Poplarville powers to third round of playoffs with 45-15 win over Forrest County AHS
It’s a tradition like no other in Popvegas.
The Hornets throttled Forrest County AHS 45-15 on Friday to earn Poplarville its eighth consecutive second-round playoff victory out of the 4A bracket.
Freshman running back Ty Keys scored four rushing touchdowns during an evening that saw head coach Jay Beech’s team wear down the visiting Aggies with run after run.
“(Forrest County AHS) had a good defensive front seven, but we just wanted it,” Beech said after the game. “We wanted this one really bad and we gave all we had.”
Poplarville put together one of its best defensive performances of the season, allowing one touchdown in the first half and just one more after that, in the final seconds of the game.
It was the Hornets’ defense that set up their first touchdown — a 76-yard sprint to the house by Keys — after forcing a turnover on downs on the Aggies’ first possession.
“We went by the game plan coach gave us,” Hornets defensive end Aden Dedeaux said. “Stop them on first and second, make them do something they’re not comfortable with and throw the ball.”
Dedeaux led a disruptive defense with a sack, multiple quarterback hurries and a pass deflection. Lineman Brent Olsen factored in with his first career interception at the end of the third quarter, which led directly to a Keys touchdown in the fourth.
Poplarville also benefited from second-half touchdown runs by Nick Miller and Landon Reinike.
Unearthing a breakout star
Keys was playing junior high football just a year ago. When this season began, the class of 2027 multi-sport athlete had earned reps with the varsity Hornets defense.
Beech made the decision to insert him into the backfield against Moss Point in Week 4 and the rest was history. Keys racked up 174 yards and four scores against the Tigers, cementing his place in the Hornets’ backfield.
“He doesn’t play like a freshman,” Beech said. “He did a great job tonight.”
Keys scored on runs of 76, 10, 5 and 19 against the Aggies. It was his seventh consecutive multi-touchdown game, dating all the way back to the 54-12 win over MPHS, and is now up to 19 touchdowns for the year.
“It’s all the people around me, really,” Keys said. “That’s what pushed me, all my seniors.”
One of those senior is backfield mate Lane Amacker. Though a few years older, Amacker is also new to the varsity program.
Amacker didn’t play in 2022 due to football season interfering with turkey hunting season, but he asked Beech if he could return and he’s now pushing toward a 1,000-yard season.
Together, the pair makes up yet another duo in a long line of powerful running back tandems the Hornets have rolled out under Beech’s tenure.
“We just put in the work,” Keys said. “It’s a tradition.”
Poplarville’s machine
The Hornets have become one of the most consistent teams on the Coast during the past decade. Since Beech took over in 2014, PHS has won seven district titles and 29 playoff games.
This year’s team was one of Beech’s more inexperienced groups after a wealth of production graduated from 2022’s 11-win team.
And yet, the Hornets remain hunting in familiar territory.
“It’s the culture, it’s the tradition that we have down here,” Dedeaux said. “The coaches just push us so far. I don’t think another program is being pushed as hard as we’re being pushed.”
The lone item eluding the team is a Gold Ball. Poplarville has been to the state championship game four times under Beech, including three years in a row from 2018-20, but have yet to win the title.
The Hornets have seen their playoff runs dip by one game in each of the last two seasons, but that hasn’t deterred the confidence of this year’s iteration of the Poplarville Machine.
“Who’s next?” Dedeaux asked after the win. “The sky is the limit for Poplarville.”
It’s Lawrence County. The Hornets will host the Cougars next Friday with a spot in the South State championship on the line.
