October 30, 2020


Warrior sophomore wide receiver John Hilbert (Brookhaven) hauls in a 36-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to tie the game 10-10. (EC Photo)

Holman Edwards hit John Hilbert with the game-tying 36-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter and Robens Beauplan nailed a 27-yard field goal in overtime as the East Central Community College Warriors upset the homestanding Copiah-Lincoln Wolves for the second straight season Thursday, Oct. 29.

The Warriors escaped H.L. Stone Stadium in Wesson with a 13-10 win in the first overtime. East Central snapped a 10-game losing streak to Co-Lin last October with a 23-18 road win in Wesson.

Co-Lin led 10-0 until late in the first half when the sophomore kicking specialist Beauplan (Lehigh Acres, Fla., Riverdale) kicked a 32-yard field goal with 48 seconds to play before intermission to get East Central on the scoreboard and close the score to 10-3.

The score remained 10-3 until 12:17 to play in the game when the sophomore Edwards (French Camp Academy) connected with fellow sophomore Hilbert (Brookhaven) from 36 yards to tie the score 10-10.

The Warriors drove to the Co-Lin 27 on their next possession before turning the ball over on downs.

In the first overtime, sophomore linebacker Trenton Ladner (Hancock) came up with the play of the night for the Warriors, blocking a 28-yard Co-Lin field goal attempt to set up the winning field goal.

East Central moved from the 25 to the Wolves’ 10 in five plays to set up Beauplan’s 27-yard field goal and the 13-10 win.

The Warrior defense held Co-Lin to just 216 yards offense on the night. Ladner led East Central with 12 total tackles. He also had a sack, three tackles for a loss, a forced fumble, a pass break up and the blocked kick. Sophomore nose guard Dareon Goodrum (Watkinsville, Ga., Oconee County) had nine tackles, including two sacks and three tackles for a loss. The Warriors had six sacks in the contest.

On offense, East Central picked up 19 first downs and 321 total yards. Freshman Larry Wilson (Hazlehurst) rushed for a career-high 104 yards on 28 carries. Edwards hit on 18 of 30 passes for 166 yards and the one score. Hilbert caught five of those passes for 89 yards. In addition to his field goals, Beauplan averaged 44 yards on six punts including one that traveled 68 yards.

East Central improved to 2-3 overall on the season, while Co-Lin is now 2-1. It was the first game for Co-Lin since Oct. 8 after temporarily suspending football operations for two weeks due to COVID-19 concerns.

East Central will close out its six-game 2020 season at home against Hinds on Thursday, Nov. 5. Kickoff from Bailey Stadium in Decatur is set for 6:30 p.m. The 2020 Freshman and Sophomore Maids will be honored and the Homecoming Queen will be crowned at halftime.

All East Central Community College football games can be heard on WKOZ “Cruisin” 98.3 radio. Links to the audio and live stream video for all home and away games can be found at www.eccc.edu/eccc-media. Home game live stream can also be accessed at www.cruisin98news.com.


ECCC freshman running back Larry Wilson (Hazlehurst) rushed for a career-high 104 yards in the win over Co-Lin. (EC Photo)


Sophomore linebacker Trenton Ladner (No. 43, Hancock) brings down a Co-Lin runner while leading the Warriors with 12 tackles. (EC Photo)


Wide receiver Lee Tanner looks for running room against Co-Lin. The product of Madison-Ridgeland Academy had five receptions on the night. (EC Photo)