Eleven teams have tried to stop Cecilia quarterback Diesel Solari, but few have succeeded.

No. 10 Jennings wants to be that team.

The Bulldogs (9-3) will travel to No. 2 Cecilia (10-1) today for a Nonselect Division II quarterfinal matchup.

Solari, a 5-foot-7, 170-pound junior, has been tough to take down. In a 70-30 regional-round win over No. 15 Iota, he ran for 222 yards and two touchdowns.

In Week 10, Solari exploded for 341 yards and six touchdowns, plus 101 passing yards and a score, a 2-point conversion and played cornerback in a 55-35 win over Jennings’ district rival Iowa.

“He doesn’t run like a diesel,” Jennings head coach Bret Fuselier said of Solari. “He runs like high octane.

“He is explosive. He has the ball in his hands every play. He can blow by you, and he is a guy that can square up. He is a short fellow, so it is like he wins with leverage every play. Even when you get your hands on him, he is hard to take down.

“They have the running back, (Corey) Broussard, and (Ellis Stewart) at wide receiver. They will put him back there with Diesel at tailback. You have to get him on the ground and survive to see the next day and make them drive the field.”

About the only time Solari has been slowed down was a 49-46 loss to Class 5A Southside in Week 2. But he still did plenty of damage with three rushing and two passing touchdowns.

“There ain’t no stopping that cat,” Fuselier said. “You have to slow him down as much as you can.”

Fuselier said he wants to keep his offense on the field as much as possible, limiting Solari’s time with the football in his hands. Fuselier said it will take a two-pronged approach of sustained drives and a coordinated effort on the defense side to contain one of the most explosive quarterbacks in the state. Jennings’ front four of defensive ends Davian Edwards and Owen Oliver and tackles Caleb Touchet and Braylon Fontenot will play a big role in the defensive plan.

“Our best defense is going to be our offense this week,” he said. “They do so many unconventional things on defense. We have to find a way to get some yards, 3 to 4 yards a pop and milking that clock. The ends are going to have to contain the quarterback and force him back inside to get more hats on him. We have to make them go east and west instead of north and south.”

Jennings faced an explosive ballcarrier last week in St. Martinville’s Steven Blanco, who is committed Louisiana-Lafayette. They held him under 100 yards and one touchdown after he scored five in the regional round against Leesville. Jennings is allowing 14.1 points a game.

“As a group, they did a good job of shutting down that running back,” Fuselier said. “We held him 22 for 93 yards, and he is used to getting a lot of yards.

“He ran all over Leesville, and we were able to control the line of scrimmage last week. The defensive line was able to shut him down, and Stretch (Zae Douglas) shut down the receiver that is going to Arizona State.”