JONESVILLE &045; Tonight’s game between Block and Buckeye probably won’t feature attractive football. Both teams like to run the ball and grind out yards on long, time-consuming drives that don’t involve throwing the ball very often.

&uot;We’re a plod-it-out type team where you get three or four yards a play,&uot; Buckeye head coach Jerry Cole said.

Block head coach Chad Harkins said his offense is about 95 percent rushing.

So don’t expect a high-scoring shootout unless one of the teams can break some long runs, as Block has been able to do sometimes in recent weeks.

The Bears lone blemish this season came in a 25-13 loss to Ferriday Sept. 10. Since that game, the Bears have won two consecutive games by a combined scored of 68-27. More importantly, they have cut down on some of the mistakes that cost them the game against the Trojans.

&uot;We had a lot of good plays on offense, but the seven fumbles really hurt,&uot; Harkins said. &uot;We should have had 60 points instead of 34.&uot;

Those mistakes have been Block’s problem thus far this season. Despite the fumbles in last week’s game, Block has been successful at eliminating most of the penalties. The Bears didn’t have a single false start penalty.

Like many teams in the area, Block lost a number of seniors last season, including running back Demetrius Duncan, who was a big part of the Bears running attack. But Johnny Lee and Michael Griffin have stepped into that void and performed admirably, racking up rushing yards.

&uot;We lost some guys too, but we’re still winning some games. That’s a positive,&uot; Harkins said.

Block has won three of its four games and has moved up to the No. 7 ranking in its division in the state.

On defense, Buckeye will try to stay disciplined and stop the sweeps Block likes to run from it’s tightly bunched two-wingback formation.

&uot;To stop them you have to try to stop the play before it can develop,&uot; Cole said. &uot;We usually cover the center, guards and tackles and then bring a guy from outside hard and down and try to break up their blockers. They aren’t trying to fool you with what they do, they just make you stop them.&uot;

Block’s Harkins said that Buckeye was fairly successful last year in stopping the Block running game.

&uot;On defense they had a plan, they stuck to it and it worked.&uot;

VIDALIA &045; Vidalia will take on Jena this week in a clash of teams desperate to get a win. Vidalia needs a win to bounce back from a 34-0 loss to Rayville last week. Jena needs a win just to salvage some pride and any hope for the season.

Jena is 1-3 and looks to be one of the bottom-dwellers in a surprisingly strong District 2-3A. But the district season is still to come, and Jena could turn things around. Beating a strong Vikings team would be a good start.

Jena head coach Delaine Yocum said his goal was just to make the game competitive and for his team to have a chance in the fourth quarter.

&uot;We just hope we can be in the game with them,&uot; Yocum said.

Vidalia has a number of younger players still learning the system. The Vikings lost a number of seniors from last and have had to rebuild the team in a number of areas.

&uot;They’re always well-coached. They just do what they do and they do it well, and that causes us a lot of problems,&uot; Yocum said. &uot;They usually just push it down our throats (with the run) and then mix in the pass sometimes.