Football Recap: Poplarville Piles Up the Points Against South Pike

vs

Previous 4 Games

10/17/25 - Home	62-24 W
11/13/20 - Neutral	27-6 W
11/22/19 - Home	31-20 W
11/16/18 - Home	49-28 W

There's no place like home for Poplarville, who bounced back after a loss on the road two weeks ago. They breezed past the South Pike Eagles to the tune of 62-24 on Friday. That looming 62-24 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Hornets yet this season.

It was another big night for Tylan Keys, who rushed for 217 yards and three TDs while picking up 9.9 yards per carry. He was no stranger to the big play, turning on the jets for a run that went for 64 yards. Remy Naquin was another key back, rushing for 41 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

They were just one part of a punishing run game: Poplarville was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 364 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 220 rushing yards in six consecutive matchups.

Poplarville didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Jt Graham and Lennox Beech. Beech also made seven total tackles, which is notable because Poplarville is 3-1 when he posts at least three total tackles, but 1-2 otherwise.

Despite the loss, South Pike still got an impressive performance from Dondra Turner Jr, who rushed for 84 yards and two scores, and also threw for 228 yards and a pair of TDs on only 18 passes. The Eagles' leading receiver Tj Varnado was Turner Jr's top target yet again, picking up 107 receiving yards and one touchdown.

Poplarville now has a winning record of 4-3. As for South Pike, with the loss, they broke their three-game winning streak and moved their record to 3-4.

Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Poplarville will challenge Lawrence County at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The Hornets will be up against the Cougars' rather soft defense (which has allowed 43 points per game), so fans could be in store for a big offensive performance. As for South Pike, they will square off against Columbia at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The Eagles will need to watch out since the Wildcats have now posted at least 31 points in their last seven contests.