Itawamba Community College had a trio of players honored by the MACJC on its post-season football awards listings. The Indians, who played the final six contests of the season with at least six starters out in each game, had offensive lineman Houston Lantrip (6'3, 275 Fr. Southaven) and defensive back Darius Slay (6'1, 190 Fr. Brunswick, GA) make the first team MACJC All-State North squad.

The Mississippi State signee, Slay, also was selected by the league coaches to the all-state north squad second team as a returner after finishing among the state's best in kickoff returns with a 24 yard average in 20 returns and that didn't count a 90 yard kickoff return for a touchdown that was called back due to a penalty the first time he touched the ball as a collegiate in the season opening win against then number 14 Jones County. He also finished among the state leaders in interceptions with three on the year to go along with his 41 tackles and five pass break ups.

Nose tackle Jeffrey Howie (6'4, 325 So. Chester, PA) missed the final three games of the year with an injury to his hand and still made the all-state north second squad after registering a team best five sacks in six games and also was in the MACJC top five in solo tackles when he was injured in the sixth game of the year against Delta. The second team all-state selection a year ago as an offensive lineman had 38 tackles on the year (35 solo) and 12 tackles for losses in just six games along with a couple quarterback pressures.

Itawamba Community College is in the market for a new head football coach after Jeff Terrill resigned earlier today. Terrill has been at the helm of the Indians program the last eight years and compiled a 38-36 record. In fact, his team's won 24 out of 29 regular season games during a stretch where Itawamba was the only program in the state to have qualified for the playoffs four straight years.

"I felt very blessed and humbled to be the head football coach at ICC," said an emotional Terrill after he meet with his assistant coaches this morning. "I truly want to express our (families) gratitude to the College's administration, faculty, staff, all of our former coaches and players and for that matter, the entire ICC family for making this time at Itawamba so very special."

ICC athletic director Carrie Ball-Williamson accepted Terrill's resignation and thanked him for his hard work through the years in representing the College.

"I'd like to express my gratitude to Coach Terrill, who has done a very good job of showing leadership thru the good and tough times during his eight years as head football coach at ICC," said Ball-Williamson, who added a search will begin immediately to find Terrill's successor. "We appreciate everything Jeff has done for this program, so it is with respect and sadness that we accept his resignation."

During four of the seasons at Itawamba, Terrill, who is a Noxubee County native, was in charge of the Indians defense, which was a regular member of the nation's top 25 in total defense.

"The last eight years have been a great time in my life, both professionally and personally," added Terrill in a prepared statement. "It's been a great place to coach and live."

On a lousy weather night in the Delta, Coahoma's football program made some history while Itawamba finished its injury-plagued 2009 season.

Coahoma (6-3, 4-2 North) clinched its first-ever state playoff berth with a rain and mud-soaked 30-20 win over the Indians on Thursday night.

But it wasn't easy. Coahoma overcame a 20-17 halftime deficit with two second-half touchdowns, as the teams had to deal with the rainy, windy night.

"We lost the turnover battle in the second half, and that was the difference in the game," said ICC head coach Jeff Terrill,who had just 41 players dress out due to injuries, on his post-game radio show. "(We) kept playing in tough conditions."

ICC (2-7, 1-5) had four second-half turnovers, Coahoma none.

The Tigers overcame penalties which wiped two second-half touchdowns from the scoreboard. CCC took the lead on Kantrel James' 4-yard run with 2:24 left in the third quarter; the Tigers had passed up on a possible game-tying field goal,then James scored on fourth-and-goal.

The last score came when, on a field-goal attempt, Ladarius Dawson took the bad snap and scrambled for a 13-yard touchdown pass to Bobby Holiday with 11:13 left.

ICC had taken advantage of Coahoma's kicking-game mistakes to take the halftime lead. The Indians recovered the opening kickoff and three plays later Bret Jefcoat threw a 28-yard touchdown pass to Justin Bean. After TD runs by James (64) and Devarcus Ireland (2), Coahoma send the kickoff out-of-bounds. On fourth and goal, Bean and Jefcoat connected on a 17-yard scoring pass.

