Ferriday High School is heading into its third consecutive week with a matchup against a school in a higher classification, and Trojan coach Stanley Smith is hoping his team can keep the gears turning.

After a win over Alexandria High in Week 1 and a shutout over Franklin Parish last week, 58-0, Ferriday is set to play at 7 p.m. Friday at LaGrange.

“When you play bigger teams, it’s always a numbers game,” Smith said. “Playing more games like this gives us something to look at and gives our younger guys some extra reps.”

While Smith said he has confidence in the Trojans to get the job done, he isn’t selling his opponent short.

“(LaGrange) has a good quarterback, and they have some good receivers,” he said. “We have our work cut out for us defensively.”

Smith said the key to this week’s victory is not to linger. Last week after a game delay caused by a power outage, he said Trojan quarterback Kobe Dillion — who ended the game with four touchdowns — improved as the game went on.

“He started slow, and I challenged him during the power outage to step it up,” Smith said. “After that, it was a difference of night and day. Anytime you hit the road, you have to keep focus. We can’t start slow this week.”

Smith said he is also hoping this week brings continued improvement to his team.

“We are playing pretty good ball right now, but I think we need to show tenacity and show we are capable of playing at 100 percent. We always strive for perfection. Without that, you are bound to fall somewhere in between.”