The past two years have not been kind to area large public schools in the playoffs, with the locals putting up a 3-8 record last year and 5-10 mark in 2014. No local team reached the semifinal round in either year, and only four large schools won first-round games in each of the two years.
Each of the past two years, only one large school reached the quarterfinal round. Last year it was Iowa making a run despite opening the playoffs as the No. 21 seed. In 2014, Jennings made it as a No. 11 seed, a year after reaching the semifinals as the No. 5 seed.
Things look a lot more promising this year, with as many as four large schools likely to enter the playoffs as top 10 seeds.
This year, undefeated Jennings again looks like the most likely large schools team to be the last one standing, as it currently ranks second in the Class 3A power ratings. South Beauregard is not far behind the Bulldogs at No. 5 and Iowa is ninth, with a chance to make a big leap in the final two weeks as it hosts both South Beauregard and Jennings.
Jennings has a few things going for it as it enters the home stretch of the season. The biggest, obviously, is other-worldy running back Travis Etienne, who is on track for another 2,000 season. He can score every time he touches the ball. The Bulldogs are also able to string together long, demoralizing, methodical drives to control the pace of the game and keep its defense fresh.
That defense, tremendously improved over last year, is what makes the Bulldogs much more dangerous this year. Last year, every Jennings game was a shootout. Anyone that could stop the Jennings offense just a few times was likely to come away with a win. Jennings had losses in games in which it scored 42, 48 and 54 points. In the last two games of the season, they scored 92 points and gave up 138, losing both times.
This year’s defense has matured mentally and physically. It has allowed more than 28 points just one time. That’s a number the team can live with, as Etienne and quarterback Kendrick LeJeune are capable of matching that number against just about anyone.
Barbe is the only large public school to win a playoff game each of the past three years (the Bucs have won at least one playoff game each year since 2007). The Bucs are loaded for another run this year with its stable of playmakers on offense led by QB Gavin Nettles, RB Kirkland Banks and WR Nate Briscoe.
Sulphur, provided its senior QB, Byron Walker, returns to health, also has enough firepower on offense to win a postseason game or two. The Tors will need improvement from its defense, which has struggled against top competition, allowing 35 points to St. Thomas More, 41 to Comeaux, 35 to Acadiana and 58 to Brother Martin.
With Barbe at 11th and Sulphur at 12th in the 5A power rankings, their showdown Friday will provide a power points bonanza to the winner, which could move up high enough to get two home games to start the playoffs. The loser is likely headed towards being on the bubble for a first round home game.
Iowa showed last year it has the mental toughness to win on the road in the playoffs. The Yellow Jackets have big play threats all over the field in QB Dyami Huntsberry, RB Joseph Figueroa and the WR trio of Andre Sam, Cole Fleming and Markail Nixon.
The Yellow Jackets get the benefit of playing two high stakes games at home to close out the regular season, with a chance to claim a district title and oodles of power points if it can beat South Beauregard and Jennings.
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