For the second straight week, Forrest County AHS was just one score away from pulling off not only an upset but also pulling out a region win as the Aggies fell short in a 20-14 loss to Columbia last week.
Unfortunately, the frustration is mounting even more for the Aggies as FCAHS coach Larry Dolan believes his team will be without at least four starters in their upcoming game against Poplarville this week.
“It is what it is, but we had several guys get banged up,” Dolan said. “There was a time in the third or fourth quarter that I didn’t have a running back available. We had to put some guys on defense over there on offense, and we kind of sputtered a little bit.
“It’s going to be a rough week, I imagine, with us trying to get healthy. We want to be able to go into the last two games as healthy as we can. We may hold a kid or two out to get them ready for the last two ball games. But you know it is what it is. Everybody is dealing with that kind of stuff. I was proud of our kids’ effort.”
Last week, Poplarville (6-1, 2-0) extended its five-game win streak after defeating Lawrence County 47-18.
“We are banged up,” Dolan said. “We knew that going through this stretch was going to be rough with Lawrence County, Columbia and now Poplarville. We’ll roll it out there and see if we can get them ready again. But looking at last year as a program, you can say we are getting better, but it doesn’t make you feel any better now. Right now, it’s just a grind, and we’re so close.
“I think Poplarville, by far, is the best in the region. I knew they were before this past week. They handled Lawrence County pretty well. They’re a solid football team. They are good. They do what they do very well.”
In the Hornets’ win against Lawrence County, Poplarville’s running back Maurice Travis ran for 154 yards and a touchdown off 11 carries while also coming up with a 15-yard touchdown catch.
“They believe in running the football, and they have been able to do that against everybody except Picayune this year, and Picayune had superior athletes,” Dolan said. “But if you are not physically better than Poplarville, then they are going to grind on you, and it’s hard to stop. As long as they are the most physical team or most athletic team on the field, then that offense will work.
“Defensively, they are just as good on defense. They are very solid on defense. Anybody that thinks they can go in there and outphysical Poplarville, then you better bring it because that’s a different brand of football than what most people play. I think they are the class of the league right now.”
FCAHS hosts Poplarville, with kickoff set for 7 p.m. Friday.
