Booneville, Miss. - The Northeast Mississippi Community College football program will wrap up one of the biggest weeks on campus this academic year with a critical conference showdown.
The Tigers welcome Coahoma Community College to complete a full day of homecoming activities on Thursday, September 29. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Tiger Stadium.
Those that cannot attend the game can watch it live and in high definition on NEMCCTV. Tune in starting at 6:30 p.m. for the pregame show by visiting www.nemcctv.com on any computer, smartphone or tablet.
The Northeast Broadcasting Network also includes Booneville based radio station WBIP. An audio simulcast featuring Jody Presley and Carter Smith, the Voices of the Tigers, can be heard on 99.7 FM and AM 1400 on your digital dial.
Search and follow @NEMCCTigers on Twitter for live in-game updates and interact during the contest by using the hashtag #TigerPower across all social media platforms.
The festivities are slated to begin at 12:10 p.m. with a pep rally in front of Ramsey Hall. The 13-member homecoming court will make its first official appearance at this event.
Northeast then holds its annual Alumni and Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony at 4 p.m. in the Claude Wright Room of the Haney Union. The athletic nominees this year are Anthony Anderson, John O. Cunningham, Ronnie Key and Maurice Stafford.
Pregame entertainment starts approximately 30 minutes before the matchup gets underway and features the recognition of the newest Northeast Alumni and Sports Hall of Fame members as well as the Showband from Tigerland.
Homecoming queen Anna Claire Ivy of Booneville and the remainder of her court, which includes Northeast student-athletes Addison Carter, Hannah Cox, Kaylee Davis, Ashley Flowers and Marley Long, take center stage at halftime.
The Tigers tangle with Coahoma in their annual homecoming contest for the tenth time in program history. That ties Mississippi Delta Community College as the second most common homecoming opponent for Northeast behind only East Mississippi Community College.
The homestanding Tigers have defeated their guests in eight of the previous nine meetings on this special occasion. The last such instance was a 49-35 shootout victory by Northeast on September 27, 2014.
The current edition of the Tigers is coming off a high scoring affair of their own. Northeast tied a long-standing school record for most points in a single matchup with 55 at Southwest Mississippi Community College.
It is the first home contest for the Tigers since their opening triumph over Pearl River Community College. Northeast compiled a 2-1 mark during its season-long three game away stretch.
"We're pretty pleased with the way we've started out and where we are," said Northeast head coach Greg Davis. "We've had a lot of energy offensively. The momentum is there and it all goes back to the kids. That was a big road trip."
The Tigers (3-1, 0-1) are averaging 369.8 yards per matchup behind the leadership of quarterback Mason Cunningham. The Shelbyville, Tenn., native has completed 57.5 percent of his passes for 840 yards.
Northeast has found success on the ground as well with five different players reaching the end zone. Kenzie Phllips of Oxford, Lake Cormorant's Bailey Walker and Cunningham each have two rushing touchdowns to pace that effort.
L.J. Hawkins continues to post phenomenal numbers as the top receiver for the Tigers. The Water Valley High School graduate has 30 receptions, which is already more than any Northeast wideout recorded one year ago, for 347 yards and one touchdown.
Demarcus Rogers from Tupelo continues to rank as one of the best defenders in the country. He ranks 15th in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) and second in the Magnolia State with 10.8 tackles per outing.
Northeast also boasts the reigning Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) Defensive Player of the Week in Peyton McMahon. The Southaven product forced two turnovers, including a fumble returned for a touchdown, against the Bears.
Coahoma (0-4, 0-1) builds its offense around athletes such as running back Quavier Hammond and quarterback Rodney English. The two have combined for 483 rushing yards and three scores.
The Tigers have three athletes that check in with over 30 tackles through their initial four contests. Earnest Butler has a team-best 33 stops while Rejohn Franklin and Dvanta Randle follow close behind with 32 and 30 takedowns, respectively.
Northeast is ahead in the all-time series by a 32-8 margin. The Tigers have won the past six games with Coahoma dating back to the 2010 campaign by an average final score of 33-19.