Per usual, the Bulldogs of Holmes Community College will face a tough football schedule this year, taking on three teams ranked in the top 10 in the nation according to various preseason polls.
Holmes had its share of successes last year, including an impressive 25-23 road win over Jones College, the eventual MACJC State Runners-up to National Champion East Mississippi Community College.
HCC finished the year at 5-4 and was in the “receiving votes” category in the final NJCAA rankings in December.
Other wins for Holmes last year came over Co-Lin (29-28), Northeast Miss. (28-13), Mississippi Delta (34-14), and Coahoma (27-14).
The schedule is basically the same for the Bulldogs this year, only the locations have changed.
The highlights for the Bulldogs this year are home games against two-time defending NJCAA National Champion East Mississippi on Thursday, Oct. 10; preseason No. 7 ranked Jones, on Thursday, Sept.. 5; No. 8 ranked Northwest Mississippi on Thursday, Sept. 26; and No. 25 ranked Mississippi Gulf Coast on Thursday, Sept. 12. All four of those games are set for 6:30 p.m.
The fifth home game of the year will be the regular season finale on Thursday, Oct. 24. That contest will serve as the Bulldogs Homecoming contest.
Holmes opened the season at Copiah-Lincoln in Wesson on Thursday, Aug. 29 at 6:30 p.m., followed by the home games with Jones and Gulf Coast.
The Bulldogs visit Booneville on Thursday, Sept. 19 to face Northeast Miss. at 7 p.m., before hosting Northwest the following Thursday.
On Thursday, Oct. 3 Holmes is set to visit Itawamba for the Indians Homecoming at 6:30 p.m., before hosting EMCC on Oct. 10 then visiting Miss. Delta at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 19 before the season finale the following Thursday against Coahoma.
