Poplarville Hornets in fifth straight 4A South State finals

Football on Thanksgiving has always been a long-standing American pastime but for most people that simply means watching it on TV.

- football on thanksgiving has- always been a long-standing - american pastime... but for mos- people... that simply - means watching it on t-v.

- for poplarville... it means - having the local t-v station ru- a - south state preview, for the- fifth year in a row... so other- people can watch the hornets, o- t-v... once again, just - two wins away... from their - first-ever gold ball.

- - nat ---> "family!"

"this is our fifth year in a ro to practice on thanksgiving.

An- to get that complacency - - - - or to make it seem like it's- just a normal thing, but it's - not normal.

It's a very special- time to - be practicing during- thanksgiving and we need to be- - - - excited about it and we are - excited about it."

Amidst a high school football - season filled with so much- un-certainty... poplarville's - fifth straight trip to the 4-a- south state championshp game...- brings with it... a - refreshing sense of normalcy.

- "we love hearing that friday night after third round, that b- here 9 o'clock monday - morning for that thanksgiving - practice when nobody else is at- - - school or nothing.

Everybody is- at home sleeping, and we get up- here to practice for our team."

Certainly nothing to be taken - for granted...- although the hornets sometimes- have a way... of making it- look oh so easy.- on friday... they beat a north- pike team that hadn't lost, in- 10- weeks... and it wasn't even - close... 62-6... good for the - most lop-sided playoff win... o- the jay beech era.- "we were really ready to play that game.

I've never seen our- guys so focused and so- determined to win a game.

And - then north pike comes out and - - - - hurts themselves with two - turnovers early, and then the - snowball started going and we - just rolled."

"that game right there might have been one of the most - special games i've ever been- a part of in my high school - career.

I started for three - years, and i've never seen a- group of 22 guys between offens- and defense just so perfectly i- on what - they had to do that it just - - - - turned out like that."

Already poplarville's second 60-point - game, so far this - post-season... and its third...- since the start of district - play.

- overall... the hornets are- dropping almost 50 points per - game, during that un-defeated - stretch... with an average of - 360 - yards rushing.- doing most to all of the damage- is a three-headed monster...- comprised of the power back d-j- richard-bey... the shifty back- tyron holston... and the speed- back gregory swann... behind a- no-nonsense offensive line.

- "it's amazing.

It's misdirection.

They can't key in- on one person this year.- we've got three really good - backs.

When they come in and hi- the hole determined to- - - get four yards, it's fun for us- to see them."

"oh, it's definitely very confusing for them because i'll- have to go block somebody and - they're not even looking at me.- they're watching because they - thought the play- went the whole completely - opposite way.

It's very - confusing for other - teams."

The running back rubik's cube,- otherwise known as the- wing-t... has a new challenger,- this week... in the form of the- mendenhall tigers.- the only thing standing between- the hornets... and- their fourth state title game - appearance, since 20-16... a- thanksgiving tradition they - would gladly trade, for a new - tradition... the week after - thanksgiving.

- "ever since we've made it to th playoffs, we've never won our - last game and that's- what we want to do."

"that's definitely our end goal is to be the first ones to- finish it."

"yeah, this is great.

And i hat to be like this, this is great.- but our kids want to win- that state title so bad.

This i- a special time to be practicing- - - - but we really want to get a - state title so we've just got t- take care of business friday- night."

- poplarville and mendenhall will- kick off the 4-a south state- title - game, from the hornets nest...- at 7 p-m friday.- we'll have all the highlights..- on