Iowa head coach Sean Richard has never hesitated to refer to District 4-3A as the Southeastern Conference of Louisiana Class 3A football.

If the comparison holds true we could be in for a wild ride over the next five weeks, especially considering everything that occurred in the SEC last Saturday.

The Yellow Jackets (3-2) are coming off a pair of road losses to ranked opponents in Kaplan and White Castle, but are hoping to put those losses behind them as they move into district play.

“We saw a variety of offenses, similar to the ones we see in our district” Richard said. “It helped us vary our defensive schemes and prepare for district.”

Iowa opens the district schedule at home against the struggling Iota Bulldogs (0-5). But they aren’t letting Iota’s record fool them. They are preparing for a real challenge.

“Everybody gets a fresh start, we are all 0-0 heading into district play,” Richard said.

S. Beauregard at Westlake

Over in Westlake the Rams (1-4) will open the district schedule at home against an undefeated South Beauregard (5-0) squad.

The Rams picked up a 17-14 victory at Crowley in Week 2 but have struggled in their last three appearances, losing to Sam Houston, Kinder and Patterson.

“We had the highest strength factor (difficulty of schedule) in the state,” Demeritt said. “Even with our record we are still sitting in a playoff position. Those tough opponents really helped prepare us for district.

“We saw some great players. Patterson had two great receivers. (Daylon Charlot) is going to play at Alabama. We’ve seen some great linebackers, a really good nose guard at Crowley and (Daniel Crosley) at DeRidder who is one of the best players I’ve seen in quite some time.”

Westlake does possess one of Southwest Louisiana’s top receiving threats in Chris Ledet (18 receptions, 200 yards, 5 TDs), but will be leaning more on its defense to shut down a Golden Knights rushing attack that has punished opponents.

The Knights are led by junior running back Shea Holland, who has rushed for 947 yards and 10 touchdowns, ranking him third among area rushers. He is complimented by the bruising style of fullback Kelly Courville (399 yds., 5 TDs).

“They hang their hat on running the football,” Demeritt said. “Courville does some very good work between the tackles and Holland is one of the very best running backs we’ve seen. He is about 200 pounds, but he also has breakaway speed.”

Jennings at St. Louis

In the district’s final opener, the Jennings Bulldogs (4-1) travel to Cougar Stadium to face the St. Louis Saints (1-4).

The Saints are riding a three-game losing streak, but were nearly able to upset both West Feliciana and Marksville in that span, losing to each by one touchdown.

“Everybody who has beaten us is 4-1. That just prepares you for district and the playoffs,” said St. Louis coach Charlie Cryer. “It is tough at times, but it is better for us as a team to play a schedule of that nature.”

Jennings enters the game ranked fifth in the Louisiana Sports Writers Association poll, coming off of a 41-14 win over Winnfield. The Bulldogs are led by sophomore running back Travis Etienne, who has gained 644 yards and seven touchdowns.

“(Jennings) is a very senior-laden team with a great leader at quarterback (in Kaleb Chaisson),” Cryer said. “We’ve got to stop the run, which will be a challenge because they run the ball well.”(Roddy Johnson/Special to the American Press)

Roddy Johnson