By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

POPLARVILLE — Poplarville’s playoff streak is still alive. But just barely.
The home-standing Hornets took advantage of a pair of botched extra point attempts by Mendenhall Friday night and used a late rally fueled by quarterback Sydney Blackmon in pulling out a thrilling 27-26 win over the Tigers.
The win marked the 11th straight for Poplarville in the opening round of the Class 4A South State playoffs.

Trailing 26-20 with 1:31 left to play, Blackmon marched his Hornet offense quickly down field in just two plays and found Zack Case on a 29-yard scoring strike that tied the game up at 26-26. Hornet placekicker Jackson Schultz then trotted on the field and calmly split the uprights on the all-important extra point to provide the game-winning point at 27-26 with 1:13 to go.
“I’m very proud of this team,” veteran PHS head coach Jay Beech said. “It felt like they hit us with a dagger two or three times but we just kept responding and found a way to pull it out.”
The final two minutes put a wrap on a wild and back-and-forth second half that saw the lead exchange hands several times and a couple of ties as well.

Tied up at 7-7 at halftime, Mendenhall took its first lead of the game at the 4:42 mark of the third period when freshman quarterback Demaris David hit Henry Funchess with a 10-yard touchdown toss. The extra point was flubbed, and the Tigers led 13-7.Hornet running back Thomas Lambert tied things back up three minutes later, when he capped the ensuing Hornet possession with a 4-yard touchdown plunge. A missed PAT left it at 13-13 entering the final quarter.
Mendenhall bounced back on top minutes later as the fourth quarter unfolded when Tiger linebacker Eddie Weathersby scooped up an apparent PHS fumble and rumbled 56-yards for a score to make it 20-13 setting up a furious final two minutes of play.
Poplarville running back Nick Miller plowed in for a 1-yard touchdown run to again knot things up at 20-20 with 1:58 to play.

Davis and MHS responded when just :27 seconds later he hit Vincent Dixon with a 79-yard scoring strike to make it 26-20 with 1:31 to play. A botched extra point attempt followed, leaving the lead at six points.
Blackmon then went quickly to work as on the first play after a short kickoff as a hook-and-ladder pass resulted in a 27-yard gain and then Blackmon found Case for the final touchdown of the game.

Hornet defensive lineman Titan Smith ended any MHS hopes of a last minute comeback when he sacked Davis for a 13-yard loss with :23 seconds to play. Eli Seal also came up with a key interception in the fourth quarter for PHS.
“Both teams were very motivated to win,” Beech concluded. It was a very fun game to be a part of.”

The teams went into that 7-7 halftime deadlock thanks to a 4-yard touchdown run by Case in the first quarter and a 1-yard sneak by Davis in the second period.
The Hornets moved to 9-2 overall with the win and PHS will head to Columbia for a second round match-up at Walter Payton Field with the Wildcats next week.
Mendenhall ended the season at 4-6. Poplarville is the number two seed from Region 8-4A and the Tigers were the three seed from Region 5-4A.