CLICK HERE TO WATCH THURSDAY'S DIVISION OPENER
The 2019 football season for Mississippi Delta Community College heads in a different direction on Thursday, as the Trojans hit the road for the first time all season, as well as open Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) division play.
MDCC will head to Senatobia to take on North division foe Northwest Community College, currently ranked No. 4 in the country. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Ranger Stadium at Bobby Franklin Field. Thursday's contest will mark the third consecutive top-15 opponent for the Trojans, as MDCC opened the season against No. 5 Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and No. 12 Hinds Community College in back-to-back weeks.
Delta hosted Hinds just less than a week ago and fell in a thriller, 19-17, to drop to 0-2 on the season.
Northwest is now 2-0 after defeating Southwest Community College, 29-10, in week two, which marked the home opener for the Rangers.
Quarterback Jordan Gilleylen (Tupelo) leads the MDCC offense in the early going, as the freshman left-hander is 34-49 (69.4%) for 321 yards, one touchdown and one interception. His main target to this point has been Lebarron Jones (Mobile, Ala.). The sophomore wide receiver has 17 catches (good enough for half of Gilleylen's completions) for 149 yards and one touchdown.
Freshman linebacker Latarius Embry (Maben) has paced the Trojans defense through the first two games, as he has 14 total tackles to lead the team. Fellow freshman linebacker Kelton Marshall (Wiggins) has stood out as well, as he has eight tackles, including two tackles for loss.
The Rangers of Northwest feature a balanced offensive attack, led by quarterback Jack Walker, who enters Thursday's contest 20 of 36 for 217 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions through the air. Running back Chris Calvert-Thomas leads the rushing attack wih 23 carries for 195 yards and two touchdowns.
Quentin Wilfawn and Robert Hentz lead the Rangers defense, as the duo has collected 14 and 11 total tackles, respectively, through the two non-division matchups. Wilfawn has 1.5 tackles for loss and one forced fumble, while Hentz has 4.5 tackles for loss and one forced fumble.