Poplarville is a perfect 3-0 against South Pike since November of 2018 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Friday. The Hornets will be playing at home against the Eagles at 7:00 p.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Poplarville is likely headed into the game with a focus on the second half, which is when things went downhill against McComb last Friday. The Hornets were just a hair shy of victory and fell 35-34 to the Tigers. The Hornets have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Tylan Keys
| 10/03/25 @ McComb | 285 |
| 09/26/25 vs Picayune | 280 |
| 09/19/25 @ Pearl River Central | 175 |
| 09/12/25 @ Hancock | 506 |
| 09/05/25 @ Stone | 142 |
| + 3 more games |
Poplarville might have lost, but man, Tylan Keys was a machine: 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.
Meanwhile, South Pike entered their tilt with Lawrence County on Friday with two consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with three. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat the Cougars 42-7. The Eagles pushed the score to 36-7 by the end of the third, a deficit the Cougars had little chance of recovering from.
Poplarville better focus on containing Douglas Wansley and Dondra Turner Jr as the pair were huge in South Pike's win. Wansley rushed for 124 yards and a pair of scores on only nine carries, while Turner Jr rushed for 108 yards and two touchdowns on only 12 carries. Those 108 rushing yards gave Turner Jr a new career-high.
South Pike didn't let much get past them through the air: they limited Lawrence County to a completion percentage of just 45.5%. The team can thank Kentavious Williams for the heroic effort on defense: he. South Pike wasn't nearly as limited: they posted one of 33.3%.
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 Williams. South Pike is 2-1 when Williams posts one or more interceptions, but 1-2 otherwise.
The win got South Pike back to even at 3-3. As for Poplarville, their loss dropped their record down to an identical 3-3.
Everything went Poplarville's way against South Pike in their previous matchup back in November of 2020, as Poplarville made off with a 27-6 victory. Do the Hornets have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Eagles turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
