SEASON PREVIEW
SEASON PREVIEW
NEMCC ENTERS PLAYOFF ERA OF NJCAA FOOTBALL WITH TALENT LADEN TEAM The Northeast Mississippi Community College football team made good use of its time in the limelight during the 2020 campaign. The Tigers, who were one of only 18 two-year college programs to compete during the fall semester, finished as the Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference (MACCC) North Division runner-up with a 5-1 record and earned a No. 13 national ranking according to JCGridiron. Football is back in its usual autumn slot on the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) calendar. However, there are some differences in 2021 after the NJCAA created a divisional system with two separate championship games. Northeast and the entire MACCC are classified as NJCAA Division I. There will be a four-team playoff to crown a national champion at this level with the semifinals taking place at on-campus locations and the title contest emanating from War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, Ark. So the Tigers have a bigger prize to shoot for than ever before during the 62nd all-time campaign in school history. However, they will do so with a proverbial target on their
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back following the many successes of the previous season. Greg Davis, who begins his seventh year as Northeast’s headman, is once again thrilled with the talent that he and his fellow coaches have assembled in the City of Hospitality. “Our coaching staff has done an amazing job with the roster,” he said. “I feel really confident in where we are offensively. We bring back some explosive players at the skill positions. Defensively, we’re led by the front there’s no doubt about it. This defense is going to be really good. We’re moving in the right direction.” Bolstering those good vibes are seven student-athletes that are returning for an additional sophomore season after the NJCAA provided an extra year of eligibility in all sports as a response to the coronavirus pandemic. Taking advantage of that unique opportunity are defensive backs Keyshawn Cobb and Tony Washington; defensive linemen Jamal Ellis, Cedric Hillsman and Stephon McGlaun; linebacker Jamarcus Smith and offensive lineman Will Derico. Smith has a chance to make more history as the first person to lead the Tigers in tackling for three consecutive
seasons. He recently became Northeast’s inaugural College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-America® selection. The Saltillo native has accumulated 147 stops, which breaks down 89 as a freshman and 58 one year ago. Smith has also produced 15.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, four forced turnovers and three blocked kicks. Standing in the way of Smith and a record that would most likely never be matched are several teammates that excel at tackling themselves such as Carter Bonds of Corinth, Tunica’s Reginald Hughes and Triston Newson from Independence. Bonds lived up to his hype as the 2019 Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal Defensive Player of the Year by finishing just behind Smith with 52 tackles, including a team-best 38 solo stops. Newson drew comparisons from Davis to former NJCAA All-Region 23 performer and current Alcorn State University standout Terrance Edgeston. Hughes is a University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) commitment that is poised to have a breakout season. He had a team-high 3.5 sacks to go along with 22 total tackles during his initial campaign with the Tigers.
