The stakes will be high in Iowa this Friday when the Yellow Jackets host South Beauregard in a game with major District 4-3A championship implications.
The Golden Knights (7-1, 2-1) must win to keep their district title hopes alive, and Iowa (7-1, 3-0) hopes to go into its final game with Jennings undefeated in district play for a chance to win the title outright.
Yellow Jackets coach Sean Richard said he expects South Beauregard to go into the game hungrier than ever.
“We feel like we’re going to get their best effort,” Richard said. “If we beat them, then we eliminate them from district championship contention. So we know we’re going to get a district championship effort from them on Friday night.”
South Beauregard has beaten Iowa in each of the last three games between the two programs. Last season, the Yellow Jackets committed five turnovers and gave up a touchdowns on a 99-yard trick play and a kick return in their 28-14 loss.
“The big thing for us is turnovers,” said South Beauregard head coach Dwight Hudler. “It’s been very important to us the last couple years to not turn the ball over to them and capitalize on some of their turnovers. With the offense that they have, you can’t give up too many extra possessions.”
The game represents a clash of styles.
Iowa has a dangerous pass game headed by quarterback Dyami Huntsberry, who has dangerous targets across the field, including senior receiver Andre Sam, who has caught 34 passes for 587 yards and eight touchdowns, and deep threat Cole Fleming, who has tallied 553 yards and nine touchdowns on just 19 receptions.
“We’re just trying to not give up the deep ball,” Hudler said. “Sam is phenomenal and they have a really big deep threat in (Fleming). They have some kids, now. It’s really hard for us to show that in practice. But the big thing is to preach that nothing gets over their head and to just try to be in the right spot.”
On the flip side, the Yellow Jackets are preparing for a grind on defense.
Led by quarterback Hayden Gunter and running back Matt Uhlik, the senior-laden South Beauregard offense can wear defenses down and chew up the clock by garnering between four and six yards per play on their way to the end zone.
Uhlik has 1,156 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground, while Gunter has completed 40 of his 75 passes for 571 yards and five touchdown passes.
“Their offense runs really, really well,” Richard said. “They’re skilled, they’re well coached, they’re big and their guys run the ball hard. They’re a good football team.”
In District 3-4A, four teams will try to separate themselves from the pack, as Leesville, LaGrange, Rayne and Washington-Marion are currently knotted up in a four-way tie atop the district standings.
Either Rayne or Washington-Marion will drop from that top spot as the two teams play each other Friday, while LaGrange hosts DeRidder and Leesville hosts Crowley in hopes of staying in first place.
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