All-Decade Team

ATHLETICS YEAR-IN REVIEW

Northeast’s Tiger softball team finished the season as the number six seed in the MACCC standings and finished third in the state tournament en route to clinching a berth in the Region 23 Tournament played at Co-Lin. The Tigers defeated four teams in the top 10 of the NJCAA rankings in the last four weeks of the season, including one against then-ranked number one Co-Lin. Cassidy Duskin (Ardmore, Ala.) was recognized by the National FastPitch Coaches Association (NFCA) as a National Junior College Athletics Association (NJCAA) Division II All-American.

Richy Harrelson and the Tiger baseball team hosted a first-round series at The Plex for the first time in its stadium history. Colby Holcombe (Florence, Ala.) was named the Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference (MACCC) Pitcher of the Year and First Team NJCAA All-American. Jackson Owen (Starkville, Miss.) was awarded a Rawlings Gold Glove Award. The Tigers finished the year winning 16 of their last 19 conference games.

Golf was represented in the NJCAA National Tournament for the second consecutive year as Tate Dickerson (Booneville, Miss.) and Andrew Fennell (New Albany, Miss.) qualified for the tournament based on their regular-season scoring averages. Dickerson earned NJCAA First Team All-American honors after finishing in the top 10, while Fennell finished in the top 35.

Cord Wright and the men’s basketball team made their ninth straight postseason appearance. The Tigers advanced to the finals of the MACCC Tournament and the semifinals of the Region 23 Tournament. The team also set a program record by winning their 31st consecutive game inside Bonner Arnold Coliseum. Zeke Cook (Starkville, Miss.) was named NJCAA third-team All-American.

Brenda Mayes’ and the women’s basketball team hosted a Region 23 Tournament playoff game and advanced to the quarterfinals of the region tournament. It was the Lady Tigers’ fifth postseason appearance in the last six years. Calysia Phillips (Lyon, Miss.) was named a Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) All-American.

Tennis made its return to the Tiger athletic lineup. The Tigers played two home matches on the on-campus courts, while the other home matches took place at Bank of New Albany (BNA) Park in New Albany.

The Tiger football team finished the season winning three of its last five games, including its last two. The Tigers defeated Itawamba for the third time in a row for the first time since the 1968-70 seasons. Jamarcus Smith (Saltillo, Miss.) was named a CoSIDA Academic All-American for the second consecutive season.

The cheerleaders were cheering on the Tigers at all the home football and basketball games.

FOOTBALL ALL-DECADE

Multiple professional athletes and All-American winners litter Northeast Mississippi Community College’s all-decade team for its football program.

A total of 25 student-athletes that suited up for the Tigers from 2010-19 were picked for this prestigious distinction. A panel of six individuals, which included athletic department staff and members of the local media, participated in this process.

Players were chosen based upon the overall impact they made on their respective team plus statistical analysis. Consideration was also given to any significant accomplishments each student-athlete made after leaving Northeast.

A majority of the honorees received postseason awards from the Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference (MACCC) and the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA).

The selections were made by position and includes one quarterback, one running back, three wide receivers, one tight end, five offensive linemen, four defensive linemen, three linebackers, four defensive backs, two specialists and one return specialist.

QUARTERBACK: Mason Cunningham (Shelbyville, Tenn.) Starter on 2016 squad that compiled a 6-3 record and finished 10th in the final NJCAA national poll (first top 10 finish in school history)…Completed 160 of 280 passes for 1,810 yards with 12 touchdowns compared to 13 interceptions…Completion percentage was 57.1 percent… Averaged over 200 yards per game through the air…Added team-best six rushing touchdowns (69 total rushes for 185 yards)…Set career-highs of 27 completions, 44 attempts and 297 yards in road win at East Central…Set career-high of three touchdown passes in victory at Mississippi Delta…Originally signed with Liberty (Va.), but finished collegiate career at Arkansas Tech.