"Those were two terrific passes and catches by Bret and Justin in those kind of conditions," added Terrill, who once again had eight starters out of his lineup.

Then, after a Coahoma field goal, Jerhushua Williams blocked a punt for the second straight game and ICC recovered at the CCC 3. Kendall Simmons scored his first collegiate touchdown on the next play midway in the second quarter.

James finished the night with 255 rushing yards on 29 carries; he had 428 yards entering the game. Ty Ferrell, running ICC's version of the "wildcat," ran for 109 yards on 13 carries.

Itawamba Community College (2-6, 1-4) went with a different look at quarterback against 10th ranked East Mississippi (7-1, 5-0), inserting wide receiver Ty Ferrell into the lineup in the "Wildcat" formation. He played most of the first half in place of starter Bret Jefcoat.

Ferrell rushed for 51 yards on 19 carries and scored the Indians' lone touchdown, but in the end, the visiting Lions left with a 28-6 victory over Itawamba in front of a near capacity homecoming crowd on the home side of Lambert Stadium.

"When you play a potent offense you try to shorten the game," ICC coach Jeff Terrill said of the Indians' scheme with Ferrell. "You hope to keep it close until the fourth quarter and have a shot."

Terrill, who played without eight starters, saw his offense fail to convert inside the East Mississippi 15-yard line three times, including twice inside the five-yard line.

"Give credit to East Mississippi," he said. "They had a solid defense and did a great job in the red zone."

EMCC quarterback Brad Henderson's two first-quarter TD passes went to Lance Lewis and covered 23 and 30 yards. The 30-yarder came on the final play of the first half and gave East Mississippi a 28-6 halftime lead. Lewis made a finger-tip grab between two defenders and just got a foot down.

Henderson had two scoring runs of 4 and 5 yards.

ICC's lone touchdown came on quarterback Ferrell's 3-yard run in the first quarter.

A blocked punt by Jerhushua Williams gave the ball to the Indians at the Lions' 3-yard line to start the possession.

Foster becomes stalwart on defense for ICC
October 16, 2009
by Adam Minichino
Columbus Dispatch



C.J. Foster is delivering on his promise.

Months before the start of his sophomore season at Itawamba Community College, Foster said he knew it wasn't "play time anymore," and that he was focused on making an impact at linebacker.

Foster went on to say he was going to "clock in and clock out" and go to work every day to help the Indians have a successful season.

Even though ICC (2-5) has struggled to put everything together this year, Foster has been a stalwart on defense. The former West Point High School standout is fourth on the team with 39 total tackles and second on the team with six tackles for loss.

Foster will try to help the Indians end the season with a flurry when the play host to No. 10 East Mississippi C.C. at 3 p.m. in Fulton as part of homecoming festivities.

"He has done a great job for us," ICC coach Jeff Terrill said. "When the season is over with he won't be named an all-region performer because he doesn't have overwhelming stats, but C.J. is a young man every team wants in their program. He comes to work every day. ... He brings to your program glue He is a kid who even though it has been a tough year he has helped keep our team together just because he won't give up."

Foster, a 6-foot 1, 195-pounder, moved from SAM linebacker to WILL linebacker this season and has used his versatility to provide run support and to check speedy wide receivers and running backs.

Foster said he hasn't seen much difference between the positions and is focused on doing whatever the coaches ask him to do. He feels he has been a better leader and communicator to his teammates, especially when they aren't sure what they're supposed to be doing.


"I have been playing hard every game and trying to get my head into it," Foster said. "I have worked really hard to get things right. So far it has been going well."

Foster said it has been "disturbing" that things haven't clicked this season for the Indians. Although the team hasn't been able to gain momentum, Foster said his work ethic has helped him sharpen his ability to read his assignments. He said his athleticism helps him make up for what he might lack in height and weight.

"I think I have played well this year," said Foster, who admitted he doesn't like to talk about himself. "After watching film I have been able to react to a play instantly. I have done a better job at knowing my responsibilities and performing on the field."

