The Centreville Academy Tigers expected to be in its current position — playing for the MAIS District 5-AAA championship.

The Silliman Institute Wildcats, on the other hand, perhaps were not.

Not after losing nearly 20 seniors from last year’s Class AAA state championship team, and not after dropping their first district game at Central Private School a few weeks back. But after back-to-back wins over Bowling Green School and Ben’s Ford Christian School, that’s exactly where Silliman finds itself.

Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. Friday in Clinton, La.

One person who is not surprised that Silliman is challenging for the district championship is Tigers assistant coach Robbie Isonhood.

“Silliman had a rough schedule at the beginning (of the season). They have a young team. We were in that stage last year, and we’re still young,” Isonhood said. “I’m not surprised at all they’re competing for the district championship.”

The game also has postseason implications for both teams.

As of last week, Silliman (2-6, 2-1) was in the precarious No. 16 spot in the MAIS power points rankings. A win will get the Wildcats in the Class AAA Playoffs. A loss, and they will be on the outside looking in.
Centreville Academy (7-2, 3-0) was sitting comfortably at No. 4 last week.

A win gives them the district title outright and a home game at least in the first round. Even with a loss, the Tigers could still finish high enough to host a first-round game.

“We both have a lot riding on it,” Isonhood said. “They’ve got a great coach (T.J. Davis). He’s trying to get them prepared. We have a great coach (Bill Hurst). He’s trying to get our guys prepared.”

Isonhood said the key matchups to watch will be on the defensive side of the ball.

“Whichever defense plays the best game, that will be the key factor in the game,” he said. “If we stop them, we have a chance to win. If they stop us, they have a chance to win.
“We must put pressure on the quarterback.”