one touchdown scored by each team. On the second play from scrimmage of the second half, Griffin broke loose for a 57-yard touchdown run for his third score of the game to make it a two-possession contest at 36-22.

After the game's scoring pace slowed midway through the third quarter, the Bulldogs cut the deficit to 36-29 when Richardson connected with Cam Joseph on a 24-yard scoring strike at the 4:42 mark. Richardson then directed Holmes on a nine-play, 84-yard scoring drive to open the fourth quarter that was capped by his 33-yard touchdown toss to D.J. Welch to knot the score at 36-36 for the game's only tie with 11:30 left in the contest.

The Lions promptly responded just over a minute later by going 61 yards on just four plays to put EMCC in the lead (43-36) for good on Irving's 12-yard keeper to the end zone.

Despite the offensive numbers produced by both teams during the contest, EMCC's defense stepped up when it counted the most down the stretch. With 10 minutes left in the game, Holmes had the ball first-and-10 from EMCC's 11-yard line when the Lions' pressure on Richardson forced three straight incomplete passes to limit the visitors to their final three points of the game on Lindsay's 28-yard field goal at the 8:49 mark.

On the Bulldogs' next offensive possession, EMCC freshman linebacker Jamarri Vinson sacked Richardson for an 11-yard loss on a third-and-10 play from near midfield. The Lions then took nearly four minutes off the game clock during a 10-play, 64-yard scoring drive that was initially extended with a clutch 6-yard pass completion from Irving to freshman receiver Christian Thomas on a gritty third-and-5 play and later capped by Griffin's fourth rushing touchdown of the night. Griffin's 1-yard scoring plunge with less than a minute left in the contest lengthened the two-time NJCAA and MACCC Offensive Player of the Week's NJCAA-leading total to 20 rushing touchdowns on the season.  

Griffin, the 2023 MHSAA Class 1A Mr. Football out of Velma Jackson High School, finished the night with 163 rushing yards plus the four scores on 26 attempts to become the fourth EMCC player during the Stephens coaching era to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a season. His current season total of 1,095 rushing yards trails only Deon McIntosh (1,150 in 2018), Rod Moore (1,303 in 2011) and Lakenderic Thomas (1,334 in 2013) on the Lions' single-season chart dating back to the 2008 season.    

Irving, the 2024 MHSAA Class 5A Mr. Football at Gautier High School, accounted for 391 yards of total offense and three touchdowns by completing 15-of-27 passes for 202 yards and a pair of touchdowns along with rushing for an additional 189 yards and a score on 16 attempts.

Marking their 15^th conference playoff appearance (18-5 composite record) in 18 years under Stephens' guidance, the EMCC Lions previously claimed conference division crowns back-to back-in 2008 and 2009, then six straight from 2011 through 2016 as well as in 2018, 2021 and 2023. In addition, the Lions have earned nine conference titles (2009, '11, '13-14, '16-18 & '22-23) and five national championships (2011, '13-14 & '17-18) during Stephens' previous 17 years at the EMCC helm. The Lions also finished as national runners-up in 2023.