Poplarville prepares for 4A State Title game

Poplarville Hornet football team’s last two runs to the 4A state championship game both started the same way, a season opening loss at St. Martin in 2016 and a season opening loss at Picayune in 2018.

Thirty-eight wins later, Poplarville is still missing that ever-elusive state crown, but maybe not for long.

The Hornets made the climb back with last Friday’s South State victory over East Central in a payback game from last year’s Hornet Bowl heartbreak.

Representing the north in the state championship is a one-loss Louisville team that has eight state championships in program history. Poplarville has none.

Here’s what Poplarville Coach Jay Beech has to say on tomorrow’s match-up. “They are a football factory up there and they produce great athletes and they love football in Louisville and they’ve got some terrific athletes, lot of size and a lot of speed. They have a championship tradition. Those guys that are playing, they haven’t won one yet but their uncles and their dads they all have rings and it is kind of expected up there so we will have to contend with that as well as their great physical abilities as well.”

The Hornets and Wildcats kickoff Saturday morning at 11 at MM Roberts Stadium in Hattiesburg.