Grand Lake has shot at milestone victory

Rodrick Anderson

2020 has been historic for all the wrong reasons. But Grand Lake has a chance to write some good history this week.

The No. 3 Hornets will host No. 19 Delhi in the Class 1A regional round Friday at Jennings’ Jerry Simmons Stadium, looking for their first quarterfinal berth since the program restarted its football program in 2013 after a five-decade hiatus.

“We want a chance to rewrite history,” Grand Lake head coach Jeff Wainwright said. “We are so focused on getting back on the field we haven’t spent a whole lot of time talking about that. We definitely know this is a big game, and we want to play good for all the people that support us and all they have sacrificed for us to be here. That is what drives this football team. It would be a big win for our program.”

And they have had 28 days to get ready. The Hornets last played Nov. 5, a 47-6 win over Gueydan.

“The advantage is we are 1,000 percent healthy,” Wainwright said. “This is the first time I have been a coach that the whole team is healthy. Our kids are fresh. We have been doing a lot of conditioning.”

The downside is Wainwright said he’s worried about rust.

“I had to go to Walmart to buy WD-40 to put on all my linemen’s headgear and pads,” Wainwright joked.

Delhi (2-5) upset No. 14 Arcadia 14-12 last week.

“They are probably the biggest (team) we have faced this year,” Wainwright said. “We have to play without mistakes. I feel like a lot of teams in the playoffs get antsy at the end. Let’s just let the coaches coach and the players make plays.”

Elsewhere

In Class 2A, No. 6 Kinder (6-2) has been a roll since losing to Class 3A No. 3 Lake Charles College Prep (6-0) in Week 3.

The Yellow Jackets have won five consecutive games while averaging almost 47 points a game lead by running back Tylan Ceasar (710 yards, 14 TDs) and a nearly impenetrable defense (5.2 ppg).

That defense will be tested by the No. 1 Avoyelles Mustangs and their stable of two 1,000-yard backs in sophomore Carlos Bazert (1,017 yds., 16 TDs) and senior Carl Barton (1,011 yds., 3 TDs).

In Class 3A, there will be a District 4-3A matchup for a second consecutive week.

No. 14 South Beauregard (5-3) beat No. 19 Iowa (3-3) 28-14 last week and will face LCCP (6-0) for the second time this season.

The Golden Knights led 10-6 at halftime of the first meeting, but the Trailblazers scored 34 unanswered points to run away with a 40-10 win.Grand Lake running back Eli Fountain has racked up 505 yards and 8 touchdowns in six games.

Rodrick Anderson/American Press

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