After starting 1-4, Poplarville topples Lawrence County to earn another title bid

After stumbling to a 1-4 start to the season, the Poplarville football team is again the Class 4A South State champion.

Poplarville swarmed Lawrence County in all three phases in the third quarter, allowing the the Hornets to cruise to a win on their home field. The Hornets scored 17 points in the quarter and held Lawrence County scoreless the rest of the game in a 38-14 victory.

For Poplarville, it’s the program’s third trip to the Class 4A state title game in the last four seasons.

Of those three title game bids, this was unquestionably the toughest for the Hornets.

“It’s very rewarding, especially when you had to deal with a 1-4 start,” Poplarville coach Jay Beech said. “Any team could have turned it in at that point, but our kids believed. We knew we played a good schedule and it would prepare us at the end. We grew from it. We had so many injuries, so much adversity. To come out on top tonight, it’s super rewarding.”

Big third quarter for Poplarville

The game was tied at 14-14 at halftime, but the third quarter was all Poplarville as its ground game got help from three special teams plays and a key defensive stop.

“That third quarter was huge for us,” Beech said. “We tried a few things; they worked out for us. We needed them there in the third quarter, and they turned the tide for us.”

The Hornets were penalized five yards for booting the second half kickoff out of bounds. On the re-kick, the Hornets went with an onside kick and they were successful, recovering the ball in traffic at the Lawrence County 39.

Senior Casin Sones capped the 39-yard drive with an 11-yard carry to give the Hornets a 21-14 lead they would never surrender.

The Hornets again went with the onside kick on the ensuing kickoff, and again they were successful, starting at the Lawrence County 47. The Hornets failed to pick up a first down on the possession, but on the Cougars’ first snap on their ensuing possession, Torry Polk came up with an interception, returning it 14 yards to the Cougars’ 17.

Once again, the Hornets failed to pick up a first down, but Zach Carpenter nailed a 32-yard field goal to extend the Hornets lead to 24-14.

Hornets’ ground game wears down Lawrence County

The Hornets’ defense held Lawrence County to a three-and-out and a punt on the following possession, and the Hornets started at their own 38 yard line. Sones got them going with a 28-yard carry on the first snap before Zac Owen took over with three rushes, including a 13-yard rush and a 7-yarder for the score with just over a minute to go in the period to extend the lead to 31-14 with 1:21 left in the third quarter.

The Hornets wore down Lawrence County with a ground game that tallied nearly 400 yards. Owen led Poplarville with 173 yards on 23 carries and two touchdowns.

“My guys are blocking great and they’re making holes,” Owen said. “I’ve got the easy part. I’ve just got to run hard.”

Caziah Daniels added 97 yards and a touchdown, followed by Sones with 88 yards and two touchdowns.

Sones added the game’s final score with just under 8 minutes remaining in the game as he capped a 47-yard drive with a 15-yard touchdown carry.

The Hornets will play for their third state championship in four years as they take on Corinth in the 4A State Championship game at 11 a.m. on Dec. 7 at M.M. Roberts Stadium in Hattiesburg.

This story was originally published November 29, 2019 at 11:43 PM.