South Pike hasn't had much luck against Poplarville recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Eagles will venture away from home to challenge the Hornets at 7:00 p.m. One thing working in South Pike's favor is that they have posted at least 31 points in their last three contests.
South Pike is headed into the game after thoroughly thrashing Lawrence County: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that the Eagles blew the Cougars out of the water with a 42-7 final score. The victory continues a trend for the Eagles in their matchups with the Cougars: they've now won three in a row.
Dondra Turner Jr
| 10/10/25 vs Lawrence County | 108 |
| 09/12/25 @ Mendenhall | 103 |
| 08/30/24 vs Pearl River Central | 76 |
| 09/20/24 vs Provine | 55 |
| 09/06/24 @ Crystal Springs | 52 |
South Pike relied on the efforts of Douglas Wansley, who rushed for 124 yards and two scores on only nine carries, and Dondra Turner Jr, who rushed for 108 yards and a pair of touchdowns on only 12 carries. Those 108 rushing yards gave Turner Jr a new career-high.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: South Pike was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 311 rushing yards. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their rushing yard total in four consecutive matchups.
South Pike didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Antwaun Adams and Kentavious Williams. Williams has become a key player for South Pike: the team is 2-1 when he posts at least one interception, but 1-2 otherwise.
Meanwhile, while it was all tied up 14-14 at halftime, Poplarville was not quite McComb's equal in the second half last Friday. They were just a hair shy of victory and fell 35-34 to the Tigers. While the Hornets had to settle for second, they closed the game well in the third quarter, where they outscored the Tigers 14-7.
South Pike will have to contain Tylan Keys as he made an impact in Poplarville's last game. He rushed for 285 yards and three TDs while picking up 11.4 yards per carry. Keys' rushing production has been exceptional as that marked his eighth straight game with at least 130 rushing yards dating back to last season.
The win got South Pike back to even at 3-3. As for Poplarville, they suffered their first road defeat, dropping their record down to 3-3.
South Pike suffered a grim 27-6 defeat to Poplarville in their previous meeting back in November of 2020. Can the Eagles avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