Terrill agrees and said Foster is a "fun young man to coach," and that he wished he had more CJs and his attitude on the team. Despite the team's struggles, Terrill said it has been pleasing for him to watch Foster work hard and move up the depth chart and to be such a big contributor this season.

"C.J. has worked for everything he has got. He is an overcomer," Terrill said. "He is a young man who no matter what he faced he always has persevered and always did it with a humble and gracious attitude and always gave his best.

"He has developed a real good mind and an understanding of the game, which is a real key in helping us make our defense make adjustments and get us into the right coverages to make a play."

Hinds Community College got its homecoming celebration started early, scoring on three of its first four possessions to defeat Itawamba 31-16 in football on Thursday night.

The Indians recovered, getting within 10 points twice in the second half, including to start the fourth quarter, but Hinds' Robert Jones intercepted a Bret Jefcoat pass and returned it 90 yards to give Hinds a 31-14 lead with 9:48 left.

It was one of ICC's three turnovers, all in the second half and all three were inside the Hinds 35 yard line.

"That long interception return for a touchdown was the back breaker for us," said Indians head coach Jeff Terrill on his post-game radio show. "We didn't play very well in that first half but we came out of half-time with a lot of fight and determination and I was proud of that. Turnovers, though, will get you just about every time."

Hinds (3-4), which was averaging 242 total yards in its first six games, posted 286 total yards in the first half.

Quarterback Wesley Mounger threw for two touchdowns wrapped around Jared Thames' 31-yard field goal for the 17-0 lead. ICC (2-5), which played without eight of its starters, had just two first downs in the first half.

ICC quarterback Jefcoat, who missed much of the first half for the injury-plagued Indians, shook off his ailing knee and ran for one score and threw 50 yards to Alex Thornton for a second score &45; a play which brought ICC to within 24-14 with 14:09 left.

The Indians held Hinds to 155 total yards in the second half, getting outgained 441 yards to 334.

ICC play its last home game on Oct. 17 (Homecoming) against East Mississippi (5-1), which is No. 10 in the nation and leads the north division with two games remaining.

Bret Jefcoat and Demarcus Watts of Itawamba Community College were honored today by the MACJC for their performances on offense in last Thursday night's 35-34 win over Holmes.

The Southern Miss transfer quarterback went 23-35 through the air for a career high 325 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. Jefcoat also ran for the Indians other td and kicked the game winning field goal with 15 seconds left.

"I had some good games in high school (IAHS) but I never had a game like that before," said Jefcoat after his performance in Goodman. "The best part of the night was we won the game and we really needed that."

Watts, a Georgia Southern transfer from Atlanta, caught two of Jefcoat's td tosses and finished with six receptions on the night for 145 yards.

"I was just glad to be able to help out the team," said Watts, who had missed playing time lately with a leg injury. "Maybe we can build on this win and finish the season strong."

Watts, Jefcoat and the rest of the Indians return to central Mississippi this Thursday night to take on Hinds Community College. You can listen to the non-division duel beginning at 6:40 p.m. on FM95 (95.7) and also on the College Web site, www.iccms.edu. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

According to Itawamba Community College head football coach Jeff Terrill, his Indians will bring some momentum and confidence to Hinds Community College Thursday night after grabbing their first victory in a month on the field. ICC came from behind in the fourth quarter to outscore Holmes on the road in Goodman, 35-34.

"That victory was huge for our players, coaches and fans," said Terrill, whose squad last won a game in the season opener against then 14th ranked Jones County, improved to 2-4 overall, 1-3 inside the north division. "I know I got frustrated again during the game with our mistakes that we continue to make, but let me tell you, I'm so proud of them for hanging in there in the fourth quarter when we fell behind. A lot of teams in a four game losing skid would have stopped fighting. But we didn't and that's why we won."

