ELLISVILLE – Two Jones County Junior College football players will participate in the 41^st annual Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) All-Star Football Classic this week.
Quarterback Kenny Coleman and offensive tackle Tyrone Patterson will represent the Bobcats.
The game will be played at 1 p.m. on Thursday at Tiger Stadium on the campus of Northeast Mississippi Community College in Booneville.
Coleman (6-1, 164) was an MACJC Honorable Mention selection this season. He completed 143-of-246 passes for 1,816 yards and nine touchdowns. He finished third in the MACJC and 18^th in the NJCAA with 201.8 yards per game through the air. Coleman is from Hazlehurst.
Patterson (6-3, 310) was a second-team All-MACJC South Division performer this year. He started all nine games for the Bobcats this season and saw substantial action as a freshman.
Head coach David Thornton's Bobcats posted a 5-4 record in 2014.
Northeast has welcomed the MACJC's top pigskin stars for the past 28 years dating back to the mid-1980s. This is the second consecutive season during that span in which the contest has been moved from its usual Saturday afternoon slot.
"We are extremely honored and proud to once again serve as the host for this annual game," said Northeast athletic director David Robbins. "It is something that we look forward to because we feel it is a fantastic way to recognize a special group of student-athletes from all over the state."
Sophomores from each of the MACJC's 14 football playing institutions are eligible to participate in this yearly tradition. Thirty-three men comprise both the North and South rosters contributing three athletes with no more than eight players from one school allowed.
Both units are slated to report to Booneville at noon on Tuesday. The gridiron standouts will have three practices before the contest, one session Tuesday while teams double up on Wednesday.
Southwest Mississippi Community College's Tucker Peavey will direct the South squad while Jeff Koonz of Holmes Community College is in charge of the North. However, the remaining head coaches from every two-year establishment in the Magnolia State will serve as their assistants for the first time in the rich history of this game.
The MACJC All-Star Football Classic has been a springboard to the next level since its inception. Numerous athletes from previous matchups have signed scholarships at four-year universities in NCAA Divisions I, II and NAIA.
The practice sessions allow coaches from across the nation to visit one location and scout the best talent that each MACJC member has to offer.
The South leads the all-time series 20-18-1 following a tight 6-3 decision last season.
The game will also be televised live for the first time in its history on NEMCCTV. The pregame show starts at approximately 12:45 p.m. with "The Voice of the Tigers" Jeremy Kennedy on the call.