Last Friday, the Hornets scored in the first minute of play and kept their foot on the gas the entire night as the team extended its winning streak.

Poplarville was 1-4 heading into district play, but after three straight wins the team is back at .500.

Everything was clicking for the Hornets on both sides of the ball as the offense had its biggest output of the season with 61 points, while the defense had its second shutout in the past three games as the Hornets beat Purvis 61-0.

The defense has especially improved over the past three weeks holding Stone to just 14 points two weeks ago and blanking FCAHS the week before.

Head Coach Jay Beech said the unit knew what it was capable of, and it was just a matter of time before things started clicking.

“I think we’re starting to play up to our potential on defense. Every guy knows their role and everybody does their job, nobody is trying to do too much,” Beech said.

Safety Casin Sones led the defense with 8 tackles. The unit was disruptive all night, forcing four fumbles and sacking the quarterback twice.

Poplarville started the season slowly with only one win in the team’s first five games.

However, Beech said the players never lost faith, and the fighting spirit of the squad has been on display during the three game win streak.

“We knew we were playing some good teams early on, but we still had confidence in ourselves and our abilities. We’ve cleaned up some stuff, and stopped turning over the ball,” Beech said.

The offensive line has been able to create some good running lanes for the backs, and their growth has coincided with the team’s success offensively.

“We’re really starting to block a lot better. We’ve got a good group there. They’ve taken a few games to get ready, but they’ve played hard and learned a lot,” Beech said.

Running backs Chase Shears and Greg Swann both had multiple touchdowns on the ground, while quarterback Blaise Breerwood also had a rushing touchdown against Purvis.

Poplarville let both of the team’s kickers get some kicks in as well during the high scoring game.

Zach Carpenter and Preston Stuart both handled the kicking duties for the team, and Beech said the team interchanges the two to let the sophomore kickers get some experience.

The Hornets’ next game will be a big one as Greene County comes to town.

The two programs are currently tied for first in the district, and the winner would have a commanding lead atop the group. The game is set for Friday with kickoff taking place at 7 p.m.