Indians fall to No. 1 East Mississippi in season finale

Fulton, Miss. - Itawamba Community College dropped a 34-9 decision to No. 1 East Mississippi Community College Thursday night in the season finale.

The Indians and Lions exchanged field goals early in the contest with EMCC striking first on a 23-yarder and Shane Lasher (Olive Branch) answering for the Tribe with one from 37 yards.

EMCC, the first to find the end zone, did so on a nine-yard pass with just over a minute left in the opening quarter. The Lions led 10-3.

A six-yard run by EMCC was all of the second quarter scoring, and the Lions held a 17-3 advantage at the half.

A 10-point third quarter for the Lions extended their lead due to scores on a four-yard pass and a 20-yard field goal.

The Lions' final score came early in the fourth on a two-yard run.

In the final seconds, the Lions threw for the end zone,  but ICC's Ralph Dunn (Pontotoc) intercepted the pass and returned it 100 yards for the touchdown.

Eric Watts (Opelika, Ala.) led the Indians' offense with 59 rushing yards and broke a big 55-yard run that led to a field goal.

Corley Hooper (Ecru) led the Indian defense with 13 tackles, two tackles for loss and a quarterback sack. He finishes the year with a team-high 95 total tackles.

The 34-9 loss ends the 2021 season for the Indians, who finish with a 3-6 overall record and 2-4 in the MACCC North Division.

Follow ICC Athletics: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram