The Poplarville Hornets football team waded through uncharted waters during their 2016 campaign, becoming South State champions for the first time in program history.

Recently, six players from the team were chosen as All-State selections. Coaches from around the state vote for the players they think earned the honor of first and second-team recognition throughout the entire season.

The Hornets senior captain Jesse Pernell was selected for the Class 4A All-State Offense First-Team after averaging 130.7 rushing yards and two touchdowns per game. The fullback had his best game of the year as he walked on the field for the last time as a Hornet against Lafayette in the State Championship game with 26 carries for 216 yards and a solo touchdown.

The bruising back had a heavy workload his senior year, carrying the ball 215 times for 1,830 yards and 27 rushing touchdowns.

Senior cornerback Aritaeus Johnson was selected for the All-State Defense First-Team after leading Class 4A Mississippi football with nine interceptions this year.

Johnson also had five pass deflections recorded during the season along with 27 solo tackles and two tackles for a loss.

Running back Austin Bolton earned All-State Offense Second-Team after scoring 144 points for the Hornets this season.

The versatile running back racked in yards throughout the season with 196 totes for 1,746 yards and 21 touchdowns on the ground. Bolton also caught eight passes for 199 yards and three touchdowns during his junior campaign.

Bolton ran for more than 200 rushing yards in three games this year, with his best outing in the fifth week against Greene County when he had 12 carries for 247 yards, one catch for 39 yards and a hat trick of touchdowns.

Senior guard Austin Arceneaux was recognized for his offensive presence in the trenches after being selected for the All-State Offense Second-Team. The captain led an offensive line that opened many gaps for the Hornets’ triple-headed monster in the backfield, which included Pernell, Bolton and Tyson Holston. Overall, the offensive line steered the Hornets’ ground game to 5,256 yards and 68 touchdowns throughout 14 games. Also, the offensive line gave sophomore quarterback Antonio Barnes time to throw for 877 yards and 12 touchdowns on the year.

Senior defensive end Jamerrick Waller and senior defensive tackle Chad Hart were both selected for the Class 4A All-State Defense Second-Team.

Waller led the Hornet defense with 7.5 sacks while accumulating 58 total tackles and 2.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage.

Hornets’ captain Hart was just behind Waller with six sacks on the season. Also, Hart led the defense with 6.4 tackles per game with his 83 total tackles, five of which were for a loss.