With the two teams meeting for a rematch in the quarterfinals of the MHSAA 4A Playoffs, McComb was hurt by turnovers and struggled to stop Poplarville’s ground attack in a 55-20 loss on Friday at home.
Facing the defending state champs, the second-seeded Tigers (10-2) allowed the third-seeded Hornets (8-4) to rush for 584 yards on 52 carries, which was good for 11.2 yards per touch.
Of course, a major storyline surrounding this game was the fact that Alden Foster's team suffered from a flu outbreak during the week. This caused quarterback Jaquan Lizana to miss two practices, while starting tailback/linebacker Jace Jackson and starting defensive end Keyshaun Baker had to miss this contest.
"We had to replace those guys with freshmen and sophomores, and so when Poplarville realized that, they attacked the edge," Foster said. "We still had our opportunities that we didn't take advantage of, and I don't take anything away from what they did, but it was a perfect storm."
The tone of this one was set from the start, with Poplarville punching in two scoring runs to take a 14-0 lead in the first quarter.
McComb responded with a Lizana touchdown pass towards the end of the first quarter, but the visitors answered right back with their third rushing score of the evening during the second.
The Tigers did come up with a crucial touchdown right before halftime, seemingly stealing some momentum, but the Hornets scored on the ground with under a minute left to take the life out of the home crowd.
Poplarville extended its advantage to 42-13 at roughly the halfway point of the third quarter, but McComb did answer and convert a two-point attempt to remain within striking distance.
Down the stretch, the Hornets tacked on two more touchdowns to set up a rematch with Columbia in the 4A South-State title.
"I commend my kids, and I take my hat off to this senior class for how high they've set the bar here," Foster said. "We wanted to get McComb football to a point where people are talking about it around the state, and I believe we've accomplished that."
Lizana finished the game 16-for-26 passing for 252 yards and three touchdowns, but three interceptions did prove to be costly.
Senior tailback Sammy Badon paced the Tigers with 41 rushing yards on six carries, while the junior receiving duo of Sheldon Isaac and Delwin Perkins Jr. combined for 10 catches, 182 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Freshman receiver Deques Martin also tacked on a 25-yard score.
For Poplarville, highly touted 4-star tailback Ty Keys posted another absurd statline, carrying the rock 21 times for 347 yards and six touchdowns, which was good for 16.5 yards per touch. And on top of that, Keys even completed his team’s only pass of the night for 16 yards.
But when McComb won 35-34 back in October, Keys also had a strong day, rushing for 285 yards and a trio of touchdowns.
The difference in this matchup was that plenty of the Hornets’ other playmakers got involved on the ground. Dual-threat quarterback Trac Smith racked up 73 yards, sophomore Remy Naquin added 71 and a touchdown while sophomore JT Graham scored via a 59-yard scamper.
All of that rushing success proved to be too much for a short-handed McComb defense to handle, bringing a strong season to a close.
The Tigers finish their 2025 campaign with a 10-2 overall record and a 3-1 mark in district play.
McComb averaged 38.4 points per game this season and allowed 21.2, with six of its victories coming by more than 30 points.
"We had some great memories, and when I'm older thinking back on some of the best games I've been apart of, a lot from this season will come to mind," Foster said. "The 21-point comeback last week, the close win over Brookhaven, that first meeting with Poplarville...going 10-2 this year, we have a lot to be proud of."
Since Foster took over prior to the 2022 campaign, the Tiger program boasts a 36-10 overall record, a 15-1 mark in district play and has scored 1,630 points.
The head coach also wanted to shout out team trainer/health specialist Robin Bonds for her efforts throughout the season.
