Hornets take on the giant slayer Mendenhall Tigers Friday
Published 7:00 am Thursday, November 17, 2016
A Hornet defender stops his opponent from reaching the end zone during last week’s playoff game against Quitman High School.
The Poplarville Hornets made it through the regular season as an underdog, but with the experience of senior starters, the Hornets have become one of the 4A powerhouses in Mississippi. They turned a 0-1 start into a 10-1 record, and had a strong route through the 7-4A district.
But now, the Hornets must face the 4A MHSAA Football Championship underdog, the Mendenhall Tigers.
The Tigers are the last 3rd seed team to survive the first two rounds of the playoffs. All of the other 3rd seed teams—Itawamba Agricultural, Ripley, Raymond, Houston, Moss Point, Forrest County Agricultural and Lawrence County—lost their games in the first round, magnifying the early run Mendenhall has managed to scrape together.
The spotlight is on the Tigers after taking down a 4A title favorite St. Stanislaus last week in double overtime.
The Tigers scored 22 points in the first half against the top-ranked Rock-a-Chaws, but were shut out in the second half, bringing the game into overtime. After a scoreless first round of overtime, Mendenhall made the first move into the end zone and capped the score off with a successful two-point conversion.
After ousting St. Stanislaus, all eyes are on the Mendenhall Tigers to see if they can pull off another upset against another No. 1 seed team. Mendenhall has a well-balanced offense. Quarterback Quan Dampeer had a field day against McComb on Nov. 4. He completed 8-of-13 passes for 168 yards for a solo touchdown. Along with his two rushing touchdowns, Dampeer earned a 131.1 quarterback rating—which is his highest rating since the team’s Sept. 23 game against Magee High School. The subtleness of the Tigers’ offense has led them through the playoffs this year.
Poplarville’s backfield has also been successful this year. Running backs Jesse Pernell and Austin Bolton hold the reigns to the Hornets’ destiny in the postseason. Senior captain Pernell ran for 271 yards and four touchdowns in the first two rounds of the playoffs. Likewise, Bolton ran for 258 yards and four touchdowns to his name.
Mendenhall will have trouble containing all these offensive weapons on Friday night, but with home field advantage, the Tigers could have one more trick up their sleeve.
The winner of Friday’s game will take on the winner of the Purvis—Florence game in the semifinals of the 4A MHSAA Football Championship.
Bring a friend: Austin Bolton totes the pigskin down the field with a bundle of defenders on his back in Poplarville’s victory over Quitman last week.
Wave the flag: Poplarville will face Mendenhall, which upset a St. Stanislaus touted as a contender to win the championship title this year.