The last three games have come down to the last possession for both Pass Christian and Poplarville in their quest for the Region 8-4A title.
For the Pirates (3-4 overall, 0-2 in the region), none of the last three have come in their favor. The latest: The Hornets won 21-19 at home against the Pirates on Friday.
The scoring summary
While the Hornets (6-1, 2-0) gained only 254 yards of offense, they stopped the Pirates from making any explosive plays.
After the teams traded possessions between two turnovers, Hornets receiver Jeremiah Moss caught a 53-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Sydney Blackmon with 4:08 left in the first quarter for a 7-0 lead.
The Pirates quickly answered with a 9-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Paris Trivillion to Matthew Daniely with under a minute remaining in the quarter. Pass Christian had the extra point blocked and Poplarville led 7-6.
With only 22 seconds left in the second quarter, Blackmon found Moss for an 18-yard touchdown and a 14-6 halftime lead.
In the third quarter, Pass Christian drove down the field and Trivillion scored on a 12-yard draw for the Pirates’ second touchdown with 6:10 left. The Pirates failed to convert two points and the quarter ended with a 14-12 Poplarville lead.
Beginning in the fourth quarter, Poplarville took the ball down to the red zone after Pass Christian turned the ball over on downs. From there, Hornets running back Nick Miller dove in from 3 yards out with 5:10 left in the game and Poplarville led 21-12.
Pass Christian scored one more time on running back Jacquez Alexander-Dedeaux’s 1-yard touchdown with 1:25 left in the game, but the Pirates never got any closer than 21-19.
It was Pass Christian’s third consecutive loss by eight or fewer points. The Pirates fell to Northeast Jones 35-28 on Sept. 27 and 33-25 to Greene County on Oct. 4 before they played the Hornets.
Poplarville has won back-to-back games since a 10-7 loss to West Jones on Sept. 27.
What the coach said
After the tough loss to the Hornets, who have an all-time record of 23-2 against the Pirates, Pass Christian attempts to continue to work.
“We’re playing a lot of young guys, and we knew they were efficient. I’m certainly proud of our effort,” said Pirates coach Jeff Stockstill. “I thought we gave our best shot. Just came up short.”
The Numbers Never Lie
Blackmon led the Poplarville offense with 149 total yards, throwing for 121 on 4-of-5 attempts and two touchdowns while rushing for 28 yards on seven carries.
Moss was the main target, catching three passes for 80 yards and two touchdowns. The Hornets had four players rush for 20-plus yards and the team finished with 133 on the ground.
The Hornets had four sacks, six tackles for loss and one fumble recovery.
The Pirates were led by Trivillion with 218 total yards (124 passing, 94 rushing) and two touchdowns (one through the air and the other on the ground).
Alexander-Dedeaux finished with 90 combined yards on 20 touches and one touchdown. Additionally, Alexander-Dedeaux was the only player with more than double-digit tackles as he had 15, including seven solo.
Next up
The Hornets face the Tylertown Chiefs in a non-region game on Friday. The Chiefs are 3-3 overall after their 50-21 region win over St. Stanislaus.
The Pirates will play the Moss Point Tigers (0-7, 0-2) in a region game on Friday. Bay High defeated Moss Point 46-27 in a region contest last week.