Terrill's Troops were led by redshirt freshman quarterback, Bret Jefcoat, who beat the Bulldogs with his arm, his legs and his right foot. The transfer from Southern Miss completed 20 of 29 passes for 312 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. Jefcoat, who had several punts land inside the host's 20 yard line, also ran for a score to cut the Holmes lead to 34-32 with 4:30 left in the game. To cap off his career night, he kicked a 28 yard field goal with 15 seconds remaining to provide the winning margin.

"Bret had himself a night to remember," said Terrill, who was quick to point out the last time an Indian threw for more than 300 yards was two years ago when former All-American Tyson Lee, who is now the starting quarterback at Mississippi State, was running the show for the Red and Blue. "Bret got some better protection tonight from our offensive line that has been hit so hard by injuries all season long and I thought that was a key, and of course, our playmakers at the receiver position made plays, too."

Demarcus Watts was one of those receivers as the Georgia Southern transfer caught six of Jefcoat's passes for 145 yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore Marti Shelby had his best game in a Indian uniform with five receptions against Holmes and two touchdowns.

The Indians will continue their road swing by returning back to central Mississippi on Thursday to face Hinds in Raymond. You can listen to the broadcast beginning at 6:40 with the pre-game show on FM95 (95.7) and also on the College Web site, www.iccms.edu. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m.

Itawamba Community College's football program faced a must win situation on a rainy Thursday night in Fulton against Mississippi Delta, but the Indians lost a fourth quarter lead and were defeated 13-7. The deciding play was a Tromarcus Toney interception with 3:36 left in the game that was returned 36 yards for a Trojans score by 320 pound defensive tackle James Alexander, who had a clear sailing down the home sideline.

"That play absolutely crushed my chest," said a disappointed ICC head coach Jeff Terrill on ICC's post game radio show. "Tromarcus was trying to make something happen late in the game but made a bad decision and give credit to that guy, he made a tough play in poor conditions and found the end zone."

Terrill's troops found the end zone first midway through the first quarter. Itawamba forced a fumble that the hosts recovered at their own 43 yard line. The Red and Blue then drove the ball 57 yards and scored. The final four yards on a carry by former Amory High School standout Josh Ruff made it 7-0 after a Bret Jefcoat extra point.

The score stayed that way after the first, second and third quarters until 11:14 left in the game when the visitors scored on just the third pass completion of the night for Delta (2-3 overall, 2-1 in the north), a six yard touchdown from Jacob Land to Jarvis Smith. Both teams then exchanged two punts each setting up Toney, who played most of the game for injured starting quarterback, Bret Jefcoat, and his second interception of the night.

"We are just making too many mistakes," added Terrill, whose squad fell to 1-4 on the year, 0-3 in the division. "Some ill advised penalties really hurt and we still continue to struggle inside the red zone. The good news is that we gave a much better effort tonight for four quarters and I was proud of that."

ICC will begin a two game road swing Thursday night at Holmes Community College at 7 p.m. Coverage begins on WAFM-FM (95.7) and on the College Web site, www.iccms.edu, at 6:40 p.m.

Former Itawamba Community College two-time NJCAA All-American, Pernell McPhee, was honored by the SEC for his efforts this past weekend. The Mississippi State standout was named the Southeastern Conference's defensive lineman of the week.

McPhee, who finished among the nation's top five in sacks his two years at ICC, had two sacks in MSU's 15-3 win at Vanderbilt Saturday night. The junior from Pahokee, FL was part of a defense that held Vandy to 33 rushing yards on 29 attempts.

McPhee and his Bulldog teammates hosts number seven LSU Saturday at Scott Field. The game kicks off at 11:21 a.m. and will be televised by SEC Network affiliates.

Itawamba Community College saw its losing streak reach three games Thursday night in a 35-0 loss to number 19 Northwest. The Indians took the field at Lambert Stadium as an underdog with six of their key starters out of the game due to injury or illness (flu).

Still, the shorthanded Indians dominated the first half stat sheet as they controlled the ball offensively for 22 minutes in the first two quarters, had eight first downs compared to Northwest's one and held the Rangers high-powered offense to just 100 yards of total offense. Unfortunately, ICC failed to score when it had the ball twice inside the visitors 10 yard line, including the second time just inches from the goal line, and trailed 14-0 at half.

