No. 3 MGCCC battles No. 7 East Miss. for MACJC State Title

MGCCC safety Bradley Jacobs (2) and the Gulf Coast defense hope to contain East Miss. Nov. 7.

Bulldogs looking for MACJC three-peat

Back in late August, no one was sure if Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College could make another title run and defend back-to-back MACJC State Championships. The Bulldogs opened 2009 ranked No. 2 in the NJCAA pre-season poll but lost their first game 30-25 to Northwest.

Three months and nine wins later, the Bulldogs (9-1) are back in the MACJC State Title game Saturday at 2 p.m. against No. 7 ranked East Mississippi in Scooba.

“After the first game we focused on just winning one game,” said Gulf Coast head coach Steve Campbell, who’s 50-12 in six seasons with the Bulldogs. “That’s how we’ve approached it every week this year. If we take care of our business then everything else…the rankings, the playoffs and that stuff all falls into place.”

Back on Sept. 17 Gulf Coast traveled to Scooba and defeated the then No. 2 ranked Lions 43-26, but Campbell knows Saturday’s game will be much different since the stakes are much higher.

“Usually when you play a team twice in the same season the games are very different,” he said.

In 2007 Gulf Coast beat Jones 20-14 in the regular season and 20-17 in the championship game. Last year, the Bulldogs edged Pearl River 10-3 in Poplarville then blasted the Wildcats 52-7 in the title game.

Vick Ballard (26) and Greg Jenkins (13) lead the Bulldog offense against East Miss. Nov. 7.

To make it three straight MACJC titles, the Bulldogs will have to go on the road and beat a another 9-1 squad that features NJCAA All-American quarterback Randall Mackey, who went 19-32 for 363 yards with two TD passes and two TD runs against Gulf Coast on Sept. 17.

“The team that is solid in all three phases of the game and doesn’t turn the ball over will win,” Campbell said.

Featuring unblemished 6-0 MACJC North Division records each of the last two seasons, East Miss. has become the first junior college football program in Mississippi to post back-to-back unbeaten divisional marks since Northwest Mississippi registered three straight perfect North Division records from 1998-2000. The Lions are also the first North Division program to play in the state championship football game since Holmes claimed the 2002 state title. Saturday is also EMCC’s first-ever appearance in the state championship game.

Meanwhile Gulf Coast is seeking its 14th MACJC state crown and comes into the contest with the nation’s No. 2 ranked rushing attack led by running back Vick Ballard (1,469 yds., 18 TD’S in 2009), quarterback Greg Jenkins (17 TD’S, 3 INT passing---586 yds., 8TD’S rushing), and wide receiver Kelvin Bolden (921yds., 13 TD’S).

The winner of Saturday’s state title game will earn an automatic berth in next month’s Mississippi Bowl in Biloxi. In its second year, the 2009 Mississippi Bowl will be played on Sunday, Dec. 6 at Biloxi Indian Stadium. Last season Gulf Coast demolished Georgia Military College 41-7 in the inaugural Mississippi Bowl contest.