EMCC’s Cole Arthur selected NJCAA Division I Special Teams Player of the Week

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – East Mississippi Community College freshman kicker/punter Cole Arthur has collected NJCAA Division I Special Teams Player of the Week honors for his 12-point kicking performance during the Lions' 36-28 MACCC Championship Game victory over second-ranked Northwest Mississippi this past Saturday in Senatobia.

Arthur, a product of Leake Academy, connected on field goals of 37, 32 and 29 yards as well as converting all three of his point-after-touchdown attempts against the Rangers. He also averaged 56 yards on eight kickoffs, including two touchbacks, to collect MACCC Special Teams Player of the Week accolades as well.

Having received first-team, all-conference kicking honors and honorable mention punting recognition on the 2022 All-MACCC North Division Football Team, as announced earlier this week, Arthur currently ranks fourth among NJCAA Division I kickers with 72 points scored on 8-of-11 (73%) field goals and 48-of-50 (96%) PAT tries. The Rosebud native would also rank high among the national leaders with his 40.6 punting average with enough total punts on the year to qualify for the rankings. Arthur is just two punts shy of qualifying for the national statistical punting leaders.

All total, East Mississippi had four NJCAA Player of the Week selections during the 2022 football season. EMCC freshman quarterback Eli Anderson claimed back-to-back NJCAA Offensive Player of the Week honors following road wins over Holmes and Mississippi Gulf Coast in September. Linebacker Steven Cattledge Jr. was tabbed the NJCAA Defensive Player of the Week after the Lions' postseason victory at Mississippi Gulf Coast during the MACCC Semifinals.

Along with their four NJCAA selections, head coach Buddy Stephens' 8-3 Lions had an additional three other weekly conference honors awarded during the season to give them a total of seven MACCC Player of the Week recipients in 2022. During the current week on the heels of EMCC's championship game win at Northwest, the Lions swept the conference awards with Anderson earning his third weekly honor of the season along with Cattledge winning for the second straight week during the MACCC playoffs. In addition, EMCC sophomore quarterback Peter Parrish was named MACCC Offensive Player of the Week following the Lions' road victory over Mississippi Delta in their regular-season finale.