4A South State Championship Preview: Poplarville vs Columbia
Nothing goes better together than turkey and football practice and Poplarville can attest to that.
The Hornets are practicing over Thanksgiving break for the sixth consecutive year as they prepare for their 4-A South State title battle with Columbia Friday.
23-1 in the their last 24 games in November, the South State champs three years running have a history of putting in work over the holiday.
Poplarville’s defense has averaged just under 11 points allowed thus far this season, including two shutouts.
On the other side of the ball, the Hornets have the third most rushing yards in the state and average just over 29 points per game.
The team that held Poplarville to their lowest score of the season was Columbia four weeks ago when the Hornets lost 27-3.
Senior outside linebacker Khalid Moore said, “It was senior night. It was a lot of emotions and we kinda let them hit us first. We didn’t deliver the hit like we usually do. So we just gotta be more. We just gotta play Poplarville football and be the more physical team.”
Senior offensive guard Dylan Peterson said, “We got in out heads a lot. Made a lot of mistakes. So I think if we keep our emotions down we’ll play some real Hornets football.”
Senior running back DJ Richardbey said, “It feels great out here. You know, six straight Thanksgivings just practicing. We just love this out here.”
Senior left offensive tackle Connor Davis said, “When people think Thanksgiving break, they think Hornet football around here. This another week for us to be together. We look forward to it every year.”
Poplarville head football coach Jay Beech said, “You go to a restaurant, you go to the grocery store, it’s always topic of conversation. People are excited about it. People know it’s going to be a tough one– and they do mention it. We’ve got a tough one ahead of us and we do, but we’re confident and we’re looking forward to playing.”
The Hornets travel to Columbia Friday for a shot at their fourth South State title in a row.
