IOWA — With no chance to win the District 4-3A championship heading into Week 10, the South Beauregard Golden Knights could’ve taken the week off and try to avoid injuries heading into the postseason.

Instead, head coach Dwight Hudler happily told his team to take the weekend off after beating the Iowa Yellow Jackets 26-13 and ruining Iowa’s chances of winning the 4-3A championship outright.

With South Beauregard’s win, St. Louis (5-5, 4-1) earned a share of the district title.

South Beauregard (8-2, 3-2) took advantage of big plays on both sides of the ball in the first quarter and never allowed Iowa (7-3, 4-1) a chance to fully get its footing on either side of the ball.

It was a usual suspect and two-way player that set the tone for South Beauregard.

Junior quarterback/defensive back Colton Fowler intercepted Iowa quarterback Koby Buquet’s first pass attempt of the game and raced 48 yards for a touchdown to give South Beauregard the early lead, and Shea Holland, who entered the game as one of the state’s leading rushers, raced 78 yards for his first of two touchdowns and give the Golden Knights a lead it’d never relinquish.

“It’s momentum,” Hudler said. “It’s that part of the season where you want guys out there who will make plays for you on the field. Colton did a great job of breaking on that pass and taking it to the house.”

Holland, as has become custom, finished with 264 yards rushing on 31 carries.

“You never take that for granted,” Hudler said. “He works hard and the kids love playing with him.”

The Knights never allowed Iowa’s spread offense to get off the ground. South Beauregard’s defense gave up 171 total yards, 29 yards coming through the air, and forced three Iowa turnovers.

Iowa, which entered the game having already earned a share of the 4-3A title, didn’t quite look like itself coming off an emotional 18-17 win over Jennings last week.

“I think our kids will learn that you can’t show up not focused to play,” Iowa coach Sean Richard said. “We kind of put the cart before the horse, so to speak after a big win. You learn as you go.”

The Knights, who entered Week 10 as the No. 11 team in the Class 3A power ratings, possibly improved their seeding as they look to win their first postseason game since moving up to Class 3A four years ago.

“This is one of those deals that kind of hangs over (the team’s) head,” Hudler said. “They don’t see it as a negative. We have full intention of winning next week.”(Kirk Meche/Special to the American Press)

Kirk Meche