Countdown to Kickoff 2022: Poplarville Hornets

POPLARVILLE, Miss. (WLOX) -The Poplarville Hornets are a machine.

Six straight appearances in South State titles games and have won four out of the six; there’s a standard for the Hornets and this offseason they’ve kept everyone held to it.

“I’m just proud of how this team has been working,” said senior defensive tackle Tucker Smith We had a great off season and good attendance. We just have to keep up with the standard that Coach Beech and his coaching staff have set and if we do that we’ll be fine.”

Head coach Jay Beech and the Hornets are bringing back 11 starters and have 22 seniors, of that group they’ll remember last year’s close loss in south state to Columbia and they’ve used that as extra fuel in 2022.

“We’re not sad. That’s not how we want to go out this year,” said senior offensive lineman Kane Edwards. “We’ll make a difference, do what we got to do, and get there.”

“We’ve just got to use that loss as motivation and just keep working harder and harder to make it to the pinnacle of a state championship and bring it home,” added Smith.

For seniors Tucker Smith and Kane Edwards, they’ve been with the Hornet program for the last four years.

In their final season they’re looking at not only making it to the Rock in Hattiesburg for the state title game but a little beyond that too.

“It means a lot me. After high school you’ve got to get your phone out and call them up, they’re my brothers,” said Edwards. “I’m trying to spend as much time as I can with them and make it to state.

“It’s a brotherhood. It sounds cliché but that’s the truth, this team is like family,” added Smith. “I told these guys long after high school football, if you ever need someone to hang around to call me up. It’s more than football. I know how hard myself and this team have been working so to reach the pinnacle of high school football and get the golden ball and bring it home, it would mean so much to this coaching staff and this community so that’s what we’re trying to do.”

The Hornets open up the season on their brand new home turf against the reigning 5A State champs: the Picayune Maroon Tide

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