Booneville, Miss. - A group of 28 sensational student-athletes are set to run out of the tunnel in the north end zone of Tiger Stadium for the final time of their phenomenal careers at Northeast Mississippi Community College.
The Tigers host East Mississippi Community College for their annual sophomore recognition night on Thursday, October 25. A 6:30 p.m. kickoff is scheduled for the final game of the 2018 campaign.
Northeast's upperclassmen will be saluted on the field prior to the start of the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) North Division affair.
"It's a great sophomore class," said Tigers head coach Greg Davis. "They're good football players. They were fun to be around. All of those kids deserve the best. They're going to be sorely missed."
Those that cannot attend the matchup can watch it live on NEMCCTV. Tune in starting at 6 p.m. for the pregame show by visiting www.nemcctv.com on any computer, smartphone or tablet.
The Northeast Broadcasting Network also includes radio affiliate WOWL Fun 91. An audio simulcast featuring Jody Presley and Carter Smith, the Voices of the Tigers, can be heard on frequencies 91.9 FM from Burnsville, 92.9 FM from Florence, Ala., and 102.3 FM from Killen, Ala.
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 Tigers are wrapping up a season ending stretch of three consecutive games against teams that appear inside the top 10 of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) rankings.
The Lions (8-0, 5-0) have sat at the top spot of the NJCAA poll all year after winning both the state and national championships during the 2017 campaign. Northeast has also competed against No. 5 Northwest Mississippi Community College and No. 7 Jones College in the last two weeks.
Inclement weather could play a factor in the contest. Rain is forecasted to move into the City of Hospitality during the morning and could linger well into the evening hours as well.
"We don't know what it's going to do," Davis said. "You always think you have got an advantage when you can run the football in weather like that. But you have to be cautious about people loading the box. It can get really difficult."
A pair of sophomores in Jalen Cobbs from Corinth and Zykeris Mosley from Independence should receive plenty of opportunities to tote the pigskin should the weather deteriorate.
Cobbs and Mosley have combined for 871 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground this year. Cobbs has the most rushes with 91 and scores with five while Mosley paces the Tigers in yards at 449.
Jackson native Kortlon Hubbard is the top target for Northeast's pair of quarterbacks with 600 yards, which is second highest in the Magnolia State, on 36 receptions with four touchdowns.
Sophomores starting on the offensive line for the Tigers (1-7, 1-4) include Taylor Liles of Calhoun City, Cooper Knight of Pontotoc, Eric Sherrod from Columbus, Quan Stokes of Moultrie, Ga., and Matthew Trehern from Saraland, Ala.
A trio of sophomores have a chance to cement their legacy at Northeast with one more stellar performance each. Terrance Edgeston enters the final week of the regular season leading the MACJC in total tackles.
The University of Houston (Texas) commitment has 85 tackles, including 50 assisted stops. Provine High School graduate Juwan Taylor could also take the number one location in the MACJC's individual rankings with 83 takedowns.
University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) commitment Sam Williams could earn thee spots atop the national leaderboard. He currently is in sole possession or tied for first in the NJCAA in tackles for loss with 25, sacks at 15.5 and forced fumbles with four.
Jeremiah Boyd of Morton has the most tackles among the Tigers' defensive backs with 42. He has also accounted for the most turnovers on the team this year with three, including two fumble recoveries and an interception.
Michigan State University transfer Messiah deWeaver guides East Mississippi with 1,135 passing yards and eight touchdowns. University of Notre Dame (Ind.) transfer Deon McIntosh leads the country with 15 rushing scores.
Freshman linebacker Fred Hervey has a team-best 70 tackles for the Lions. East Mississippi has forced 19 turnovers this season, including 11 interceptions and eight fumble recoveries.
The Lions are ahead in the all-time series between the two institutions by a 39-18 margin. East Mississippi won the 2017 meeting, which also took place on the Booneville campus.