By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

HATTIESBURG — As both Gautier and Poplarville have made their way to their respective state championship contests this season, both the Gators and Hornets have done so despite being without key ball carriers in the backfield for most of the current campaign.
Coming into the season, Gautier’s Solomon Baggett and Poplarville’s Tylan Keys were both considered the “Bell Cows” of those respective offenses as each enjoyed quite productive seasons last year.
The Gators lost Baggett in the first game of the year this season with an injury, seemingly leaving a hard to fill gap on the Gator offense. After all, as a sophomore, Baggett ran for right at 1,500 yards and accounted for 16 touchdowns. His rushing total marked the most by a Gautier player in at least 15 years and was the most by any returning player in the “Southern Six”.

Last season, Baggett helped guide the Gators to their second consecutive Class 5A South State championship game.
In Poplarville, even before the season started, Keys was injured and missed almost all of the first nine games. Keys rushed for 1,222 yards on 148 carries with 24 touchdowns last season as just a freshman. Keys’ offers so far include Mississippi State, Boston College, Oregon, Ole Miss and Penn State as he entered his sophomore season for the Hornets.

Last year, Keys helped guide Poplarville to a solid 10-4 record and the Region 8-4A title as well as three straight wins in the Class 4A South State playoffs before they fell to Columbia 28-21.
And now, over the next two days, both GHS and PHS will each be facing perennial state powers as both the Gators and Hornets aim for the first-ever state football championships in the history of their programs.
First up is Gautier, which faces West Point Friday night at 7:30 p.m., here at M.M Roberts Stadium on the campus of the University of Southern Mississippi.

“It was a big loss for us, but it was so early in the year that we pretty much just kept the same approach moving forward,” Gautier seventh-year head coach Marc High said. “The play of freshman Latrell Pogue and junior Kasin Thomas is what really helped. Along with good offensive line play. And of course, Trey Irving.”
Gautier senior standout signal-caller Irving, who was recently honored with the award of “Class 5A Mr. Football” in the state, really stepped up his play as the season progressed and has combined for almost 3,750 yards of total offense and 43 touchdowns. He has 2,724 yards passing and 21 touchdowns plus 1,000 yards rushing and 22 touchdowns.

Meanwhile, when presented with the chance for more playing time after the Baggett injury, Thomas has ran for 655 yards and eight scores while Pogue has rushed for 565 yards and eight scores as well. Thomas also has caught two touchdown passes an Pogue one.
Leading the way up front in the trenches is senior 6-foot-1, 265-pound offensive lineman Jerry Young among others.
After Gautier plays Friday night in the Class 5A state championship game Poplarville follows suit Saturday afternoon at 3:30 in the Class 4A South State title tilt against another perennial state power in Louisville.
Traditionally, Louisville leans on its defense, and this season’s edition may be one the best. The Wildcats are giving up just 11.7 points per game, they have 114 tackles for loss and 35 sacks.

Veteran PHS head coach Jay Beech said he’s tweaked his team’s offense since its last loss, in the regular-season finale to Greene County.
“We just got whipped by Greene County,” said Beech. “We played very poorly. We had missed assignments on offense, on special teams, and they beat us in single coverage on defense.
“We just went back to work and put it behind us. We put in a few offensive wrinkles and some new coverages. And getting Ty Keys back last week really helped. He helps finish our offense.”
Indeed, after a sensational freshman season in 2023, Keys has only played in four games this season with various injuries.

But he was a big factor in Poplarville’s 24-21 victory over Forest last week in the South State finals, rushing 25 times for 159 yards and two touchdowns.
While Keys has been out, other Poplarville running backs have picked up the slack. Senior Nick Miller has run for 1,097 yards and 14 touchdowns, and senior Zack Case has rushed for 843 yards and 10 scores. Also, quarterback Sydney Blackmon has picked up 460 yards rushing and six touchdowns while running back Thomas Lambert has ran for 441 yards and seven scores.
So, after surviving most of the season without their top two running backs, it’s been so far so good for both Gautier and Poplaville.
Now, both the Hornets and Gators just need to do so for one last game.