The Hornets won its first round playoff matchup with Richland by a score of 48-13 Friday night at Hornet Field. Poplarville appeared to be in playoff form accounting for a season high 575 yards of offense.
The Hornets had 3 rushers go over the 100 yard mark. Malik Lucas rushed 12 times for 205 yards and 3 touchdowns. Fellow senior Anthony Martin carried the ball 7 times for 134 yards and 1 touchdown. Sophomore fullback Jesse Pernell went over the 1,000 yard mark for the season rushing for 119 yards on 12 carries and 2 touchdowns.
The final touchdown of the game was scored by junior Ben Barry. Richland had some tricks up their sleeve, executing a fake punt on the first possession. The play would eventually set up their first score of the night. The Hornet defenders swarmed the Rangers for the remainder of the evening. Dalton Richardson led the defense with 9 tackles. Tyler Fricke finished with 8 tackles. Freshman linebacker Peyton Graham and sophomore linebacker Turan Smith also contributed heavily with 7 tackles.
The only turnover of the night was collected by Trey Griffin, who intercepted the last play of the first half. The win Friday night was a historical one, making that the first postseason victory in the history of Hornet Field.