SCOOBA — For Pervis Frazier and Taemaus Glass, it didn’t take long to realize their decision to attend East Mississippi Community College was the correct one.
The Lions enjoyed a banner year that saw them win an NJCAA national championship and an MACJC state championship, and EMCC reeled off an undefeated season that earned head coach Buddy Stephens his third NJCAA coach of the year award.
While action on the gridiron brought EMCC yet more national acclaim, individually, Frazier and Glass, alumni of Louisville and Nanih Waiya, respectively, both experienced personal and athletic growth.
On Frazier’s first college snap, the Lions called a running play, and on his second snap, a passing play was called and thrown to his teammate. Frazier snagged his first college reception one play later.
“They threw me my first pass, and I broke it for 45 yards,” Frazier recalled. “It was a slant. I almost scored, but the cornerback had tripped me up.”
The catch was Frazier’s only one of the season, but the receiver logged playing time in nine games for the Lions. Each game and practice, he said, presented an opportunity to refine his skills at the position.
“I learned a lot,” Frazier said. “I matured more, and it taught me a lot about college and about football. I learned about coverages and how to read defenses.”
For Glass, being a part of EMCC’s national championship team helped assuage the feelings of last year’s state championship loss during his senior season at Nanih Waiya. Glass tallied five solo tackles and three assists in nine games last season as a linebacker.
Glass played both linebacker and running back in high school, but EMCC coaches made their intention to use him as a defender known during Glass’ recruitment process.
“I learned a lot,” Glass said. “I learned how the game develops from high school to college – it’s different. There’s a difference.”
Both players’ first year in Scooba also offered lessons off the field about being student-athletes and balancing their academic and athletic loads.
“Mostly, the amount of work you have to put in between workouts and meeting times and all of that,” Frazier said. “There are more responsibilities. It’s on you to make sure you’re on time. You have to rely on yourself. I caught on fast.”
Although Frazier and Glass lived in the same county for high school, the two friends weren’t able to spend much time with each other due to their demanding schedules. As EMCC teammates, that’s changed.
“It felt like we connected together, and our bond got stronger,” Glass said. “We were friends in high school, but I couldn’t do much during football season with him because he was playing with Louisville and I was playing with Nanih Waiya.”
