Sam Houston will open the high school football postseason in the friendly confines of Wayne Hooper Memorial Stadium where they are 4-1 this season.

“I am just excited to be here and glad to have the opportunity and super excited to play at home,” Sam Houston head coach Chad Davis said. “I think this team is really battle-tested and has a whole lot of leadership and a bunch of guys that really, really want to.”

Sam Houston’s lone home loss was a 49-47 barnburner to then-Class 5A No. 5 Carencro, but postseason success at home has eluded the No. 12 Broncos (7-3).

They hope to change that tonight when they host No. 21 Mandeville (6-4) in the bi-district round of the nonselect Division I playoffs. The Broncos’ last two playoff appearances ended with frustrating home losses.

“I was an assistant on both teams,” Davis said. “We lost to Denham Springs in ’18 and lost to Covington in ’19, so hopefully this year will be a different outcome.”

Denham Springs bested them 17-14 on a sloppy, rank-soaked field in 2018. Despite a high probability of rain forecast for this evening, that shouldn’t be an issue with the Broncos’ artificial turf field.

“Rain, shine, sleet or snow we are playing,” David said.

In 2019, they lost to Covington 42-28 when current Texas A&M starting linebacker Edgerrin Cooper scored a pair of defensive touchdowns and one on offense. Sam Houston lost at home in the bi-district round in 2009 and 2010.

Mandeville won its final two regular-season games, outscoring Hammond and Covington 68-12, led by nine touchdowns from junior running back Nate Sheppard, who has 22.

“They are a quality football team coming out of a really good district,” Davis said. “They are going to travel well and come over here and give us their best shot.

“They have a couple of good players. Their running back is definitely a playmaker, and a couple of receivers and defensive backs that are talented. Hopefully we can keep them under control.”

The Sam Houston’s defense has spent a lot of time in the backfield, averaging five tackles for a loss per game, led by seniors Wyatt Fontenot (13.5 TFL) and Tyler Guillory (7 TFL).

Elsewhere

Like the Broncos, No. 27 Barbe (6-4) will end a four-season playoff drought today with a road trip east to powerhouse No. 6 Zachary. The Broncos (8-1) are coming off their first loss, 35-28, to No. 5 Catholic-Baton Rouge, while the Bucs’ four-game win streak was snapped by No. 7 Acadiana last week.

Three area teams will open the nonselect Division II playoffs at home today.

Iowa (7-3) looks to match its first run to the semifinals last year. The District 3-3A champs will host No. 25 Grant (3-7).

Jennings (7-3) and Leesville (7-3) could meet in the regional round for the second consecutive year if each can make it out of the first round.

No. 7 Leesville will host No. 26 St. Martinville (3-7) in a game that will feature two big-play runningbacks. Leesville’s Xavier Ford has run for 2,135 yards and 29 touchdowns, while St. Martinville’s Steven Blanco is committed to Louisiana-Lafayette.

No. 10 Jennings is looking to rebound from last week’s shutout loss to St. Louis Catholic in a 7-0 defensive battle. The Bulldogs host No. 23 Kaplan (7-3).

In nonselect Division III, No. 10 Kinder (5-4) plays host to No. 23 Avoyelles (3-7). The Yellow Jackets have not lost a first-round playoff game since 2012.

Nonselect Division IV No. 25 Basile (5-5) will start the playoffs on the road for the first time since 2016 when it makes the short trip to No. 8 Welsh (7-3).