Picayune Item & The Poplarville Democrat
Wednesday, December 2, 2020; Thursday, December 3, 2020 • 1B
Football 2020
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Poplarville ready to bring home a championship By Jonathan Mitchell Picayune Item
The Poplarville Hornets varsity football team is one win away from being named 4A state champions after defeating Mendenhall 35-6 last week. Poplarville was helped by strong performances from the team’s three main running backs, Greg Swann, DJ Richardbey and Tyron Holston. The trio has been key to Poplarville’s success offensively this season, running behind a dominant offensive line. It took a couple games for the Hornets to find a rhythm, but the team has now won 10 straight games. “We started off 0-3. We played some good opponents in our first three games, but we’ve gotten better each and every week. Offensively we’re playing at a high level right now and we’ve
been playing good defense, too,” Poplarville Head Coach Jay Beech said. Poplarville hasn’t let the unusual circumstances of a pandemic distract them from the ultimate goal, winning a state championship. Not only has preparation and performance been key for Poplarville, but Beech said the community’s impact couldn’t be understated when it comes to this season’s success. “We have a very strong following here in Poplarville. This community loves football and I’m blessed to be the coach of this team. Our kids feel it every Friday night and it’s just a pleasure,” Beech said. Poplarville has defeated every opponent in the playoffs and will now have to take on a 13-1 Louisville Wildcats team in the state championship game. Louisville is on a long win streak of its own, up to 12 games
now, and the Wildcats will serve as the Hornets’ final obstacle in claiming a state championship. “We have a great opponent we’re playing. They are a wellcoached team. They have a great defense and force you to make mistakes, and if you do make a mistake they make you pay for it,” Beech said. Beech and the Hornets have made it to the state championship a number of times, including last year when the Hornets lost to Corinth 55-21. Poplarville knows how special it is to be in this position, just one win away from being named state champions. “It’s not easy and we’re thankful for it. We know it’s a special time to come to Jackson and we’re going to do our best,” Beech said. The game will be played at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium in Jackson on Saturday Dec. 5. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m.
Jonathan Mitchell | Picayune Item
IN THE RAIN: Running back Greg Swann prepares for a hand off from quarterback Matt Will. Swann had 101 yards and two touchdowns against Mendenhall.
Jonathan Mitchell | Picayune Item
GOAL LINE: Running back DJ Richardbey forces his way towards the end zone as a defender tries to bring him down. Richardbey had 109 yards, SLIPPERY CONDITIONS: Tight end Khalid Moore tries to catch a pass in the end zone for the Hornets against Mendenhall. a touchdown and a two-point conversion against the Tigers.
Poplarville’s 2020 Schedule 9/4 9/11 9/18 9/25 10/2 10/9 10/16 10/23 10/30 11/6 11/13 11/20 11/27 12/5
7:00 p.m. - Jefferson Davis County L (13-6) 7:00 p.m. - D’Iberville L (21-14) 7:00 p.m. - @ Picayune L (31-21) 7:00 p.m. - @ St. Stanislaus W (27-7) 7:00 p.m. - Forrest County Agricultural* W (69-8) 7:00 p.m. - Stone County* W (42-20) 7:00 p.m. - Purvis* W (35-7) 7:00 p.m. - @ Greene County* W (48-7) 7:00 p.m. - @ Sumrall* W (12-0) 7:00 p.m. - Florence W (62-17) 7:00 p.m. - South Pike W (27-6) 7:00 p.m. - @ North Pike W (62-6) 7:00 p.m. - Mendenhall W (35-6) 11:00 a.m. - Louisville
District Game = *
Make Your Pick...
