ELLISVILLE – It will be a battle of the division leaders when No. 9 Jones College hosts Hinds on Thursday.
 
Both the Bobcats and Eagles are 2-0 in the MACCC South Division, while No. 4 Mississippi Gulf Coast is 1-0.
 
Jones head coach Steve Buckley has stressed to his players what an important game it is.
 
"That's been our message all week since Sunday night," he said Wednesday morning. "It's 2-0 vs. 2-0. If you look at the South Division standings we are tied for first place because we've both played and won two division games. Out of the nine games you play the non-division games do not matter. What matters is the division games and this is a huge game for us and it's a huge game for Hinds. 
 
"Our guys have got to be focused all week and hopefully we will go out and compete. It's a home game for us and you always get excited when you play at home."
 
The Bobcats, 3-1 overall, are coming off a 38-7 win over East Central.
 
Hinds, 2-2 overall, lost its first two games to No. 12 Northeast (20-7) and No. 10 Northwest (19-3). But they have rebounded to win its last two games over East Central (17-13) and Pearl River (24-21 in overtime).
 
Last week, the Eagles were down 21-7 in the second quarter before rallying for the victory.
 
Hinds coach Larry Williams is in his 11th season with the Eagles and his seventh as head coach. His defense is allowing just over 18 points a game.
 
"Coach Williams has been there for a long time and his stamp is on that defense," Buckley said. "They don't do a whole lot of different things throughout the year, but they are always good and talented at what they are doing."
 
The Bobcats are coming off a solid performance at Decatur.
 
Jones allowed only nine first downs and 155 yards of total offense in gaining the victory.
 
"You have to start with the defense," Buckley said. "They pitched a shutout. We had a turnover for their only score of the game."
 
On offense, the Bobcats piled up 24 first downs and 406 yards of offense. 
 
Buckley said the offense continues to make strides in making fewer mistakes each week.
 
"We only had five negative plays for the second week in a row," he said. "We just have to continue to improve on that and take care of the ball. We can't lay it on the ground. We are still chasing to get to the plus side on turnovers. We were plus one last Thursday and that was an improvement. But I thought the kids came out and did well and anytime you go on the road and get a win you have to be pleased."
 
Running back Trent Howell (George County) scored four touchdowns and carried 21 times for 127 yards. Omar Johnson (Columbia) had 16 carries for 77 yards.
 
"We established the run game," Buckley said. "I thought Trent and Omar both had good, solid games."
 
Freshman placekicker/punter Bart Edmiston Jr. (Ocean Spring) had another strong game, making a career-long 48-yard field goal and going 5-for-5 on extra points. He averaged just over 37 yards per punt on a short field with three of those kicks going inside the 20-yard line. For the season, he is averaging 46.1 yards per kick which leads the MACCC and is second in the NJCAA.
 
He was named the MACCC Special Teams Player of the Week.
 
"Bart is exactly what we thought he would be," Buckley said. "He's struggling a bit kicking off and we have to work on some timing with his steps and finishing through the ball on kickoffs because he can kick the ball into the end zone. His field goals have been pretty remarkable and he's been punting well."
 
One thing that has concerned Buckley has been the injury situation with the Bobcats.
 
"It's just been unbelievable," he said. "I don't think I've ever been in a football season with this many season ending injuries. But you have to take it one day at a time and continue to build on what you've got and get ready to play."
 
He credits the recruiting process with helping the team do its best to overcome the injury situation.
 
"That's the thing with the injuries," he said. "We feel like we are a deep football team and sometimes deep with youth is scary, but it goes back to recruiting. I feel like we recruit the right kind of player. It's a 'next man up' philosophy. For a lot of people when you have to be a starter it's a little bit different. I think the kids have handled that part of it."
 
Kickoff for Thursday's game is at 7 p.m. and it will air on JCBobcats.com/watch and WLAU-FM, 99.3, SuperTalk Laurel with Luke Johnson and Lee Roberts on the call.
 
Next week, Jones travels to Pearl River for the 93rd "Catfight" at 7 p.m. on Oct. 12.
 
Hinds hosts Southwest on Oct. 12.