By By Shawn Wansley/EMG sports writer
October 26, 2003
ELLISVILLE Jones Junior College came up excruciatingly short in its bid to secure a South Division playoff spot here Saturday afternoon.
The Bobcats turned the ball over on the Hinds' 5-yard line with less than two minutes to play and were called for a crucial illegal participation penalty just seconds later as the Eagles posted a 17-10 victory at Bobcat Stadium.
The victory was the seventh in a row for Hinds, after a season-opening loss at Northwest, and clinched first place in the South Division for the Eagles, who are now 7-1 overall and end division play at 6-0.
Hinds, ranked No. 13 in the latest NJCAA poll, will host Mississippi Delta on Nov. 8 in the first round of the playoffs, while Northwest will host Pearl River.
JCJC, ranked No. 9, falls to 6-2 overall, 3-2 in the division.
Leading 14-10, Hinds got a 25-yard field goal from Carter Mascagni with 7:03 left in the game to go up by a touchdown.
On the Eagles' next possession, quarterback Terrance Matthews' pass was deflected and picked off by JCJC's Alton McCann at the Hinds' 40. He returned it to the 17, giving the Bobcats a golden opportunity to tie the score.
Three rushes netted a first down at the 5. At that point, Voncarie Owens took the handoff, fumbled and Hinds' Kentrell Tanner recovered at the Eagle 8.
The Eagles ran three plays and faced a fourth-and-1 at their 17. At that point, the Eagles went into punt formation with 1:26 left, but Jones was called for illegal participation, giving the Eagles a first down. From there, Hinds took a knee three times and the game was over.
The game started off badly for Jones.
On the first play from scrimmage, quarterback Derek Boykin's pass was picked off by Willie Williams at the Jones' 30 and returned to the 15. On the very next play, running back Greg Clark went 15 yards for a touchdown. Mascagni's extra point made it 7-0 with 14:30 left in the first quarter.
The Bobcats got on the board late in the first quarter. They drove 59 yards in 10 plays, as Jordan Dennis booted a 38-yard field goal to end the drive.
That made it 7-3 with 3:59 left in the first quarter. It stayed that way until the third quarter.
The Eagles struck quickly, taking the opening kickoff and going 75 yards in four plays. Matthews hit Oge Oge on a 39-yard scoring strike, three plays after he connected with him on another 39-yard pass. Mascagni's conversion made it 14-3 with 13:28 showing.
But Jones came right back.
They drove 64 yards in three plays. This time, Boykin hit Darrell Mitchell on a 51-yard scoring strike. Dennis' extra point made it 14-10 with 12:18 left in the third quarter.
Jones had two other chances to go ahead.
First, Boykin hit Akeem Lofton with a 18-yard pass to the Hinds' 17 late in the third quarter. However, Lofton fumbled and Hinds' Domenik Kelly recovered.
The Bobcats held and the Eagles shanked a punt for five yards to the Hinds 31.
But on the very next play, Boykin's pass was intercepted by defensive end Chad Green, who returned it to his own 37.