NISSAN
Jonathan Mitchell | Picayune Item
Hornets 2020 Roster # Name 2 Maurice Travis 3 Corey Burt 4 Dontae Buckley 5 Torry Polk 7 Khalid Moore 8 Tyron Holston 9 Quan Huderson 10 Edward Jordan 11 Alex Creel 13 Quentin Baker 14 Avan Jarvis 15 Jamaya Henry 16 Greg Swann 17 Matt Will 18 Kade Chambliss 19 Riley Passman 21 Ahmad Harmon 22 Mark Will 23 Hunter Martin
Pos. SS, TB CB, WB CB, WR RB, CB OLB, DE SS, RB TB, DB LB DB, WB DB FB, LB CB, TB FB, MLB QB, DE TE QB, FS OLB, RB OLB, RB LB, FB
Gr. So So Sr Sr Jr Jr So Jr Jr Sr So Sr Sr So Jr Jr Jr So Sr
# Name 26 DJ Richardbey 27 Trey Knight 28 Levi Jones 29 Vance Culpepper 30 Travian Wilcox 31 Gavin Crawford 32 Mason Anderson 34 Aden Dedeaux 35 Zach Carpenter 36 Skyler Nobles 41 Hagen Hall 42 Andrew Travis Smith 42 Tyke Smith 42 Tucker Smith 50 Nakiel Trotter 51 Logan Culpepper 52 Dylan Peterson 53 Mason Wheat 54 Scott Jerrell
Pos. FB, RB DB TE, DE WR, DB ILB DB LB DE K DE SS TE OLB DE, TE DT G, DT G, DE C, DT DT
Gr. Jr Jr So Jr So So Sr Fr Jr Jr Sr Sr Fr So So Jr Jr Jr Fr
# Name 55 Hunter Benefield 56 Tyler Knight 59 William Harry 61 Blake Gibson 65 Brennon Goodwin 66 Landon Foil 68 Kane Edwards 71 Heath Howell 74 Wesley Minga 75 James Pierce 76 Seth Ladner 77 Chase Daire 78 Conner Davis 80 Preston Stuart 87 Kyle Blanchard 88 Braxton Conerly 89 Jaden Holden 99 Semaj Young
Pos. G, SS G G, DE C DT DT, G OT OT, DT DT T, DT T DT DT K DB WR DB, WR DT
Make your pick...
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Picayune Item & The Poplarville Democrat
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Jonathan Mitchell | Picayune Item
BREATH CONTROL: Maya Clark plays her clarinet during a performance by the Poplarville band.
Jonathan Mitchell | Picayune Item
UNDER THE LIGHTS: Poplarville clarinet player Danielle Reid performs during a halftime show.
Jeremy Pittari | Picayune Item
TOP PERFORMANCE: PRC senior trombone section leader Peyton Brossette performs alongside other musicians in his section during a halftime show.
Jonathan Mitchell | Picayune Item
FIRST YEAR: Freshman Emma Lamonte performs using her piccolo during a Maroon Tide halftime show.
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Jonathan Mitchell | Picayune Item
MARCHING: Junior Makayla Rester works her way across the field during a Poplarville band performance.
Jeremy Pittari | Picayune Item
FRONT AND CENTER: PRC’s musicians work with percussion instruments in the pit during a halftime performance.
Jonathan Mitchell | Picayune Item
CORRECT NOTES: Picayune sophomore Christian Palmer plays the saxophone during a performance by the Maroon Tide band.
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Picayune Item & The Poplarville Democrat
Wednesday, December 2, 2020; Thursday, December 3, 2020 • 3B
Football 2020
Jonathan Mitchell | Picayune Item
DROPPING BACK: Poplarville quarterback Nate Anderson sits in the pocket and tries to find an open receiver.
Jonathan Mitchell | Picayune Item
UNTOUCHED: Hornets running back Tyron Holston cuts upfield after taking a hand off. Holston had 81 yards and a touchdown against Mendenhall.
Jonathan Mitchell | Picayune Item
BIG HIT: Poplarville running back Tyron Holston lowers his shoulder and prepares for contact as a defender tries to tackle him.
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Jonathan Mitchell | Picayune Item
DRAWING PENALTIES: Hornets wide receiver Torry Polk leaps into the air to catch a pass. Polk drew a pass interference call on the defense during the play to help the Hornets move down the field.
Jonathan Mitchell | Picayune Item
POWER FOOTBALL: Hornets running back Greg Swann follows his blockers and carries the ball for a first down during last week’s game.
GOOD LUCK
Wishing our Pearl River County teams success on the field and in the classroom, all season, all year!
