Iowa will be one of the few area high schools starting the road to the Superdome at home, as the Yellow Jackets are the lone Calcasieu Parish school to host a playoff football game.

The Jackets (9-1) are the fourth seed in Class 3A and will host No. 29 Bossier (6-4) tonight in a bi-district game. The Bearkats are better known for their success on the hardwood, where they won boys state championships in 2016 and 2020.

Iowa head coach said the Bearkats have the look and talent of a basketball team.

“They’re big, with several guys 6-3 or taller,” he said. “They have speed everywhere and a few receivers that can go up and get the ball. They have a new head coach (De’Aumonte Johnson) who has come in and done a great job.”

Johnson recruited a few basketball players, including quarterback/ receiver Joseph Manning, to join the football team and installed a spread offense. The winning season is the second in 12 seasons for Bossier.

Johns said he is leery of Bossier’s aggressive style of defense.

“We will definitely have to be sound in what we do,” he said. “They blitz a lot.”

Iowa rebounded from its lone loss with a 47-21 win over St. Louis last week.

“We played well in all three phases,” Johns said. “I like the way we were about to bounce back after a tough loss.”

Johns said the playoffs are the best part of the season.

“This is the fun part of the year,” he said. “This is what you work for all year. Every week you get a good matchup. Everyone is competing for the same thing.”

Class 4A

No. 12 Leesville (7-2) will host No. 21 Assumption (5-4). The Wampus Cats are attempting to extend their streak of first-round wins to six seasons. One of the wins came against Assumption in 2018.

The Wampus Cats enter on a five-game winning streak. During the streak, the Cats are averaging 45.6 points per game. Running back Caleb Gallashaw has 14 touchdowns in the five wins and has run for 1,448 yards.

Assumption is led by running back Ja’Keice Gilton (423 yards, 6 TDs) and receiver Marcus Mollere (38 catches, 565 yards, 8 TDs).