Two teams that entered the National Junior College Athletic Association’s top 20 this week meet tonight at Joe Renfroe Stadium in Raymond.

The unbeaten Copiah-Lincoln Wolves will tangle with Hinds Community College Eagles in a MACJC South Division game. Co-Lin (2-0) is ranked at 16 in this week’s NJCAA Top 20 poll and Hinds (2-0) is at 18.

Hinds assistant coach Kelly Murphy said the game will feature each team’s primary strength going heads-up against the other.

“Copiah-Lincoln has the best defense in the state,” Murphy said. “We have the nation’s leading rusher, Matthew Willis.”

In two games, Willis has rushed for 352 yards and six touchdowns.

“He’s done an outstanding job running the football,” Murphy said of the Puckett product. “A lot of the credit should go to our offensive line. Danny Bunch has played two of the best games of his career at right tackle.”

Bunch, a sophomore who played at Warren Central, keys an offense that has shown balance between Willis’ running and the passing of Western Kentucky transfer quarterback Anthony Shepherd. In two games, Shepherd has completed 35 of 55 passes for 602 yards and five TDs. His accuracy and leadership were huge in a 52-31 Hinds win at Itawamba.

“We got behind 21-6 and we came back,” Murphy said. “Our offense has been putting up some big numbers the first two weeks. And our defense is starting to come on. They had a big fourth quarter at East Mississippi and we pulled that one out, too.”

The Eagles beat the Lions, who last year won the state and Region 23 titles, 50-42.

“It was a big win for us,” Murphy said. “They still have a lot of talent left from last year’s state championship team.”

Co-Lin has been good as well and it starts with the Wolves’ defense.

“They blitz a lot and they really like to press their corners,” Murphy said. “And their offense is based on trying to keep your offense off the field.”

The Wolves are led by running back Titus Mobley with 132 yards rushing and wide receiver Fred Fuller, who has eight catches for 147 yards.

The Eagles have two local products who are Shepherd’s top targets, Vicksburg High’s Les Lemons and WC’s Cordell Valentine. Lemons has 10 catches for 90 yards while Valentine has four receptions for 127 yards and two touchdowns.