The Poplarville High School Hornets swarmed the Sumrall Bobcats Friday night, winning their homecoming game 56-6.
The Hornet’s defense started strong, denying the Bobcats any points in the first half.
Poplarville’s Jesse Pernell scored the first touchdown of the game with 5:11 left in the first quarter.
When Sumrall took the ball, the Hornets defense sacked quarterback Rhett Harvey during every play, quickly gaining possession of the ball, giving Tyson Holston the opportunity to catch a 40-yard touchdown pass with 3:12 left in the first quarter.
Poplarville’s defense again sacked the Bobcat’s quarterback causing him to lose focus and throw two incomplete passes.
Hornets Austin Bolton took off the last 16 yards scoring the third touchdown of the game with just over a minute left in the first quarter.
As the second quarter began, Poplarville’s defense swarmed the quarterback again, taking him out of the game with an injury.
Poplarville Head Coach Jay Beech said they tried to put a significant amount of pressure on the quarterback this game, but it was unfortunate it resulted in an injury.
Sumrall’s Dannis Jackson came in to take Harvey’s place, but the Hornets gained possession of the ball again.
Pernell ran in another touchdown with 8:36 left in the second quarter.
Like his predecessor, Jackson struggled with Poplarville’s defense, getting sacked twice toward the end of the half.
Pernell squeezed in another touchdown before halftime, bringing the score to 35-0.
The Hornets started the third quarter with Bolton catching a 40-yard touchdown pass within a minute of starting the clock.
As Sumrall took possession of the ball and began to find stable ground with their back-up quarterback, Jackson ran the ball in for a 20-yard touchdown with 10:45 left in the third quarter.
Poplarville’s Aritaeus Johnson blocked their field goal attempt.
In response, Poplarville’s Ross Barnett took the spotlight, scoring on a 36-yard run with 9:45 left and then another from the 47 yard line with 2:05 left, ending the third quarter 56-6.
The fourth quarter ended with Barnett intercepting a throw by Sumrall’s Jackson.
Beech said next week’s game against Purvis High School is going to be extremely tough, but the team will work hard this week.