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Jonathan Mitchell | Picayune Item
RUNNING LANE: Poplarville running back Greg Swann follows his blockers and finds open space during last week’s game.
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Picayune Item & The Poplarville Democrat
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From State to Sundays: Bulldogs in the NFL By Brian Ogden Miss State Sports Information
STARKVILLE – Turnovers were the theme of Week 12 as former Mississippi State Bulldogs put on a show in the NFL. It started on Thanksgiving Day when Montez Sweat’s Washington Football Team routed the Dallas Cowboys, 41-16. In the final moments of the game, he leapt to bat a pass at the line, held onto it and returned his first career interception 15 yards for a touchdown. It was the first interception returned for a touchdown for Washington in nearly three years. Sweat posted a career-high 91.7 pass rush grade from Pro Football Focus, which ranked fifth in the league this week. He also graded out at a career-best 92.1 overall. On Sunday, Preston Smith got in on the scoring as the Packers linebacker returned a fumble 14 yards to the
end zone. It was his second career touchdown and first since Week 6 of 2018. Smith also added a third-down sack in the game. Sharing the sideline with Smith, Elgton Jenkins continued to prove he is one of the best offensive linemen in the league. Jenkins started at left guard for Green Bay before playing 50 snaps at center. He kept a clean pocket while playing every snap and posted the fourth-highest pass blocking grade (86.8) in the NFL in Week 12. On Monday night, K.J. Wright nearly had a turnover of his own. Wright ended Philadelphia’s first drive of the fourth quarter by batting a pass at the line on fourth down but couldn’t hold on for the interception. Las Vegas’ Johnathan Abram also forced a turnover this week, intercepting a pass in the first quarter that led to a Raiders scoring drive. On special teams, Jacksonville’s Logan Cooke did his part in limited action.
Cooke was called upon to punt three times, downing his kicks at the 8-, 6and 2-yard lines. JOHNATHAN ABRAM | LAS VEGAS RAIDERS – S | AT MSU: 2017-18 Season: 10 G, 10 GS, 48 TKL, 15 AST, 63 TT, 2 INT, 2.0 TFL, 4 QBH, 5 PD Last Week: 1 GS, 5 TKL, 1 AST, 6 TT, 1 INT, 1 PD at Atlanta Falcons (L, 6-43) Made his second interception of the season and returned it five yards, leading to a Raiders scoring drive DENICO AUTRY | INDIANAPOLIS COLTS – DT/DE | AT MSU: 2012-13 Season: 9 G, 8 GS, 15 TKL, 9 AST, 24 TT, 6.0 SK, 7.0 TFL, 7 QBH Last Week: DNP vs. Indianapolis Colts (L, 26-45) HUNTER BRADLEY | GREEN BAY PACKERS – LS | AT MSU: 2012-17 Season: 11 G, 1 AST
Last Week: 1 G vs. Chicago Bears (W, 41-25) FRED BROWN (PS) | DENVER BRONCOS – WR | AT MSU 201015 Season: 1G Last Week: DNP vs. New Orleans Saints (L, 3-31) DEION CALHOUN (PS) | CINCINNATI BENGALS – OG | AT MSU: 2014-18 Season: 1 GS, 1 G, 1 Pressure Allowed Last Week: DNP vs. New York Giants (L, 17-19) TOMMY CHAMPION (PS) | SEATTLE SEAHAWKS – OT | AT MSU: 2017-19 Season: Practice Squad Last Week: DNP at Philadelphia Eagles (W, 23-17) BRIAN COLE II (PS) | MIAMI DOLPHINS – S | AT MSU: 2017-19 Season: Practice Squad Last Week: DNP at New York Jets (W, 20-3).
