NEMCC's sophomore running back Jeremy Cannon rushed for 233 yards on 33 carries for four touchdowns on Saturday, October 3rd in Decatur, Miss., against the East Central Warriors.  Unfortunately, the Tigers lost the game in overtime 34-28. 

October 5, 2009

WARRIORS USE HAIL MARY PASSES TO RALLY PAST TIGERS

Decatur, Miss. --Northeast Mississippi Community College’s football team lost a 34-28 heartbreaker in overtime to the East Central Warriors in Decatur Saturday, October 3. 
 
East Central pulled off some homecoming magic and seemed to get some help from “higher powers” with two touchdowns coming off “hail mary” passes as the horn sounded at the end of the first half and at the end of regulation.

East Central’s first hail mary touchdown came at the end of the first half to tie the game at 14-14, and the second came as the horn sounded in the fourth to put the game at 28-28 setting the stage for overtime.

In the first quarter, Northeast got on the board first when sophomore running back Jeremy Cannon (New Albany) punched it in from six yards out at the 5:41 mark for a 7-0 lead after the PAT by Tyler Turner (Horn Lake).

However, at the two-minute mark, East Central responded with a 35-yard run by quarterback Emmanuel Taylor knotting the game at 7-7 following Chad Mangum's PAT.

Both teams swapped scores in the second quarter when Cannon scored on a 5-yard run with 13:33 to play in the first half that gave Northeast a14-7 lead. Nevertheless, Taylor would answer with the hail mary pass from 41 yards out to running back Dontice Sanders for the score to make it 14-14 at the half.

Northeast opened the second half with Cannon scoring his third touchdown on the day by leaping into the end zone from two yards out pushing the Tigers lead to 21-14 with 10:47 left in the third.

Northeast’s defense held East Central scoreless in the third period thanks to the help of sophomore corner back Darius Carothers (Lafayette) -- who picked off Taylor with six minutes left for a 6-yard return -- and freshman defensive back Steve Smith Jr. (Jackson) who capped off a Tigers goal line stance with his interception that came in the back of the end zone as the Warriors were threatening to tie the game.

Northeast would add to its lead in the fourth at the 3:49 mark on another rushing touchdown from Cannon, this time from 15 yards out giving the Tigers a 28-14 lead.

Cannon accounted for all of the Tigers points rushing for 221 yards on 33 touches and four scores.

However, the Warriors fought back and were able to get a quick score on a 40-yard touchdown pass from Taylor to running back Jeremy Harvey with 1:29 left in the game.

Northeast recovered the ensuing on-side kick by East Central but, the Tigers were unable to run very little time off the clock and turned the ball back over to the Warriors after a Turner punt with under a minute left in the game.

East Central took advantage of their last chance when the Warriors’second hail mary was answered on the ensuing drive as the horn sounded at the end of regulation. The 30-yard connection from Taylor to receiver Ronnie McMillan tied the ball game at 28-28 after the Mangum PAT, sending the crowd into frenzy and setting the stage for the overtime period.

In overtime, Northeast lost the coin toss and had to put its offense on the field first but the Tigers were unable to move the ball and would have to settle for a 31-yard field goal attempt from Turner that was wide left leaving the Tigers hopes of winning in the hands of the defense.

East Central wasted no time on its first possession in the extra session scoring on its first play from scrimmage with Taylor hitting Antonio Hughes for the 25-yard touchdown pass that ended the game with the Warriors crowd rushing the field and the Tigers coaches and players standing in disbelief.

Northeast dropped to 2-4 overall and remains 2-1 in the North Division with the loss to East Central in Decatur.

Northeast head coach Ricky Smither and his squad will look to pull off the upset win this Saturday, in a North Division showdown with the nation’s twelfth-ranked East Mississippi Lions in Scooba.

Kick-off is set for 2 p.m. 

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