Last season was a bit of a down year for Poplarville to a certain degree. But the Hornets hope that an expansion to seven classes for the first time ever by The Mississippi High School Activities Association and a bit of a move “South” will result in a resurgence of former results the coming campaign.
For the first time in six seasons, Poplarville didn’t make it to the Class 4A South State championship game in 2022. The Hornets fell on the road to in Wiggins to homestanding Stone 32-28 in the third round of the postseason to snap that streak and end their season.
Poplarville has moved from Region 7-4A to the more “Southern Six’ dominated Region 8-4A this season, replacing Stone ironically enough as the Tomcats moved up to Class 5A in the new classification expansion. The Hornets join Moss Point, Pass Christian, Bay High and Greene County to comprise the revamped league.
Veteran Hornet head coach Jay Beech has accomplished just about everything a coach could during his nine-year term at the helm of the Hornets except win the big one. Poplarville has won four Class 4A South State championships in the past seven seasons but stands 0-4 in state title games.
Like a sparrow in a hurricane, the Hornets hope that a slight turn to the south will send them back to the state championship game for the first time in three years and for the fifth time in the past seven seasons under Beech’s guidance.
Beech and his squad begin the 10th season of the “Jay Beech era” at PHS on Friday, Aug. 25th hosting perennial small school state power Jefferson Davis County.
Here are the complete 2023 schedules for each team in Region 8-4A:
REGION 8-4A
BAY HIGH
Coach: Jeremy Turcotte
A. 25 at Resurrection
S. 1 St. Stanislaus
S. 8 at Long Beach
S. 15 West Harrison
S. 22 at Pearl River Central
S. 29 PCS
O. 6 at Moss Point
O. 13 Greene County
O. 20 at Poplarville
O. 26 Pass Christian
GREENE COUNTY
Coach: Michael King
A. 25 at West Harrison
S. 1 George County
S. 8 at Wayne County
S. 15 Forrest Co. AHS
S. 22 at Perry Central
S. 29 Pass Christian
O. 6 open
O. 13 at Bay High
O. 20 at Moss Point
O. 26 Poplarville
MOSS POINT
Coach: John Feaster
A. 25 Pascagoula
S. 1 Hancock
S. 8 St. Stanislaus
S. 15 at Gautier
S. 22 at West Harrison
S. 29 at Poplarville
O. 6 Bay High
O. 13 at Pass Christian
O. 20 Greene County
O. 26 open
PASS CHRISTIAN
Coach: Jeff Stockstill
A. 25 Long Beach
S. 1 Purvis
S. 8 at Pearl River Central
S. 15 at St. Stanislaus
S. 22 Northeast Jones
S. 29 at Greene County
O. 6 Poplarville
O. 13 Moss Point
O. 20 open
O. 26 at Bay High
POPLARVILLE
Coach: Jay Beech
A. 25 Jefferson Davis County
S. 1 at Stone
S. 8 at Newton County
S. 15 at Pearl River Central
S. 22 West Jones
S. 29 Moss Point
O. 6 at Pass Christian
O. 13 Tylertown
O. 20 Bay High
O. 26 at Greene County
