By GEORGE MAHL

Five area teams continue their march toward the Superdome Friday night.

Class 2A top seed West St. John High School plays at home against eighth-seeded Iota High School. Riverside Academy continues its playoff run when they host Ferriday High School. Meanwhile, St. James High School faces a familiar foe when they travel to Baton Rouge to face Parkview Baptist High School. In 5A quarterfinal action, Hahnville High School, the third seed, hits the road to battle Acadiana High School. Finally, probably the biggest game will be 5A top seed Evangel High School taking on eighth-seeded Destrehan High School in Destrehan.

West St. John versus Iota

The West St. John High School Rams have outscored their opponents 88-14 in breezing their way through two playoff games. “It’s just been a total team performance from top to bottom,” said WSJ head coach Laury Dupont.

This week the Rams will face what Dupont describes as “a good challenge” in Iota High School.

“These guys are well coached and they don’t turn the football over,” Dupont said.

Iota, which is located west of Lafayette, features a solid offense led by quarterback Nick Francois, running back Dores Ledet, and wide receiver Wade Zaumbrecher.

“Francois and Ledet are two excellent players. Ledet is the guy that carries the pigskin and is also used as a receiver. We’ve got to be able to contain their offense and force turnovers,” Dupont said.

The defense Iota uses is very similar to that of the Rams. Dupont commented it will be like playing against his own defense.

“I think the key for us this week is to remain consistent. The consistency we have on the practice field has been carrying over to the game,” Dupont said.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. and tickets are $6.

St. James versus Parkview Baptist

For the second straight week, the St. James High School Wildcats will play an opponent their are quite familiar with. The Wildcats will take on Parkview Baptist High School Friday night in Baton Rouge. In 2001, Parkview, which won the 3A state title that year, defeated St. James at home.

This season the Wildcats returned the favor and defeated the Eagles 20-7 in week four, thus snapping PBHS 18-game winning streak. Last Friday, both teams played excellent defense to advance to the quarterfinals. Parkview held on for a 14-7 victory over Franklinton, while the Wildcats rolled past Lutcher High School 27-6 in Vacherie.

This marks the second time in as many weeks St. James will play a team they have already played in the regular season.

“This is the fifth time since I have been here that we have played a team in both the regular season and the playoffs,” said St. James head coach Rick Gaille.

The head coach likes to emphasize the importance of efficiency, the percentage of plays in which four yards or more were gained.

“We had a 61 percent efficiency against Lutcher last Friday night. I like that number because it was higher than the number in the regular season,” Gaille said.

The keys to advancing in the playoffs for the Wildcats will come down to having a balanced offense. Gaille said his team needs to keep the Eagles guessing when it comes to play calling.

“We may have to run on a throwing down and pass on a running down,” he said.

If the Wildcats (10-2) defeat Parkview, they will play the winner of Independence and Redemptorist on Dec. 6.

Riverside versus Ferriday

Riverside Academy continues its impressive playoff run Friday night against Ferriday High School in Reserve.

Last week, RA running back Zack Cambre rushed 15 times for 103 yards, while Rebels wide receiver Dexter Falgoust had six receptions for 138 yards in a 41-20 upset of second-ranked Vidalia in Vidalia. The Vikings were 11-0 entering the game and they had defeated their opponents by an average of 23 points.

A new week means a new opponent for Riverside. The Ferriday Trojans defeated Homer High School, 14-7.

If the Rebels want to extend its playoff run another week, they will have to contain FHS quarterback Tyrrence Taylor. The senior QB is one of the top passers in the state. Before the game last week, he had racked up 1,741 yards passing and 17 touchdowns through 11 games.

However, Taylor is not only a threat to throw the ball, but it also a threat to run as well. The Ferriday standout had 19 carries for 118 yards rushing along with two touchdowns.

Destrehan versus Evangel

It does not get any bigger than Destrehan High School hosting top-seeded Class 5A power Evangel High School Friday night at 7 p.m.

This is a good opportunity for fans of schools who are no longer in the playoffs to come and see the best team in north Louisiana, Evangel.

“I think this is what the playoffs are all about,” said DHS head coach Stephen Robicheaux. “It is definatley a game the kids deserve.”

Both schools played solid defense and were able to put points on the board last Friday night. DHS played well on the road in a 45-6 route of Tara High School in Baton Rouge, while Evangel destroyed Huntington High School 54-7 in Shreveport.

This game could come down to whether or not Destrehan’s defense can come up big.

“I don’t think Evangel has played a defense as quick as ours. Without a doubt, it’s going to be a war,” Robicheaux said.

Through two playoff games, DHS has allowed a total of six points. However, it may not be easy this week because the Fighting Wildcats are facing highly touted quarterback John Booty. The Eagles starting QB completed 19-27 passes for 339 yards and two touchdowns in the team’s last victory.

What is more impressive is Evangel had a total of 644 yards total offense, including 293 yards on the ground. The EHS ground game is led by Detrick James. The running back finished the game last week by rushing nine times for 158 yards and three touchdowns. The winner will face the winner of C.E. Byrd High School and Rummel High School in the semi-finals.

Hahnville versus Acadiana

After a difficult first round playoff game against St. Augustine High School, the Hahnville High School defense responded with a convincing 30-7 whipping of Airline High School.

On the other hand, Acadiana, the 22nd seed, shocked Holy Cross High School, the sixth seed, 31-0. If HHS wants to advance, then the Tigers will have to stop talented AHS running back Alley Broussard. The LSU commitment has already done damage to one River Parishes school in the playoffs so far. He rushed for 253 yards on 37 carries in a 42-35 shootout victory over East St. John in Reserve on Nov. 15.

The Hahnville offense ran circles around the Airline defense throughout the game. This was the same Airline defense that held Covington to 94 yards total offense in the first round of the playoffs. The Tigers are led by senior QB/DB Laron Landry and running back Lionel Evans.

The Hahnville standouts will need to be at their best against a tough Acadiana defense. The winner of this game will face the West Monroe-Slidell winner on Dec. 6.