Kinder, Iowa meet in clash of ’Jackets
Finishing the job will be the priority this week for the Kinder Yellow Jackets as they prepare to host Iowa in a non-district game Friday night. Last year, Kinder led for most of the game in Iowa before allowing two late touchdowns in the final 3 minutes of a 30-22 loss. Kinder (1-0) had no drama last week, beating Allen Parish rival Oakdale 35-0. Hayes Fawcett threw for 117 yards and ran for 88 yards. Elijah Lavan ran for 77 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
<p class="indent">“Hayes played a lot last year and you can see that he is more comfortable back there, not just passing but also in our running game,” Kinder head coach Bret Fuselier said. “He is making good decisions. Last week we were able to complete some short passes that our receivers turned into big plays.”
<p class="indent">Fuselier said he is impressed by Iowa’s play along the lines.
<p class="indent">“It looks like their M.O. this year is going to be leaning on the lines,” he said. “They are good on both sides of the ball. They have good size, are well coached and play with good technique. They were able to move the ball well against Crowley.”
<p class="indent">Iowa (0-1) lost 16-3 at Crowley last week. The ’Jackets led 3-0 after three quarters as the defense intercepted three Crowley passes.
<p class="indent">Head coach Tommy Johns said his defense is on the right track.
<p class="indent">“We moved some people around (since the preseason scrimmage),” Johns said. “We have a lot of young guys and it takes a while to find the right fit, find out what they do well and get comfortable, but I feel we did extremely well against Crowley.”
<p class="indent">Johns said the offense showed signs of growth last week.
<p class="indent">“We were able to run the ball pretty well, and we had the lead in the third quarter,” he said. “We just stalled out a couple of times and made some critical mistakes. We have to be able to throw the ball; we are adjusting some things there and adding new stuff every week.”
<p class="indent">Elsewhere, Welsh (1-0) faces another challenge after knocking off Class 4A Rayne last week, traveling to Kaplan (0-1) to face a Pirates team that has won eight playoff games over the past three seasons. Kaplan has reached the quarterfinals once and semifinals twice in the past three seasons. Last week, Kaplan lost 27-20 to Class 5A Acadiana.
<p class="indent">The Greyhounds ran for more than 400 yards last week. Austyn Benoit, making his first varsity start at quarterback, ran for 115 yards and three quarterbacks. Receiver Da’Ren Zeno scored on an 80-yard punt return and Alec Iguess ran for 260 yards and a pair of touchdowns.