Welsh came tantalizingly close to a win in its season opener last week. The Greyhounds want to finish the job this week.

“Like I told the kids after the game, there were a couple of drives that we had a chance to put them away and finish the game off that either ended in a turnover or a punt,” Welsh head coach Cody Gueringer said. “You have to capitalize on those drives.

“Kinder is a good football team. We were able to see that we can play with anyone. Like I told them before the game, you played with the No. 5 team in the state last year with a chance to win at the end of the game.”

Welsh (0-1) hosts Vinton (1-0) today after losing a 29-28 game to rival and Class 2A 10th-ranked Kinder last week.

Running back Cohen Fontenot and quarterback Gabe Gillett combined for almost 300 yards last week, but Gueringer said he’s hoping for more sustained drives and expecting more from the passing game.

“We can’t give up the big play and we have to limit turnovers,” he said. “That really hurt us against Kinder is two turnovers. We can’t stall out and we can’t turn the ball over.

“We have to continue the success we had last week in regards to being able to run the football, but also open up a little more in the passing game.”

Vinton flexed its muscle last week in a 54-19 win over Elton.

“It was good to see the kids pulling for each other and a lot of unselfish play,” Vinton head coach Lark Hebert said. “It is good to see them starting to come together as a team.

“I thought we ran the ball well, and I really like our quarterback play right now by Lukas (Bunting). The O-line eliminated a lot of mistakes that we had made against Grand Lake in the jamboree. We are just trying to improve week to week, and I am hoping that can happen with the O-line,” said Hebert, a former all-conference lineman during his time at McNeese State.

The Lions limited Elton to 215 yards total offense but will break in a pair of new starters in the secondary this week in junior cornerback Connor English and freshman safety Jaheim Levias.

“We can’t let them rush the ball all night,” Hebert said. “We have to stop the run.

“We are kind of young on defense. We lost a corner and safety. We have to start a freshman at safety. We are kind of young, and I just hope our defense can hold up to their run game. The quarterback can really run and is extremely fast. They are very tough to handle. They are not a big team but they are a physical team. I have been impressed how physical they are and how well the offensive and defensive line comes off the ball.”

Vinton averaged almost 7 yards a carry on the ground, led by C.J. Jack and Damion Brigs, who combined for more than 200 yards.

“Their offensive line is a pretty physical group,” Gueringer said of the Lions. “They run the power scheme well out of the I-formation.

“Their quarterback is really good as far as the throws he makes and the different levels he is going to make throws at. C.J. Jack is a really good running back. He plays downhill football. Their O-line is nasty. They understand their scheme. They bootleg off of it, and the quarterback hits the receiver in the perfect spot every time. It is deadly. It is all predicated on the run game, so we have to stop the run game first and foremost.”