1994

WEEK OF

Warriors have higher hopes as '94 season kicks off Thursday By MARTY STAMPER Democrat sports editor

The talent level is gomg up m all junior colleges because of the NCAA academic requirements in the sen– ior colleges. " I honestly feel like we have the ability to compete with everybody we play with where beforehand we had the ability to compete with four or five of them. The rest we were just hoping they would have a bad night when we had a good night." That didn't happen in 1993 as the Warriors went 1-8-1, beating 2-8 Copiah-Lincoln and tying 1-8-1 Southwest. ECCC also lost to Coahoma, snapping the Tigers' na– tional record 82-game winless streak. Seven former Neshoba Central Rockets a re playing a t ECCC. Returning sophomores are line– backer Brad Moody (6-1, 232) and of– fensive lineman Lundy Brantley (5-10. 250). . Incommg freshmen from NCHS are defens1ve back Jamie Day <6-o, 20S), wide receiver Willie Latimer (5-11, 170), offensive lineman Allen Tucker <6-0, 275), defensive lineman Gabe Scott (5-10, 324), and line– backer Harold Roberts <5-11, 263). Day had originally signed with Clemson University, while Roberts had signed with Delta State Univer-· sity. Br1dgman is glad to have them

After winning just one game in each of his first two seasons as head football coach at East Central Com– munity College, Reese Bridgman expects much more from his 1994 team. "We think our talent level is much better," Bridgman 2-17-ll said. ··when we got here, we knew it would take some time. Sometimes that's easier said than done. Your patience level is limited sometimes. " But we have brought m. we think, a better group of people and a bet– ter class of people. We have gotten rid of some of the outlaws that were here when we got here. We tr ied to clean up the program and prov1de a lot of discipline and re-establish our relationships with people on campus and in the community. I think that's paid off. ''Last spring we turned the corner when we did a little better job in the classroom. We managed to get some people to hang around where we've been losing them

Reese Bndgman

ECCC will face four teams - No. 4 Itawamba, ~o. 10 Hinds, No. 18 Jones County, and ~o. 21 Northwest - ranked in the Jl'CO Top 25 pre~eason poU. " Realistically, we believe that we have the ab1hty to compete with everybody we play," Bridgman said. "TI1at vanes from year to year. bas– ed on " hat .:our opponents ha,·e.

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