1982-1986

East Central.. ...

hopes track p

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1 Tile East Central Jr. College Warriors %illbe looking to return to the first divi- sion level of play in the solid Miss. Juco league when it opens the 1986 season on the road at Senatobia, when they tangle {kiththe Northweat Jr. College Rangers. Head coach A. J. Kilpatrick's fourth ECJC ;earn may have the talent to crack :!ie upper echelon of teams after posting .: 3-7-: record in '85. 'I! think that we will be better than last year,'' >aid kilpatrick. "We're looking good 111 practice and the men have a pooci aititude about what we're doing. MTe \\:I: be ready for Northwest." The Thursday, August 28th date ieprescnls an earlier start on the season khan usual, but Kilpatrick said that it will not affect his tearil that ninch. "1 don't see chat much problem uith the early z:lnlt.. It's been hot practicing, but kve'll he ready." The first game opponent Ka~lger,are picked to be at the top of the Norrlr divi- sion along with Itawan~ba. Both team5 made r t ~ e state playoffs last year. ka$orites in tht: South In which Last C:entr"al participaics are Jones and Gulf C'oaz;. All !'our {cams dot the Warrior siheduie. Kiiapirick's favorites in the South are c:~ai'r~:ciilrg .state ihampion Copiah Lin- L.I?:I! 33d Gulf Coast. "Both of the:$ -

teams will bc good. But Jones, Pel River, and maybe Hinds have a good shot, too. Most of these teams have good tradition." Of Kilpatrick's 52 nlan squad, 21 out- of-state athletes dot the roster. But he said that local returning players a1 some neucomers \\ill contribute to t goal of a ~vinnirigseason. Former Neshoba Central atlriet Kelvin Lyons and Kenneth Sears, Lea.., Acadeniy linebacker Glenn Coglan and Beulah Hubbard guard Dale McNair u"' see playing time when this season corn around. Sears, a 6' 5" 295 Ib. tackle u add to an original Mississippi Coll signee to likely give EC some of t, largest players on the Juco circuit. 6' 6" 279 lb. Mickey McMillan -. Lake has repo1.it.d to :he Warrior camp a11JKilpatrick 1,; glad to ha\e !lim. "I-' sure i h a big m e . 1 1.!,ink Ire can help us According tc; kiipatr ick, 1986 Unic graduates Malcolm Clay and Br: Brcland "have been doing \\ell in pra tice." C!ay is v.orking in the defensi secor~adry, a "sirong poin? of our tean said the EC coactl, and Breiand is pla ing at a tackle slot. East Central u ili play their first gar at home against C i ~~ l f Coa5t Saturday, September 6th. Homeconling is slated for October 18th againsr Jones.