By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

Whoever wins the Class 4A championship will certainly have to earn it.

With powerhouses Lutcher, Franklinton, Salmen and Neville all left standing, the 4A state semifinals are “primetime” worthy affairs in the world of prep athletics to say the least.

Aside from a late scare against St. Louis, Lutcher’s blown through the first three rounds of the playoffs, defeating the No. 30, No. 14, and No. 27 seeds in the bracket.

But for the undefeated Bulldogs (13-0), perhaps its greatest challenge yet awaits in a second seeded Neville (11-1) team. The two teams square off this Friday night at 7 p.m. at Lutcher’s “Dog Yard”.

For a Bulldogs team defeating foes by almost 32 points per game, a Neville team that’s defeated its last two foes by a combined six points might not seem like such a tall mountain to climb.

But Lutcher coach Tim Detillier doesn’t buy it. Neville has lost only once – to 5A power West Monroe, and that was by only three points. The tigers won their next eight handily before the two playoff scares.

“It’s definitely the toughest challenge we’ve had since pre-district, since Hahnville,” said Detillier. “And reviewing the film, I have to say they’re probably the best team we’ve played to date.”

What sticks out to Detillier about the matchup is size – Neville boasts it in spades, from a big offensive line to its skill players – Neville quarterback Taylor Burch is 6-3, 215 pounds, while tailback Cedrico Pollard runs 5-11 and 210 pounds. Both players have accounted for over 1,000 yards of offense to lead a balanced Tigers attack.

“They’re gonna be bigger and stronger than us,” said Detillier. “We’re getting used to that – we’re not really that big, and a lot of teams have had that advantage. But Neville is just so big.

“Our kids rose to the challenge in a similar situation against Hahnville. But as a coach, it always concerns you. To be so much bigger and have the capacity to dominate…we’ll have to be ready.”

Lutcher will try to counter size with the same weapon that’s given fits to opposing teams all season – its tremendous team speed.

It all starts with quarterback Gavin Webster, whose Nintendo-like statistics become more dazzling by the week. After his six-touchdown performance on Friday night at Huntington, Webster has a staggering 64 total touchdowns. 26 of those have come on the ground to go along with his 1238 rushing yards. Through the air, he’s completed 68.9-percent of his passes for 2954 yards and 38 touchdowns to only five interceptions.

His favorite receiver is Jarvis Landry – he of the 79 catches, 1,398 yards and 15 scores. Trevor Englade has added 12 more touchdowns through the air. And Daniel Taylor has managed to rush for even more yards than Webster, tallying 1,318 yards with 17 scores while adding 510 yards and five more scores though the air.

In short, the Bulldogs are an offensive powerhouse, averaging 47 points and 468 yards per game.

But it doesn’t completely alleviate Detillier’s concerns.

“Hey, if you have to pick, as a coach, if you ask me bigger or faster, I’m gonna take faster,” said Detillier. “But Neville moves pretty well for being so large. They can run it or throw it – I’d think they’d like to run it more. But when you get to this point, teams dominate in all phases.”

Running the football will be key. Detillier says that protecting the ball will be a major emphasis. His team must be able to take the air out of the ball at times.

“As a whole, our line needs to be able to run it on them,” says Lutcher offensive lineman Ashton Monnie. “Everyone has to do his job. If we keep doing as we’ve been doi ng from week to week, we should do well.”

Playing at Lutcher doesn’t hurt. Last year, the Bulldogs snapped a streak of semifinal losses at home. That monkey off the team’s back, the players are free to soak in the cheers of their fans.

“It definitely pumps us up,” said Lutcher defensive back Austin Roussel. “We know we want to defend the Dog Yard.”