‘We’ve seen all the heartache.’ Poplarville is bent on clinching its 1st state title.
For all the success that the Poplarville High School football team has experienced over the last five seasons, there’s no ignoring the pain that’s come along with it.
The Hornets have now reached the state championship three times and the semifinal round twice during a five-year run that features a record of 57-14.
The fact that there’s no state championship trophy on display at Poplarville is a sore point for Coach Jay Beech and his players.
Following a 35-6 victory over Mendenhall (7-4) to earn a Class 4A South State title on a soggy Friday night, the Hornets (10-3) have a shot to ease that agony when they take on Louisville (12-1) at 11 a.m. on Dec. 5 in the state title game at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Jackson.
“I love my teammates, these fans. I love Poplarville. We’re going to go get this state title,” junior running back D.J. Richardbey said. “We want to deliver it so bad. It’s time to make a change now.”
Poplarville’s Tyron Holston lets the emotions flow
It’s unlikely any Poplarville family has felt the disappointment of the last four seasons more than the Holstons.
Tyson Holston, who graduated in 2019, was a star running back/defensive back on the 2016-18 teams, helping build what has become a South Mississippi dynasty.
His younger brother, Tyron, is filling a similar role for the Hornets this season and his 51-yard touchdown run with 10 minutes to go Friday night put the exclamation point on a dominant victory.
When asked how badly he and his teammates want to claim Poplarville’s first state championship in football, Tyron fought to get the words out as he the tears began to flow.
“More than anything. We’ve all seen heartbreak... We’ve been in the situation,” the junior running back/defensive back said.
Tyron was on the losing end of a 55-21 loss to Corinth in last year’s state championship contest and he watched his brother come up short for the three consecutive seasons.
“(Tyson) has always been the one to push me to be better every week and I’m grateful to have him as a brother,” Tyron said. “He paved the way for us. They really started this, got us going.”
Beech believes he has never had a team as driven as this year’s squad, and it’s easy to see that in a player like Tyron Holston.
“We’ve got a lot of hunger right now,” Tyron said as he choked back tears. “We want it more than anything in this world. We’d do anything for that ring.”
Poplarville rolls over Mendenhall in muddy conditions
Friday night’s outcome was never really in doubt after Poplarville jumped out to a 16-0 lead less than three minutes in the game.
On the first snap, senior running back Gregory Swann hit the edge and ran 72 yards for a touchdown.
Following an interception by senior safety Hagen Hall, Swann got in the end zone again on a 17-yard run.
The two-point conversions were good after both scores and the Hornets led 16-0 at the 9:06 mark of the first quarter.
Swann didn’t have much of a role to play after due to an injury, finishing the night with 105 yards and two touchdowns on four carries.
“He tweaked his knee a little in this slop,” Beech said. “We decided it was best to let him rest until next week. He’s OK.”
With Swann sidelined, much of the rushing attack was left up to Richardbey, who carried the ball 21 times for 115 yards and one touchdown.
The 6-foot-1, 214-pound fullback earned tough yardage up the middle all night on a field that was essentially one long mud pit from goal line to goal line.
“I thought he ran hard,” Beech said. “It was hard for the offensive line to get a good push in that slop. We had to work hard and plow down the field.”
Sophomore fullback Avan Jarvis also got in the end zone on a 4-yard run with a minute to go in the third quarter, barely working his way across the goal line and splashing down in the end zone.
Poplarville’s Wing-T scheme is built for the wet and cold nights of November, but Beech had never seen his team play through the conditions at home like it did Friday night.
“That’s the worst it’s ever been,” Beech said of the playing surface. “This late in the year, there’s no grass left. It’s just saturated.”
The Hornets left the field soaked, covered in mud and wearing wide grins on their way back to the locker room.
“I’ve seen (wet conditions) play both ways because the ball is wet both ways, but I’ve had faith in my boys from the beginning and I knew we’d come out on top,” Holston said.
This story was originally published November 27, 2020 at 11:35 PM.
