By SAM STAFF/Sports Writer

KILN — After earning Most Valuable Player honors in the Class 4A state championship game as just a sophomore, it didn’t take many games into his junior season for Poplarville standout tailback Ty Keys to take it to another level.
Keys ran for a career and program high 508 yards and a state-record-tying eight touchdowns on just 18 carries Friday night in leading his Hornets to a 60-54 shootout win on the road at Hancock High.

The decision, at Brett Favre Field, pushes the defending Class 4A state champion Poplarville to 2-1 on the season while the Hawks drop to 0-3.
To say that Keys ran roughshod over the Hawks would be an understatement of drastic proportions.
He ran through, around, in front of, beside and mostly outran the HHS defenders. He tore off an 89-yard scoring dash, an 80-yard scoring scamper, a 75-yard touchdown run, a 65-yard touchdown jaunt and a 63-yard scoring run in his almost unbelievable exploits. He also added scoring runs from and 1-yard out, and all six of those scoring runs came by the end of the third quarter.

Keys added two more scoring runs in the final period, and Jackson Shultz converted six extra points on the night.
Hornet defensive lineman Sam LeJeune also returned a fumble for a touchdown in the winning effort.

Keys now has 785 yards rushing after just three games this season to lead the state. He just missed the state single game rushing record of 543 yards, set by Kossuth’s Jaley Adams in 2015.