Indians open the season Thursday night at No. 11 Jones
Coach Sean Cannon and Indians have another tough schedule waiting for this season, but key returners and an impressive recruiting class have his squad primed to be in the mix for the playoffs once again this season.
FULTON, Miss. – Coach Sean Cannon and Indians have another tough schedule waiting for this season, but key returners and an impressive recruiting class have his squad primed to be in the mix for the playoffs once again this season.
Schedule Breakdown
There is no such thing as off days in the Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference (MACCC), and the 2022 Itawamba Community College football schedule is a prime example.
ICC will start the season against two of the top teams in the South Division with a road game against No. 11 Jones (Sept. 1) and the Indians' home opener with Gulf Coast (Sept. 8). The Indians open conference play in Fulton against rival Northeast (Sept. 15) and will travel to No. 4 Northwest (Sept. 22) for the fourth-straight season. ICC will play a rare afternoon game when they travel to Mississippi Delta (Sept. 29) for a 2:30 p.m. kickoff. They will have back-to-back home games against Holmes (Oct. 6 – Homecoming) and No. 7 Hinds (Oct. 13) before finishing the season at No. 8 East Mississippi (Oct. 20) and Coahoma (Oct. 27) in Fulton.
Games will be available on LetsGoICCTV.com and SuperTalk 101.9 FM with the pregame show starting 30 minutes before kickoff.
Key Returners
The Indians return seven starters on offense from last season's squad. Wide receiver Shamar Sandgren (Savannah, Ga.), running back Jamal Brooks (Ripley) and offensive lineman Qudarius Hodges (Batesville) are expected to step into bigger leadership roles as sophomores. Sandgren led the team last year with 720 yards on 57 receptions and six touchdowns. Brooks was second on the team with 244 yards on 65 carries but led the Indians with five rushing touchdowns. Hodges helped anchor an offensive line that averaged 326.9 yards (217.6 passing; 109.3 rushing) and 24.2 points per game.
Defensive back Darryen Hobbs (Olive Branch) and linebacker Antonio Thompson (Clinton) are two of the six returning starters to the Indians' defense this season. Hobbs was third on the team with 56 tackles (36 solo; 20 assists) with 3.5 going for a loss of eight yards. Thompson recorded 45 tackles (28 solo; 17 assists) with three sacks and five tackles for a loss of 29 yards. He also had a team-high three interceptions and four pass break-ups while forcing a fumble and returning it 15 yards for a touchdown.
ICC also returns three key players on special teams in long snapper Wade Cannon (Fulton), punter Price Nixon (Clinton) and place kicker Shane Lasher (Olive Branch). Nixon averaged 36 yards on 55 kicks with 22 downed inside the 20 yard line. Lasher was five-of-eight on field goals with a long of 37 yards while connecting on 23 of 26 extra point attempts.
Important Newcomers
The Indians' offense will look at wide receiver Zae Davis (Biggersville) and running back Roderick Patterson (Nettleton) to step in and contribute right away as freshmen. Defensively, ICC will lean on defensive lineman Jacquez Tucker (Calhoun City) and linebacker Jaurquez Ivy (Amory) to make an immediate impact this season.
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