Pios primed for quarterfinal tilt

By Lance Reed

LSN STAFF WRITER

CROWLEY – The Thanksgiving holidays were not the same last year for the Notre Dame Pioneers. No football seemed like a beach without water for the young men and the coaching staff at NDHS.

This year, the boys were determined to make sure that did not happen again. After destroying the Church Point Bears in the second round of the Class 3A playoffs, the top-seeded Pioneers are set to take to the road to battle the ninth-seeded Richwood Rams. The Rams are based about 15 miles south of Monroe. The forecast calls for rain, however, both teams are hoping the rain will skip over Richwood High School.

“Playing Richwood at home or on the road will be tough,” explained Notre coach Lewis Cook. “At this time of the season, you don’t get to play all your games at home so you know you will have to make a trip. We have played in the quarters and the semis on the road. This just happens to be a long trip.”

The Pios dominated the Bears in the second round. It was the most overwhelming performance the Pios had put forth this year. The 54-7 victory saw the Pioneer offense put up 345 yards, including 255 on the ground. Furthermore, 10 different people carried the ball throughout the contest. Junior signal caller Ryan Leonards threw for just 90 yards, one of his lowest amounts of the year. However, his 5 of 9 performance included a touchdown pass to junior Morgan Allen. The NDHS offense was highly impressive in the red zone. They scored on all seven trips into the area.

“We want to control the ball on offense,” Cook said. “We want to shorten the field. This will be a game of field position. Turnovers and penalties have to be minimized. The margin for error in a game like this is very small.”

To beat the fast moving Richwood defense, the Pios are going to have to have to continue to block well up front and turnovers have to be non-existent. The Pios have been great thus far holding on to the ball. However, if the rain comes, fumbles could be a problem for both teams.

The Rams surrender almost 20 points a game, and have shown tendencies to be undisciplined. Cook and his staff may be able to find ways to exploit those tendencies. The Pios average close to 40 points a game.

The Rams defense is anchored by powerful defensive end, Rashad Givens. The 6-foot-4, 285-pound monster leads the team in tackles. He has over 50 solo tackles and 20 assists going into the post-season. Givens will also show his face on offense from time to time as a tight end or a wide receiver. Corry Middleton is second on the team in tackles. He came out of the regular season with 47 solo tackles and 15 assists. Middleton plays linebacker for the Rams.

The Rams are all about their offense and the weapons they have. They average a little over 35 points a game. Much of the offense revolves around senior quarterback Greg Johnson. The two-year starter was a running back during his freshman and sophomore year. Johnson’s ability to scramble, run and throw makes him a threat in multiple dimensions. He has ran for over 1,000 yards this season and scored 25 touchdowns with his legs. He came out of the regular season with nearly 1,000 yards passing. His powerful arm allows him to get the ball down field with ease. However, accuracy has proven to be a factor.

The Rams use a spread offense for the most part in order to created space against a defense. This will also allow Johnson and buddies to move around a lot after catching the ball. Johnson’s primary go to guys are Cedric Goins and Richard Wilson. Each one of the wide outs has over 400 yards receiving this season. Wilson, a senior, will get the ball out of the backfield on sweeps and down the field.

The running backs are senior Greg Hudson and junior Anthony Abraham. Both get a chance to carry the ball in each contest. Hudson is second on the team in rushing next Johnson with over 700 yards on nearly 125 carries.

The Rams have struggled against good defenses this year. They were held to 12 points against Class 4A Bastrop and seven points against Class 2A Calvary Baptist. This week, the Rams go against a defense that allowed just two yards of total offense last week. Although this may be the biggest test of Pios’ season, the boys in red and white will be prepared. They have faced spread offenses several times through out the season, so don’t look for the Pios to panic.

“Our major concern is containing their speed,” Cook stated. “They do a good job of spreading out and creating space for their guys to run. We have to try and cut that space down. That will allow us to slow them down and make plays.”

If the rain has its way, the game can surely be altered for both teams. If the rain skips Richwood High School, the Pios may have a slight advantage.

“The year we won state it rained in every playoff game,” Cook said. “It is something you can’t control. You have to prepare to do the things necessary to win the game. Rain can just be part of the game. Last week, it was colder than it had been all year and we played well.”