Ferriday enters playoffs on roll, hosts Oakdale Friday

Published 1:04 am Wednesday, November 8, 2017

The Ferriday High School Trojans are entering the 2017 LHSAA Class 2A Playoffs on a roll, having won their last three regular-season games by a combined score of 148-12.

Ferriday wound up officially as co-champions of District 2-2A with Rayville High School, even though the Trojans shut out the Hornets 24-0 earlier in the season. They enter the playoffs as the No. 2 seed under first-year head coach Stanley Smith.

“It’s something we set when I first got the job in April. We set some high goals. We wanted to be the No. 1 seed,” Smith said. “Being the No. 2 seed, that says a lot about how hard we worked in the off-season.”

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Welsh High School enters as the No. 1 seed, having played Ville Platte — the No. 29 seed — while Ferriday took on Beekman Charter School who did not win a game all season. The Trojans won last week on the road, 46-0.

Smith said while the players were excited about the placement, the seeding was a little bit of a disappointment.

“It put a chip on their shoulder going into the playoffs,” he said.

After going 8-2 overall and 5-1 in district play, the Trojans are now setting their sights on an even bigger goal — competing for the state championship.

Ferriday will host to the No. 31 seed Oakdale High School Warriors in the first round. Kickoff this Friday at Melz Field is set for 7 p.m.

Oakdale went 3-7 overall and tied for fourth place in District 4-2A with a 2-3 mark after losing at home to DeQuincy High School 63-28 last week.

“They’re a big team. They run the ball a lot,” Smith said. “They have a running back who has run for over 1,500 yards. They also run an open formation with a tight end, and it’s a formation we haven’t seen before. We have to go into this week and be prepared.”

Smith said now in the postseason, he wants to make sure his team is focused.

“We want ti be consistent — be disciplined,” he said. “Come out and play four quarters.”