Ole Miss’ Corral earns weekly conference honor By Brad Sheffield Ole Miss Sports Information
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – After helping lead Ole Miss to a 31-24 Egg Bowl victory over Mississippi State this past weekend, sophomore quarterback Matt Corral was named Southeastern Conference Co-Offensive Player of the Week by the league office on Monday. Corral set the school record for Ole Miss passing yards in the Egg Bowl, completing 24-of-36 passes for 385 yards and two touchdowns in leading the
Rebels past the Bulldogs. He engineered a nine-play, 77-yard TD drive with 4:48 left to help clinch the victory. It was Corral’s sixth 300-yard game of the season, the third best single-season effort in school history. Corral currently ranks top 10 nationally in passing yards (2,744), passing TDs (24), completion percentage (.729), completions per game (23.3), passing efficiency (187.3) and points responsible for per game (20.8). The Ventura, California, native also moved into
sole possession of fifth place on Ole Miss’ singleseason list with 24 passing TDs. He has also climbed to sixth on the career charts with 32 scoring passes. Corral sits 10th all-time in career passing yards at Ole Miss with 4,335 yards. Get all the latest information on the team by following @olemissfb on Twitter and Instagram and OleMissFootball on Facebook. General athletic news can also be found at OleMissSports on Twitter and Facebook and OleMissAthletics on Instagram.
Ole Miss Football Head Coach Recaps Egg Bowl Victory By Alex Sims Ole Miss Sports Information
OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss football head coach Lane Kiffin met with the media Monday via Zoom to recap the team’s win over Mississippi State in the Battle for the Golden Egg and take a look ahead at the upcoming open week. A transcript can be found below. Opening Statement “Really good win, getting us 1-0 in this rivalry. I think with me, win or lose games sink in a little more Sunday and Monday because you’re so into the game at the time. I think that kind of brought to light how big it was. Even going out with my family around town and everybody coming up and just a reminder of what a big win that was for the school, for the town, for the players, fans, everybody. Good to be on the winning side and our goal obviously is to dominate this matchup and never lose.” On the confidence level playing the last two games “I hadn’t thought about it that way because it’s out of my control. I’m assuming we are playing, but I don’t really think that way since I can’t control it. We’ll prepare as if we’re playing.”
Ole Miss 2020 Schedule
Mississippi State 2020 Schedule
Southern Miss 2020 Schedule
9/26 10/3 10/10 10/17 10/24 10/31 11/14 11/21 11/28 12/5
9/26 10/3 10/10 10/17 10/31 11/7 11/14 11/21 11/28 12/5 12/5
9/3 8:00 p.m. - South Alabama L (32-21) 9/19 6:30 p.m. - Louisiana Tech* L (31-30) 9/26 1:30 p.m. - Tulane L (66-24) 10/3 6:30 p.m. - @ North Texas* W (41-31) 10/10 3:00 p.m. - Florida Atlantic* (Postponed) 10/17 6:30 p.m. - @ UTEP* (Postponed) 10/24 12:00 p.m. - @ Liberty L (56-35) 10/31 2:00 p.m. - Rice* L (30-6) 11/7 2:00 p.m. - North Alabama W (24-13) 11/14 2:30 p.m. - @ Western Kentucky* L (10-7) 11/21 2:00 p.m. - UTSA* L (23-20) 11/27 2:30 p.m. - @ UAB* (Cancelled) 12/10 2:30 p.m. - Florida Atlantic Conference Game = *
11:00 a.m. - Florida* L (51-35) 3:00 p.m. - @ Kentucky* W (42-41) 5:00 p.m. - Alabama* L (63-48) 2:30 p.m. - Arkansas* L (33-21) 11:00 a.m. - Auburn* L (35-28) 3:00 p.m - @ Vanderbilt* W (54-21) 6:30 p.m. - South Carolina* W (59-42) TBD - @ Texas A&M* (Postponed) TBD - Mississippi State* W (31-24) TBD - @ LSU*
Conference Game = *
7:00 p.m. - @ LSU* W (44-34) 7:00 p.m. - Arkansas* L (21-14) 6:30 p.m. - @ Kentucky* L (24-2) 3:00 p.m. - Texas A&M* L (28-14) 6:00 p.m. - @ Alabama* L (41-0) 3:00 p.m. - Vanderbilt* W (24-17) TBD - Auburn* (Postponed) 6:30 p.m. - @ Georgia* L (31-24) 3:00 p.m. - @ Ole Miss* L (31-24) TBD - Missouri* (Postponed) TBD - Auburn*
Conference Game = *
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