Laurel Head Coach Todd Breland knew his team would be in for a fight when they traveled to Poplarville to take on the Hornets Friday night. The Hornets have played in two of the past three 4A State title games, meaning they have experience on a big stage, and Poplarville employs a Wing-T offense that gives defenses looks they seldom see. On top of that, as Breland said after the game, it’s not just what Poplarville does, but it’s who they have doing it – it’s talent plus scheme that make the Hornets hard to prepare for.
True to his expectations his Tornadoes found themselves in a classic struggle in game one of the 2019 season. There were a few too many turnovers for his liking, but the seasoned head coach liked what he saw from a young squad that battled back from a 7-6 halftime deficit to pull out a hard fought win.
Trailing by that same 7-6 score in the fourth quarter, Laurel drove from its own territory down to the Poplarville 1-yard line but coughed up the pigskin just feet from the goal line. The Hornets recovered. The Tornadoes’ defense stiffened, forcing a Poplarville punt three plays later from the 8. However, Laurel got flagged for having 12 players on the field, which gave the hosts a first down at their own 23. On the next play Chase Shears took a hand-off and went straight up the gut of the Tornadoes' defense. The PAT gave the Hornets a seemingly comfortable 14-6 lead in what had been a defensive struggle.
But Laurel didn’t quit. Junior quarterback Xavier Evans, who did yeoman duty on the night, heaved a long pass toward Tyrone Jones way down at the Poplarville 10. Jones fought a defender for the ball and won the fight with fewer than four minutes left in the game. It was just the spark the Tornadoes needed. After losing yardage back to the 15, Evans found Kanarius Johnson in the end zone to trim the Poplarville lead to 14-12. The Tornadoes were successful on the 2-point conversion to knot the score.
On the ensuing kick-off Laurel’s special teams nearly knocked the green off of Casin Sones jersey, causing him to cough up the ball. Caden Mack pounced on the loose pigskin at the Poplarville 11 with 2:23 left in the contest. Evans battered his way inside the one, before Kiron Benjamin did the scoring honors to give the visitors their first lead of the evening. The PAT was true.
Final score:
Laurel – 21, Poplarville – 14
Momentum Change:
By turning the ball over several times (four times, if my note pad serves me correctly), the Tornadoes experienced some negative momentum swings. However, the big hit on the kick-off that gave Laurel the ball back immediately after they had just scored had to be the play of the game. If that turnover had not happened, Poplarville very well could have driven into range for a game-winning field goal try, or at the very least forced overtime.
Player of the Game:
Can we have co-players of the game? Xavier Evans took some big hits from the Hornets’ defense, and the timing with his receivers was just a tad off most of the night; however, he just kept pushing through and refused to let his offense quit. But we can’t forget the huge catch by Tyrone Jones that put the Tornadoes in position to tie the game. Without that catch and subsequent Laurel score, the big turnover on the kick-off would have never happened. “He’s a gamer,” noted Breland.
Quote of the Night:
“I didn’t see anything I thought I would see tonight. I really thought it would be a high-scoring game. It was the first game of the year, and it was kind of sloppy in a lot of places, but I am so proud of the kids for persevering; the kids and the coaches just stayed with it. The number one thing that we did that was great was effort. ”
NEXT UP
Laurel will host Hattiesburg, while Poplarville will tangle with Pearl River Central on the road.
