High School

Mississippi four-star RB amasses 506 yards, ties state record with 8 rushing TDs in 60-54 win

Tylan "Ty" Keys, a blue-chip prospect with 16 Division I offers, nearly broke the state record for yards in a single game

Levi Payton

Poplarville's Tylan "Ty" Keys (5) rushed for 506 yards and tied a Mississippi state record with eight rushing touchdowns in a 60-54 win over Hancock on Friday night.
Poplarville's Tylan "Ty" Keys (5) rushed for 506 yards and tied a Mississippi state record with eight rushing touchdowns in a 60-54 win over Hancock on Friday night. / Barbara Gauntt/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

What started as a night thought to be a state rushing record turned into something just shy of history - but still unforgettable.

Poplarville junior running back Tylan “Ty” Keys ran for 506 yards and eight touchdowns on 17 carries Friday night, powering the Hornets past Hancock, 60-54, in one of the most prolific single-game performances in Mississippi high school football history.

Early reports credited Keys with 546 yards, which would have surpassed the state record of 543 set by Mantachie’s Jaley Adams in 2015. After film review and confirmation from Poplarville’s staff, the official total was 506 yards, leaving him just short of the rushing record but still placing him among the state’s all-time great performances.

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

Keys wasted little time making his impact felt. Trailing 7-0 midway through the first quarter, the 6-foot-2, 205-pound back 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.

A 34-yard fumble return by Sam Lejune briefly put Poplarville ahead, but Hancock tied the game again with under four minutes left in the half. Keys responded less than a minute later with 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, capping an incredible first half. Those four first-half touchdown runs alone accounted for 312 yards, underscoring his dominance early in the game.

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.

The Hawks responded with back-to-back touchdowns to trim the margin to 46-33, then attempted an onside kick late in the third. Poplarville recovered, and Keys made them pay once more with a 35-yard touchdown to make it 53-33 early in the fourth.

Even with that cushion, Poplarville still needed every one of Keys’ eight scores. He added his final touchdown with five minutes remaining as Hancock mounted a furious late rally, cutting the deficit to 60-54 by the final minute.

Efficiency defined his night: 17 carries for 506 yards, an average of nearly 30 yards per attempt, with six of the touchdowns coming on runs of 35 yards or longer, including bursts of 90, 96 and 75 yards.

Keys, a four-star prospect in the Class of 2026, holds 16 scholarship offers, according to 247Sports, including Mississippi State, Boston College and Colorado. His record-tying night will likely only elevate his recruiting profile.

For Poplarville, the win preserved early-season momentum. For Keys, it was the kind of performance that ensures his name will be remembered in Mississippi high school football lore - a night defined by speed, power and consistency, and a stat line that will stand out for years.

Recommended Articles

feed

Published
Levi Payton
LEVI PAYTON

Levi’s sports journalism career began in 2005. A Missouri native, he’s won multiple Press Association awards for feature writing and has served as a writer and editor covering high school sports as well as working beats in professional baseball, NCAA football, basketball, baseball and soccer. If you have a good story, he’d love to tell it.

Home/Mississippi