After two lost weeks on the road, the Hinds Community College Eagles come home to face the Southwest Bears Thursday night at Renfroe Stadium.

Southwest (2-3, 1-1 South Division) should be a better match for the struggling Eagles (2-3, 1-1). In their last two games, both on the road, Hinds lost at second ranked Pearl River 45-3 and then 27-0 to Jones.

Hinds coach Gene Murphy said the score did not tell the full story of Hinds’ improved effort against Pearl River, where Murphy feels the Eagles played a much better game despite the score.

“We played much better against Pearl River. The score was not indicative of the game we played. We just didn’t finish drives. That said, I was very disappointed with how we played last week at Jones. Obviously, we’re at the stage now in the season where we have got to play well,” said Murphy, who is halfway through his first season back at the helm of the Eagles after a six-year absence.

While the two losses have pretty much ended the Eagles’ playoff hopes, the goal of a winning season is still intact, but it must start with a win over the Bears. The bad news for the Eagles is they may be without starting quarterback and former Vicksburg High star Les Lemons.

“Les got injured in the second half against Jones. He strained his knee. I can’t say to what extent. We’ll likely go with Joe Thomas if Les can’t go,” Murphy said.

Lemons emerged in a Week 3 win over East Central, passing for 234 yards and two touchdowns in the Eagles’ 30-7 victory. Through five games, Lemons was 37-of-60 passing for 357 yards and two TDs. He has another 253 yards rushing on 58 carries with one score.

With Lemons at the helm, the Eagles had two playmakers emerge. Sophomore receivers Treyvias Alexander, from Breaux Bridge, La., leads the team with 18 receptions for 232 yards and Wesley Mounger, a former Clinton standout, has 17 receptions for 253 yards.

The one Warren County product assured of starting on offense against Southwest will be former Warren Central tackle David Henderson.

The 340-pounder has started all five games, but Murphy feels he needs to play better.

“He did not have a good game last week,” Murphy said.

Former VHS speedster  Malcolm Butler has come on at defensive back. He ranks sixth on the team in tackles with 22. Another former Gator, sophomore Cordell Watkins, a sophomore, has 14 stops in a backup role.

Two local products handle all the kicking for the Eagles.

Former WC kicker Jared Thames has made 3-of-4 field goal attempts and leads the team in scoring with 18 points. Punter Patrick Parker, a VHS grad, has averaged 35.8 yards per punt while also handling the kickoff duties.

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Contact Jeff Byrd at jbyrd@vicksburgpost.com