2000

Hinds hangs on for 14-7 victory over East Central

Key defensive plays by East Central Community College kept the high-powered Hinds offen.se in check most of the day but turnovers and missed oppor– turutles by the Warrior offense helped give the nationally ranked Eagles a hard-fought 14- 7 win Saturday afternoon in Decatur Hinds. ranked eighth in the national juco poll prior to the South Di\'ision matchup with the Warriors, maintained its top spot m the league standings with a 3-0 mark, while East Central dropped to 1-2. The Eagles are 6-1 overall and the Warriors are 4-3. East Centr aL which entered the contest \Vith the stateis best rushing offense at 272.8 yards per game. scored on its first pos- . session when quarterback Mitchell ~IcKinnon of Patatka, Florida, scampered 46 yards to pay dirt on fourth and one with 11:04 remaining in the first stanza. Josh Thoms of Newton kicked the PAT. Hinds threatened to scor e later in the same period, but a fumble recovery by Warrior line– backer LaKendrick Houston of Louisville on the EC four-yard– line nixed the scoring threat. East Central failed to convert a scoring opportunity early in the second quarter when a fum– ble by Hinds punt return spe– cialist Nate Young gave the Wat·riors excellent field position on the Eagles' 24-yard-line. The Warriors - while set up for Thomsi 42-yard field goal attempt - tried a trick pass from the formation but the effort was not successful. Hinds, which owns the statefs second- best passing offense with 203.8 yards per game, finally got its no-huddle offense

untracked midway in the second quarter when quarterback Brad Banks connected with wide receiver Rodrecus Rand on 69- yard scoring pass play. Trey Crum added the PAT. On their next possession, the Eagles drove to the EC 11-yard– line, only to have Bank's 11-yard touchdown run nullified by a penalty followed by a fumble r ecovery by Warrior linebacker Levi Duncan of Eustis, Fla., at the EC East Central 23-yard- at line. "Hinds Jones capital- L---------' ize on a Warrior miscue and take the lead for good when Banks fired a 27-yard touchdown strike to wide receiver Chauncey Stovall with 1:41 left before halftime. Crum again booted the PAT. The Eagle tally was set up by McKinnon's fumble, which was recovered by Hinds defensivli end Andrew Williams at the EC 27. The Warriors began third period action by driving to the Hinds' 19-yard line but the scor– ing threat was nullified when McKinnon fumbled and Williams! again made the recov– ery. Williams, a 6-4, 269-pound defensive standout from Tampa, F lorida. returned the loose pigskin to the Warrior 49-yard– line, where he was finally dragged down by the 196-pound McKinnon The EC defense would again deny Hindsi any points, as a fumble recovery by defensive end Jermaine Crosby of South Leake stopped the Eagle drive at the EC 37. Hinds mounted another march in the same peri- w o u 1d 1 a t e r 2 p.m.

od but an interception by defen– sive back Cedric Cotton of Newton County stopped that possible scoring opportunity near midfield. East Central appeared to be on a scoring drive late 1n the third quarter but McKinnon's third fumble - recovered by Eagle defensive lineman Tyrone Robertson - nixed the threat at the Hinds 31-yard-line. Hinds responded to the Warrior mistake by launching a drive of its own, which later stalled at the EC seven-yard– line. Once again the Warrior defense met the challenge, as Cotton blocked Crumis 28-yard field goal attempt with 2:24 left in the third period. Fourth quarter action again saw the Warrior defense stop the Hinds attack. After a pena 1 - ty nullified Banks' 12-yard TD run, EC defensive back D'Angelo Lewis of Fayetteville, North Carolina, picked off Banks' pass near the goal line and returned the pigskin to the Warrior 20- yard line. A quarterback sack by Duncan and Cotton also helped to stop a Hinds drive at the East Central 22-yard line with 3:42 remaining. The Eagles, who rank third in total offense with 344.8 yards per game, surpassed that mark against East Central with 249 yards passing and 118 yards rushing for a 387 total. Rand led Hinds with seveo catches for 148 yards and a touchdown, fol– lowed by Stovall's eight recep– tions for 101 yards and a score. The Eagles had 17 first downs. East Central, the stateis top rushing offense with a 272.8- yard average, had 171 yards rushing against the top-rated Hinds rushing defense, which had previously allowed just 58.7 yards per contest.

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