FERRIDAY &8212; When you&8217;ve got this much confidence in your offense and a lucky streak that would be best suited for Las Vegas, you go ahead and take the kick.

Ferriday head coach James McFarland hasn&8217;t looked back.

Each game this season the Trojans have won the toss, and for the first half of the season they opted to defer each time. But when they went to Sterlington in Week 7 and needed just a little spark, McFarland opted to take the ball first.

The offense moved the ball well late in that game. And the next three games were three wins by a combined score of 152-12.

Pointing it out now, for you superstitious folk, may end the run of good luck. But the Trojans hope for the same when they host Jewel Sumner tonight in the first round of the Class 2A playoffs.

&8220;Once we settled down, that&8217;s when I started taking the kickoff,&8221; McFarland said. &8220;I just felt we had to do something to kind of get us going. It looked like we were sluggish. We wanted to set the tone for the game. We started that at Sterlington, and after that we continued to do that. We take the ball now.&8221;

Not bad for a team that&8217;s used its offense to do a little of everything &8212; spread a defense out and pound them with the run or vice-versa. Also for a team that&8217;s making the playoffs for the first time following a two-year postseason drought.

The draw in the bracket may also be beneficial &8212; John Curtis isn&8217;t on it, and the best team may be the same Sterlington bunch.

&8220;It&8217;s good to be in the playoffs &8212; no doubt about that,&8221; McFarland said. &8220;You can never tell about kids, but everybody seems to be excited. They can be one way one day and the other way the next. In terms of how they&8217;re working, they feel good about it. Practices have been going well.&8221;

The biggest drawback of the offense may be with the status of speedy little wideout Alonzo Booth, who aggravated an elbow in practice Wednesday and saw to the doctor Thursday.

The penalties, McFarland noted, will be corrected after getting flagged 17 times for 122 yards against Vidalia last week. With Booth, however, the Trojans may bring up Leonard Parker in his place if he can&8217;t go.

Ferriday will match up against a Cowboys team that&8217;s on a two-game losing skid entering the playoffs but were solid defensively earlier in the season. In a three-game win streak earlier, they outscored opponents 86-6.

&8220;They run a 4-3, and we like to play against a 4-3 &8212; I&8217;ll be honest with you,&8221; McFarland said. &8220;Up front, I think we block a 4-3 better than any other defense. As long as they don&8217;t cover my center, I think we&8217;ll be OK. Everybody has been playing an even front.&8221;