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FERRIDAY — The Ferriday High School Trojans will finally hit the field for the first time in four weeks as they play host to the Port Allen High School Pelicans in the second round of the 2020 LHSAA Class 2A Playoffs.

Kickoff between No. 10 seed Port Allen (6-2) and No. 7 seed Ferriday at Melz Field is set for 7 p.m. Despite the long layoff since the Trojans last played on Friday, Nov. 6, head coach Stanley Smith said he is not worried about how his team will perform.

“It’s the playoffs. They’re coming to our house and we’re going to protect our turf,” Smith said. “We had a great day of practice (Tuesday) and we’re going to have a great day today (Wednesday).”

Ferriday advanced to the second round via forfeit after its scheduled first-round opponent, No. 26 seed East Feliciana High School, had some of its players tested positive for COVID-19 the previous week. The Trojans won the game by the official score of 2-0.

Port Allen, which finished in second place in District 8-2A, took care of No. 23 seed Pine High School 55-8 in its first-round game last Friday night.

“They run a spread veer on offense. They’re going to run the ball,” Smith said. “They have a good quarterback. They have some good running backs. They have a good wingback. They have some good athletes. They’re the defending state champions in basketball.”

Defensively, the Pelicans will try to confuse the high-powered Trojans offense with multiple front. Smith said they run a 3-4, a 4-3, and a 3-3.

“They’re a good defense. Very aggressive. They run to the ball. Very physical,” Smith said.

As for what Ferriday has been working on in practice this week, Smith said, “We’ve just been working on us. We’ve been out for a few weeks. We just want to make sure we have energy and are competitive. Compete, even though we’ve been out the last few weeks.”

Smith said that the keys to victory for his team are, “Playing fast. Playing smart. Playing physical. Eliminate the penalties. Eliminate the mental mistakes.”

Among the standouts for Ferriday to watch for is senior running back Daminiya Milligan, who Smith said is on the best running backs in the state. Defensively, he said, “It’s going to have to take a team effort.”

Capacity at Melz Field will top at 25 percent, which Smith said is 660 fans.

“It’s going to be different. I expect to see a good amount of fans out there to support us,” Smith said.