RAYMOND — Coming into its game against East Central, Hinds Community College ranked last in the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges in passing.

Those numbers will rise thanks to the arm of Les Lemons.

Lemons, a former Vicksburg High star, completed 15 of his last 19 passes for 234 yards and two touchdowns, ran for 58 yards and a score, and led the Eagles on five scoring drives in a 30-7 win. Lemons started the game as a slot receiver before switching to quarterback on the third play of Hinds’ second series. His first three passes fell incomplete, then he got into a groove.

“I just needed to be a leader for the offense,” Lemons said. “The coaches prepared us right and it wasn’t hard for me to switch from the slot back to quarterback. I did that in our first game at Northeast. I started at slot and then played the second half at quarterback.”

Hinds won that game at Northeast, 16-7. They lost the next week at Northwest with out-of-state recruit Denzel Smith of Bushnell, Fla. Smith started against East Central but was yanked after he badly missed his third straight pass. On Lemons’ third series, he led the Eagles on an 80-yard drive, capped by his 7-yard TD run. A bad snap on the PAT prevented the Eagles (2-1) from tying the game at 7.

Down 7-6, Lemons directed a 54-yard march that resulted in a 30-yard field goal by former Warren Central star Jared Thames. The boot gave Hinds the lead at 9-7 with 2:18 left in the first half.

On Hinds’ first possession of the second half, Lemons found more magic. He threw a strike to ex-Clinton standout Wesley Mounger — who, ironically, played quarterback for Hinds last season — on a crossing route which the former quarterback broke for a 60-yard touchdown pass.

“The linebacker bit down and Les put the ball right there,” said Mounger, who caught five passes for 80 yards.

The score put Hinds up 16-7 after Thames’ PAT. It went to 23-7 when Lemons hit Treyvias Alexander on a 24-yard fade route in the endzone. Alexander leapt about five feet in the air to drag down the catch.

“That one was all Trey Alexander,” Lemons said.

East Central (1-2) had one last shot to get back in the game, but Emmanuel Taylor was sacked and fumbled at the EC 45.

Patrick Durr put the contest away on a 4-yard run with 43 seconds left and Thames’ kick made it 30-7.

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Contact Jeff Byrd at jbyrd@vicksburgpost.com