BACK: Jaquise Cook (Ripley, Miss.) Top running back on 2010 Northeast team that went 5-4 overall and barely missed the postseason…Named NJCAA Offensive Player of the Week following 49-42 win at East Mississippi in which he rushed for 267 yards on 35 carries with four touchdowns… Appeared in all nine games and ended the season with 185 rushes, 825 yards and 10 touchdowns (tied for 10th in NJCAA)…Averaged 91 yards per game on the ground (12th nationally and 4th in the MACCC)…Finished collegiate career at Memphis (Tenn.).

WIDE RECEIVER: Tres Houston (Atlanta, Ga.) 2011 MACCC All-State second-team… Houston, standing at 6-3 and 200 pounds, led the Tigers in non-kicking scoring with eight touchdowns and 48 points on the season…Also the Tigers’ leading wideout with 669 yards for an average 14.9 yards per catch with a long of 66… Hauled in over 50 percent of the passes thrown to him coming away with 45 catches in 79 attempts…Finished collegiate career at Arkansas State.

WIDE RECEIVER: Joe Horn, Jr. (Atlanta, Ga.) 2014 MACCC All-State second-team…One of three phenomenal wideouts for the Tigers that had over 30 catches and 400 yards… Topped Northeast’s receivers with six touchdowns…. Caught a career-high three scores against visiting Coahoma in late September… Second on the squad with 48.3 yards per game and third with 33 receptions…Also returned kickoffs and punts for the Tigers and compiled 561 all-purpose yards…Preseason MACCC AllState selection by Mississippi Gridiron magazine in 2015… Finished collegiate career at Missouri Western State… Signed professional contracts with the Baltimore Ravens (NFL) and both the Houston Roughnecks and the New York Guardians (XFL).

WIDE RECEIVER: L.J. Hawkins (Water Valley, Miss.) 2016 MACCC All-State second-team…Finished sixth in the nation & second in the MACCC with 60 total receptions for 780 yards (16th nationally)…Totaled two touchdowns in wins over Pearl River and Coahoma…Season-highs of 12 catches versus East Central and 166 yards against Coahoma… Averaged 6.7 catches and 86.7 yards per game as a sophomore…Career numbers include 78 receptions, 1,005 yards and six touchdowns in 16 career games...Currently on the active football roster at Delta State.

TIGHT END: Logan Stokes (Muscle Shoals, Ala.) 2012 MACCC All-State second-team…When not blocking, hauled in 10 receptions for the Tigers on the year for 80 yards… Averaged 16 yards per game while clocking eight yards per catch for Northeast…Finished collegiate career at LSU… Best remembered at LSU for his game winning touchdown catch in the fourth quarter against Ole Miss in 2014…Spent time on New England Patriots and San Diego Chargers (NFL) practice squads.

OFFENSIVE LINE: Antonio Foster (Valdosta, Ga.) 2010 NJCAA All-American…2010 NJCAA All-Region 23…2010 & 2011 (two-time) MACCC All-State first-team…Ninth All-American in program history…Helped lead the Tigers to their largest offensive output since the 2005 season in 2010 as Northeast tallied 218 points during the 5-4 season…Standing at 6-4 and 300 pounds, he assisted Northeast in becoming the second-ranked team in the

MACCC in rushing touchdowns as the Tigers tallied 20 rushing scores on the year…Helped Northeast break into the NJCAA rankings for the first time since the 2006 preseason poll at No. 18…Bolstered an offensive line that saw the Tiger offense become one of the most prolific in school history as a sophomore in 2011…Northeast tallied the fifth highest point production in school history with its 254 points during the 2011 season…Finished collegiate career at Memphis (Tenn.)…Played indoor professional football for Wichita Falls (IFL).

OFFENSIVE LINE: Kortilous Ellis (Charleston, Miss.) 2013 MACCC All-State firstteam… Consistent force on the offensive line at center… Started in eight of Northeast’s nine outings this campaign… Anchored a group of five men on the line that helped Tiger running backs accumulate 223.9 yards per game, which was 11th best among NJCAA schools, during his sophomore campaign.

OFFENSIVE LINE: Jo’Quarius Savage (Monroe, La.) 2016 MACCC All-State first-team…Two-year starter at left tackle for the Tigers…Rated as the No. 89 overall two-year college prospect in the country by 247Sports prior to his sophomore campaign…Blocked for a Northeast offense that racked up 366.1 yards per game overall…Finished collegiate career at the University of Louisiana at Monroe.

