After a 53-0 loss to West Monroe to open the season, Sam Houston has won two in a row and looks to pick up steam as the season hits the midway point. “We are right where we need to be,” Sam Houston head coach Chad Davis said. “The kids are playing hard and motivated right now.

“We had a lot of things go in a direction that we didn’t want to happen. We are replacing a lot of key components to what we do offensively and we are still being competitive, which says a lot of those guys that are stepping up. We have a lot of momentum going on our side right now, and we hope that we can keep that going.”

The Broncos (2-1, 1-0) will host Comeaux (2-2, 1-0) Friday in a District 3-5A game. The Spartans are coming off a 31-29 win over Lafayette. Davis said he’s looking for the defense to continue its string of strong performances to stop the Spartans’ passing game and pressure quarterback Sean Malveaux.

“They are going to throw the ball quite a bit,” David said of the Spartans. “We can’t let them get the big play. When teams throw as much as they do, they are going to get one. It is keeping the guys’ eyes where they are supposed to and keeping everything in front of them and get our guys to make big plays.

“I think we will be fine up front and hopefully put some pressure on the quarterback.”

Also in District 3-5A, Barbe (1-3, 0-1) and Sulphur (1-3, 0-1) are looking to break three-game losing streaks.

The Tors host Lafayette (2-2, 0-1), while the Bucs will be on the road for a third consecutive week to take on New Iberia (0-4, 0-1).

District 4-1A

Grand Lake is undefeated through four weeks, but head coach Jeff Wainwright said he sees a tough road ahead.

“This (Basile) game is a humongous test,” he said. “It is going to teach them a lot about the rest of the season. We are all very tight and know each other and what we are doing. Any time you bring that all into play, the games get really tight and come down to critical possessions.”

The Hornets (4-0, 1-0) will host the Bearcats (1-3, 1-0) tonight. Grand Lake escaped with a last-second win in 2020, but the Bearcats have quite a bit of momentum coming off a win over Hamilton Christian on the final play of the game.

“Between Basile and Oberlin and us and Hamilton, we are all four very equal,” Wainwright said. “You have quite a few good players on each team. It comes down to some of the boys making plays in the fourth quarter. It happened last year, and it happened last week for Basile.

“It makes for big challenges in our district.”

East Beauregard (2-2, 1-0) is tied with Grand Lake and Basile for the lead in the district and will host Gueydan (1-3, 0-1).