"We did what we wanted to accomplish in the first half and that is keep that (Northwest) offense off the field," said ICC offensive coordinator Jeff Carter, who was once an assistant coach at Northwest. "We should have been tied at 14 at half. But once again, we are just making too many mistakes and you can't do that against a team like that."

In the second half, Carter saw his offense continue to turn the ball over and Northwest capitalized to stretch out its lead to 35-0 after three quarters of play.

"We just gave them too many chances," said Itawamba head coach Jeff Terrill, whose team has faced three nationally-ranked foes in its first four games of the year. "We also have to get better offensively when we have a chance to score."

Terrill's troops will get a chance to improve in those areas in a second straight home game, Thursday night, against Mississippi Delta. You can listen to the game beginning at 6:40 p.m. on WAFM (95.7) and also on the College Web site, www.iccms.edu.

The College's marketing department wanted to remind its fans since there are only four home games this year in football, to continue to use the "Spread the Red" campaign at every game. All who attend are encouraged to wear something red to support the Indians.

ICC also wants to encourage its fans to show up earlier this fall for the home football games as several activities are planned before the kickoff. Itawamba cheerleaders/mascot will once again be handing out face stickers and be available for photo opportunities from 6:15 to 6:40 Thursday night and then the College's band director Brian Gillentine will lead the state's largest band again this year, the ICC All-American Band, in a pre-game show beginning at 6:45.

Itawamba Community College had lost only three football games to rival Northeast in the last 20 years. The ICC fortunes changed Thursday night in Booneville as the Tigers scored three defensive touchdowns on their way to a 28-21 victory.

"There's no question that the story of the game was our turnovers," said ICC head coach Jeff Terrill, whose program had won the last three in this rivalry. "It's tough to beat anybody when you turn the ball over five times, especially when they score touchdowns on three of those plays. But give Northeast credit. That is a good defense."

ICC's offense struggled against that Tiger "D" in the first half, gaining only 52 yards and only five yards in the first quarter. Northeast had the ball for nearly 12 minutes in the first period with a large chunk of that on an opening 14 play, 96 yard scoring drive.

Itawamba made some adjustments at half on defense and didn't allow a point in the second half. Instead it was Northeast's defense returning a pair of interceptions for touchdowns to make it 28-7 early in the fourth quarter. But ICC didn't quit and rallied for a pair of touchdowns to make it a one possession game at 28-21 on an Evan Lackey four yard run with 2:52 remaining. The Indians would get the ball back one more time but the clock expired before they could reach midfield.

"We're going to have to work even harder to get this thing back on course," added Terrill, whose program is now 28-13 in its last 41 regular season games. "I was proud of our guys for not quitting in the fourth quarter. We fought it all the way to the end and that's something we can build on as we get ready for Northwest."

The Indians will host the nationally-ranked Rangers Thursday night at Lambert Stadium at 7:00 p.m. You can listen to the game beginning at 6:40 p.m. on WAFM (95.7) and also on the College Web site, www.iccms.edu.

The College's marketing department wanted to remind its fans since there are only four home games this year in football, to use the "Spread the Red" campaign at every game. All who attend are encouraged to wear something red to support the Indians.

ICC also wants to encourage its fans to show up earlier this fall for the home football games as several activities are planned before the kickoff. Itawamba cheerleaders/mascot will be handing out face stickers and be available for photo opportunities from 6:15 to 6:40 each night and then the College's band director Brian Gillentine will lead the state's largest band again this year, the ICC All-American Band, in a pre-game show beginning at 6:45.

The defending state champion Itawamba baseball team will also be honored on the field Thursday night at 6:40 as the team will receive their championship rings.

Itawamba Community College kicks off its division play Thursday night, on the road, against its rivals, Northeast. The Indians are coming a disappointing showing against the nation's second ranked team, Gulf Coast, losing 63-9.