OFFENSIVE LINE: Ethan Smart (Southaven, Miss.) 2016 MACCC All-State second-team…Everyday starter at right tackle for the Tigers…Blocked for a Northeast offense that racked up 366.1 yards per game overall during his sophomore year…Finished collegiate career at Purdue (Ind.)…Helped the Boilermakers qualify for the Foster Farms Bowl and the Music City Bowl during his pair of seasons with the program. OFFENSIVE LINE: Matthew Trehern (Saraland, Ala.) 2018 MACCC All-State first-team…Consensus two-star prospect by all major recruiting outlets…Everyday starter at left tackle for the Tigers… Blocked for a Northeast offense that averaged over 300 yards per game…Currently on the active football roster at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

DEFENSIVE LINE: Lavon Hooks (Atlanta, Ga.) 2012 NJCAA All-American…2012 NJCAA All-Region 23…2012 MACCC Most Valuable Defensive Lineman…2012 MACCC All-State first-team…Named top defensive tackle in his recruiting class by JCGridiron. com…Rated as the No. 15 overall prospect in the ESPN Junior College 100…Tied for second in the MACCC with 9.5 sacks… Tallied 51 tackles broken down to 18 solo stops and 33 assists…Hooks’ 6.4 tackles per game were second most on the team…Came away with three fumble recoveries and three forced fumbles…Hooks’ 20.5 tackles for loss placed second in the nation…Also competed for Northeast’s men’s basketball program where he also earned MACCC All-State recognition…Finished collegiate career at Ole Miss…Signed professional contract with Pittsburgh Steelers (NFL)

DEFENSIVE LINE: Daniel Ross (Louisville, Ky.) 2013 MACCC All-State second-team…Finished in a deadlock for the most tackles on the team among linemen as a sophomore with 43…Completed his two-year stint at Northeast with 68 total tackles and 13.5 sacks…Recorded four tackles and 1.5 sacks in the 2013 MACCC All-Star Football Classic at Tiger Stadium…Signed with the Edmonton Oilers (CFL) directly out of Northeast…Signed additional professional contacts with the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys and is currently on the active roster with the Oakland Raiders (NFL) DEFENSIVE LINE: Anthony Rush (Raleigh, N.C.) 2016 MACCC All-State first-team… Recorded 73 tackles and four sacks during two-year span with the Tigers… Finished with one sack, a tackle for loss and six total tackles in 55-30 win over Southwest in 2016…Totaled 33 tackles, including four tackles for loss, and one sack during sophomore campaign… Finished collegiate career at the University of Alabama at Birmingham…Signed professional contract and is currently on the active roster with the Philadelphia Eagles (NFL)

DEFENSIVE LINE: Sam Williams (Montgomery, Ala.) 2018 NJCAA Defensive Player of the Year…2018 NJCAA All-American first-team…2018 NJCAA All-Region 23…2018 NJCAA Region 23 Defensive Lineman MVP…Two-time MACCC All-State (2018 first-team/2017 second-team)…Unanimous 4-star prospect according to Rivals, 247Sports, 247Sports Composite and ESPN... Seventh-ranked JUCO prospect in the nation and third-rated weak-side defensive end by247Sports Composite…Totaled 75 tackles, 28.5 tackles for loss, 17.5 sacks, four forced fumbles and four pass breakups as a sophomore...Notched 53 tackles, 11 TFL, 3.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries as a freshman in 2017…Currently on the active roster at Ole Miss.

LINEBACKER: Eli Canton (Hernando, Miss.) 2011 MACCC All-State first-team…Finished the year with 50 tackles and helped spearhead an effort early in the year that saw the Tiger defense not surrender a touchdown in over 193 minutes of game action… In the almost 200-minute run, the Tiger defense put the clamps on their opposition by holding Southwest, Mississippi Delta and Holmes to just 12 points with six of that dozen coming via a 101-yard interception return by Southwest…Led the Tigers in tackles for loss with 11 on the year… Finished collegiate career at Troy (Ala.)