1977-1982

ECJC Warriors Ri

Fo Beat C.om By ANDY CLAY Sports Correspondent DECATUR - They just wouldn't quit.

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East Central Junior College's Warriors trailed all night long against North Division foe Copiah-Lincoln here Friday night, but pulled out a 20-17 victory on Wayne Baucum's one yard touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter. "We had a good offensive effort," said Warrior head coach Ken Pouncey. "Our blocking and pass protection were very good." ECJC entered the final period trailing 17-7,but three costly Co-Lin fumbles gave the Warriors the opportunities they needed. On their first la from scrimma e after a Warrior punt, the e a t Wolves fumbled t e all and Andy Jo ns fell on it for East Central. From the Wolves' 24, it took the Warriors just six plays to score with back-up quarterback Micah Hazelwood at the controls. Baucum went the final two yards for the TD. Todd Wall booted the extra point. From there things got worse for Copiah-Lincoln. On the kickoff return, Kendall Covington fumbled after a 26-yard return and Jay Jones recoverd for ECJC a t the Co-Lin 42. A face mask penalty against the Wolves and two eight-yard runs by Mike Ballew moved the ball down to the 13. Two plays later, Bruce Magee burst up the middle seven yards, to the one. Baucum plowed through for the score and East Central's first lead of the night. Wall connected on the PAT. The Wolves were still having trouble hanging on to the ball. Quarterback Brian Fine fumbled on the second play after the kickoff, but recovered the ball. However, two pla s later, Co-Lin wasn't so lucky a s Dave Doby pounced on a fumbLd pitch for the Warriors. With time on their side, the Warriors grinded it out on the ground,

!atmg more than five minutes otf the clock while dri! to the Volves 14. A delay of game penalty pushed ECJC back --. e yards ~nd.Wall's39-yard field goal try sailed wide right. With only 1:20 left in the game, Fine was forced to go to the air. On first down from the 20, Fine connected with running back Juan 'hompson for 17 yards. Following two incompletions, Fine once gain found Thompson, this time for 14 yards to the ECJC 49. Following two incompletions and a five-yard run by Chris Cirinna, line icked u just two yards on fourth-and-five and the Wolves

urne the bal P over to the Warriors on downs. Hazelwood fell on the ball to run out the clock. "I'm just glad the clock ran out yhen it did," said Warrior assis- Early in the third quarter, Co-Lin padded its lead when ~1 .ant coach Freeman Horton. : Davenport picked off a Kennemar pass and returned it 39 yards, - "We just executed a little better (in the second half) than in the tocuhed, for a touchdown. Brumfield tacked on the extra point. %st half," said Pouncey. f That set the stage for East Central's comeback or Co-~in's f 'After a scoreless first quarter, Co-1,in struck for three points early : breakdown, whichever one chooses to call it. Q the second eriod on Todd Brumfield's 27-yard field goal. v l t h o u g h the first and third quarters were scoreless, they were With under P our minutes in the game the Wolves scored again. not ~r~even t f u l a s the Warriors missed numerous scoring Curtis Hobbs returned a punt 28 yards to set Co-Lin up a t the East opportunities. :entral28. Covingtonrambled for 12 yards and two plays later, Fine Early In the first quarter, the Warriors drove a s far a s the Co-Lin onnected with Ray Brown for a 17- ard TD strike. Brumfield tack- 31: before Harvey McGee intercepted a Kennemar pass to end the d on the extra po~nt and Co-Lin l e i 10-0. drive.

The Warriors got a needed boost just before halftime when they rove 48 yards for a touchdown with just 28 seconds left. On first own, uarterback Jim Kennemar hit tight end Joe Douglas for 15 ards.%hen, Kennemar picked up 14 yards on a keeper. Three in- ompletions followed and Wall came on to try a 36-yard field goal. The ball baunced off the cross bar, but tine Wolves were guilty of oughing the kicker and ECJC got the ball first-and-goal a t the nine. Ronnie Parker carried the ball three times for all nine yards, go- ~g the last two for the score. Wall's PAT pulled ECJC to within 10-7 -