2008

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East Central Community Col– lege's Warriors were unable to maintain the1r slim 9-7 halftime lead as the Holmes Community College offense rallied for 30 second-half points en route to a 37-21 victory Saturday after– noon at Bailey Stadium in De– catur. The Warriors fell to 0-2 under first-year head coach Steve Cheatham following the non-di– vision matchup, which was originally scheduled for Thurs– day night but was moved to Saturday due to wet conditions at Warrior field. Holmes im– proved to 1-1. Holmes quarterback James Landry gave fits to the Warrior defense all afternoon, as the freshman signal caller from As– sumption, La., completed 17 of 21 passes for 181 yards and two scores. He also had 13 rushes for 117 yards. The Bull– dogs had 41 0 total offensive yards and 19 first downs. Emmanuel Taylor - EC's fresh– man quarterback - completed 14 of 24 passes for 124 yards. Taylor is a product of Early County High School in Blake– ley, Ga. Freshman running back Derrick Cade was the Warrior's top ground-gamer, with nine carries for 58 yards. The Warriors had 252 total yards of offense with 16 first downs. Holmes took an early 7-0 lead when Landry and wide receiver David Hampton connected on AF a 19-yard scoring strike with 8:25 left in the first period, cap– ping an 11-play, 83-yard drive Ct- on the game's first possession. S( Taylor Putt of Kosciusko added the PAT. The Warriors responded on Ut their first possession with w. Neshoba Central product

missed on a 40-yard field goal attempt on fourth and 11 with 7:54 left. The Bulldogs, now facing fourth and six from the EC 18, decided to run for the first down and did so success– fully, as Landry scrambled left for a 15-yard gain to the Warrior three-yard-line. Landry was stopped for a one-yard loss on first down but Collins found the end zone on the next play on a four-yard run. Putt added the PAT and gave Holmes a 30-15 edge. The scoring drive began at the Holmes 13-yard-line. It took just three plays- cover– ing 58 yards- for the Warriors to respond to the Bulldog score. The first came on Langston's 30-yard burst to the Holmes 28, followed by Taylor's 22-yard strike to wide receiver Tevin Houston of Philadelphia to the Holmes six, and Langston's six-yard run for the score. The PAT again failed but the War– riors closed the scoring gap to 30-21. East Central was in position for another tally late in the game after taking possession at the Holmes 26 following a Bulldog penalty. But after driving to the Bulldog 15, Taylor's first-down pass was picked off by Holmes defensive back Trell Hagans of Mize, who returned the pigskin 90 yards for a score with 2:20 remaining. Putt added the PAT and the visitors held on for the 37-21 win.

Derek Crenshaw splitting the uprights on a 38-yard field goal. East Central began the drive at its 45-yard line and drove to the Holmes 26 when the drive stalled. East Central took its only lead of the afternoon when running back Courtney Shelton, a prod– uct of Tuscaloosa (Ala.) Cen– tral, found pay dirt on a one-yard plunge with 6:13 left before halftime. The PAT at– tempt was not successful but the Warriors held a 9-7 advan– tage. The key play setting up the Warrior score was Maurice Langston's 58-yard punt return to the Holmes 20-yard-line. Langston is a former standout at Northeast Lauderdale High School in Meridian. The Bulldogs regained the lead for good during third-period ac– tion, when running back Harry Collins of Lexington crossed the goal line on a four-yard scamper. Collins also ran for the two-point conversion and gave the visitors a 15-9 advan– tage. The scoring drive covered 45 yards and took eight plays. Holmes padded its lead early in the fourth stanza on a 30-yard touchdown pass from Landry to wide receiver Chris Frison of Grenada, capping a 31-yard drive set up by a Warrior fum– ble. Landry connected with Hampton for the two-point con– version and 23-9 Bulldog lead. East Central narrowed the Holmes margin when Langston thrilled the Warrior faithful with his 45-yard punt return for a touchdown. The PAT was un– successful but the Warriors were within eight points of the Bulldogs at 23-15. However, Holmes scored on its next possession, thanks mainly to a Warrior penalty when Putt

The Warriors begin MACJC South Division action Thursday against Hinds Community Col- leg~, Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. .. RAT at Bailey Stadium in Decatur. "

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The Eagles are 1-1 after falling 31-3 Saturday to Northwest J -------– Mississippi Community Col- lege. ~------- THE PHILADELPHIAN c

SPIRIT OF MORTON------ --