ICC head coach Jeff Terrill knew his club, who had knocked off number 14 Jones County in the opener, was catching the Bulldogs at the worst time possible. The Gulf Coast coaching staff, which has led its program to back to back state titles and a 22-2 record in the last two years, was upset with its teams attitude/peformance in its opening night loss to number 19 Northwest.

"We knew coming in they could explode at any time," said Terrill, whose program has still won 28 of its last 40 regular season games. "Unfortunately it came against us. They beat us in every aspect of the game, including coaching."

The night started off well for the Indians, who were looking to snap a five game losing skid to the Bulldogs. On the third play from scrimmage, Bret Jefcoat found Demarcus Watts on a 77 yard pass play and the Red and Blue took the early lead. The hosts responded back with a touchdown 20 seconds later and it would begin a dominating night for the Bulldogs.

"We knew we were going to have trouble defensively," said Terrill, who saw his "D" yield 552 yards of total offense. "But I really thought we would score some points and I know a couple key injuries on the offensive line made it even more difficult."

Pre-season NJCAA first-team All-American Lamar Holmes didn't play at all and another starter, Arturo Hernandez, was injured early on.

"We've got to get back to work and get ready for Northeast," said Terrill. "This game will show what our team is made of. We've got to step it up and in a hurry."

You can listen to the latest renewal of the rivalry beginning at 6:40 on WAFM-FM (95.7) and also on the College Web site at www.iccms.edu, as well as www.fm95radio.com. Kick-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

ICC fans, who are planning to make the trip to Booneville, are encouraged to "Spread the Red" to support the Indians.

Itawamba Community College offensive coordinator Jeff Carter has been telling anyone who cares to listen that his guys "will be fun to watch this year." The near capacity crowd that showed up for the season opener at Lambert Stadium against 14th ranked Jones County would agree.

Freshman quarterback Bret Jefcoat of Fulton returned home and enjoyed a night to remember in his first collegiate game as he engineered scoring drives in three of his first four series and ICC's defense took it from there to post a 21-7 win over the visiting Bobcats. The transfer from Southern Miss was 5-6 through the air for 151 yards and two touchdowns after the Indians first two series and by the end of the quarter, he was 9-10 for 203 yards.

"I was so impressed with the way Bret took control out there," said Carter, who had to start five different quarterbacks in 2008. "He's a tough kid who made some great throws and our receivers know what to do with it once they catch it."

ICC's Darius Slay, who was a Mississippi State signee, returned the opening kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown that was called back due to a penalty. But Jefcoat and the offense responded by driving the ball 86 yards, all in the air, and scored on a 71 yard scoring strike to Shannon's William Green.

"William is one of our playmakers and he made a great run after the catch to give us that early lead," said Jefcoat, who finished the night 17-26 for 282 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions and also carried the ball six times for another 27 yards as he picked up several key first downs on the ground late in the game to keep Jones from getting the ball back.

Itawamba's defense also received high praise from its head coach after returning only three starters from last year's squad. The Indians, under new defensive coordinator Kenny Jackson, registered seven sacks, created three turnovers (two interceptions, one fumble) and held a Bobcats offense, that averaged 37 points a game a season ago, to only one touchdown and 277 yards of total offense.

"What a performance out of our defense," said Terrill, whose program won its 28th game in its last 39 regular season games. "Jones County has a lot of weapons on offense and for us to do that against that bunch says a lot about our players and coaches."

Terrill added his entire team will have to bring "that same kind of intensity" on Thursday night, when the Indians travel to face another nationally-ranked team, Gulf Coast. The Bulldogs, who were ranked number one nationally in one of the pre-season polls, are the two-time defending state champions.

"This victory was extremely satisfying for us after losing to Jones four times in the last three years, but we've got to get ready for another big-time challenge," said Terrill, whose program has now started the season with a win in four of the last five seasons. "It will be another one of those classic Mississippi juco battles."

You can listen to Thursday night's matchup beginning at 6:40 p.m. on FM95 (95.7) and also on the College Web site, www.iccms.edu. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m.