25 Teams in 25 Days: Poplarville Hornets

It was the first official day of practice for the Poplarville Hornets, and they’re back like nobody left—almost literally, as the vast majority of their starters are suiting up again in 2026.

“We have ten returnees on offense and along with those ten returners we added a kid that can run real fast to the offense in Kayden Bradford, so we’re excited about what we have on offense. We’ve got two good quarterbacks this year that are ahead of the game and I feel real good about where they are day one of practice. I feel like they’re already in midseason form. Defensively we’re excited about what we got back. We have more than half of our starters on defense. We have a lot of depth and returners in the secondary. We’re expecting big things off of both sides,” said Head Coach Jay Beech.

Not only do the Hornets return the majority of their starters, but they’re also a veteran-heavy team with 25 seniors on the roster.

“We started seventh grade year with 30 and we’re closing it out with 25 seniors, so I’m excited to see us play as a group for one more time,” said Walt Graham.

“I’m really excited to see this team just because I’ve grown up with all of the seniors,” said Ty Keys. “From middle school and up we’ve been executing and everybody’s down for the work. There’s no excuses. We all put in the work. We have 25 seniors, so if one of us is having a bad day, we have another one that’s going to pick us up. I think that’s going to be a big factor this year.”

“I’m excited to see them get on the field and play their senior year. They have a lot of experience and have played in a lot of big games. It’s always exciting to have a big senior class. There’s a lot of expectations and we’re going to have to play really good and really hard every single week,” said Beech.

And when you consistently play for South State championships, win a state championship just two seasons ago, and have two of the top recruits in the state in Sam LeJeune and Ty Keys, there are going to be high expectations—and a lot of pressure. But the Hornets are focused on one thing: the next game.

“We’re just taking it day by day. We’re not trying to look forward or look ahead. We’re not trying to even think about a state championship or anything like that,” said Beech. “Just don’t put any pressure on yourself. The only pressure you need to put on yourself is the amount of effort you give forth every play and that should be the only pressure there needs to be.”

“I just block it out and just do what I have to do when we’re on the field at practice every day and just going out 100 percent and it’ll pay on the field,” said Keys.

And with those strengths, the Hornets believe they have what it takes to make some noise this season.

“We’ve got a really powerful offensive line and our backfield is really dangerous this year for sure. There’s a lot more help. We’ve got a quarterback that’s the truth. He’s a sophomore and he’s been putting a lot of work in and getting to where he needs to be and I feel like once the season keeps going and he’s learning more he’ll get to where he wants,” Keys said.

“I’m playing defensive end for the first time this year, and it’s actually really cool because I have Sam LeJeune who’s a four-star committed to Florida State and he’s been my mentor this whole offseason. I’ve played fullback since my sophomore year when we won the state championship. The defensive line is looking scary this year. I can definitely tell you that. The offensive line definitely goes 100 percent on us on the defensive line, and it definitely shows on game day. I promise you, I don’t think there’s a single offensive line in the county that works harder than ours,” said Graham.

The Poplarville Hornets will kick off their 2026 campaign on the road as they travel to West Harrison High School on August 28.