By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

POPLARVILLE — Ty Keys of Poplarville and his Hornet offensive linemen get the “Baria Law Firm Game Ball of the Week” as presented by SouthMiss6 Sports this week.
Every week throughout the end of the school year, we will honor student/athletes across the “Southern Six” with our “Game Ball of the Week” sponsored by David Baria, Attorney-Mediator.
Keys, the standout junior tailback for Poplarville, ran for an almost inexplicable 506 yards and eight touchdowns on 17 carries Friday night in a high-scoring 60-54 win on the road at Brett Favre Field over home-standing Hancock.

And Keys, who came up just 40 yards short of the Mississippi prep football single game rushing record, couldn’t have done it without his support up front in the trenches.

Starting with center Jackson Moss as well as Aidan Graham, Alonso Sanchez, Jobe Lambert and Braylen Allen round out the interior wall and Aaron Graham holds down the tight end spot.

His eight touchdowns tied the Mississippi single-game record for rushing scores, a mark reached only a handful of times.

Keys wasted no time making his mark quickly against the Hawks. With the Hornets trailing 7-0 midway through the first quarter, Keys broke free for a 90-yard touchdown run to tie the game. After Hancock regained the lead at 13-7, Keys answered with a 63-yard run to tie it again. He also added another 63-yard touchdown to give Poplarville a 26-19 lead.

Just before halftime, Keys broke free on a 96-yard touchdown run with the Hornets pinned at their own 4-yard line thanks to some help from his fullback Walt Graham, giving him four first-half touchdown runs and 312 yards in just the first half alone,

Keys opened the second half with a 75-yard touchdown run on Poplarville’s first possession to extend the lead to 39-19. After Hancock fumbled deep in their own territory, he scored again on a 1-yard run for his sixth touchdown. Keys added a 35-yard touchdown to make it 53-33 early in the fourth period, and his final touchdown came with five minutes remaining to seal the deal.

This week, Poplarville heads a little South to Carriere to meet long-standing in-county rival Pearl River Central Friday night.

The Baria Law Firm, the Gulf Coast branch of Cosmich, Simmons and Brown, provides a beacon of trust and reliability in a complex legal landscape. Our firm’s unwavering dedication to you is at the core of everything we do. Choose David Baria of Baria Law as your legal ally, and let us handle the details while you focus on what matters most. Reach out to David at 228-395-8303 or dbaria@barialaw.com and at https://barialaw.com.