VIDALIA, La. &045; Jerry Lee Scott never understood it.

Every day Scott was hauled to the parochial high school Catholic High-Point Coupee, despite passing Livonia High up each day.

All his friends were at the public school and that’s where he wanted to be. After finally convincing his mother, Scott enrolled at the home of the Wildcats, a step head football coach Scott Allen is thankful for.

&uot;Scott is one of those cases where the public school got a kid away from the private,&uot; said Allen, who is in his ninth year at Livonia. &uot;He’s a player. We used to be predominantly a running team, but he has transitioned us to throwing it between 60 and 70 percent of the time.&uot;

The No. 30 Wildcats hope Scott can help them pull off what would only be described as a miracle at Viking Field at 7 p.m. today.

District 7-2A’s third place team, Livonia (6-3) is not out of its element as a part of the postseason. Since Allen’s arrival, the Wildcats have drunk from the playoff chalice seven times.

What does become foreign tonight is the level of talent and depth that awaits them on the other side of the ball.

While Port Barre is the defending Class 2A champ, the Red Devils was decimated at the beginning of the season with key senior losses.

&uot;To be honest, I don’t know if we have enough guys to cover (the Viking) skill players,&uot; Allen said. &uot;We’re telling the kids that 32 teams are in, but only one can be the state champion. We can’t afford to make mistakes and expect to win, while I think they can.&uot;

Scott should remind Vidalia players, coaches and fans of recent Ferriday quarterback Tyrrence Taylor, who ended his high school career last season and is now with former Trojan head coach Daryl Daye at Nicholls State in Thibodeaux.

For the regular season, Scott was respectably accurate throwing the football (67 of 141) for more than 1,000 yards (1,116) and had a plus-touchdown-to-interception ratio (13-11).

The senior quarterback also ran 89 times for nearly 1,000 yards (923) and another baker’s dozen scores.

&uot;He’s an outstanding quarterback. We’ll probably be chasing him all night,&uot; Vidalia head coach Dee Faircloth said of Scott. &uot;We’ll be keeping our eye on him. He’s the man that makes them go.&uot;

The third-seeded Vikings (10-0), who were bounced from last year’s playoffs in the second round after another perfect season, have an array of weapons in their arsenal.

Tailback Michael Randall led the ground charge, nearly running for 1,300 yards (1,297) on 131 carries, 22 of which went for touchdowns in the regular season.

But if the Wildcats can maintain Randall, they must deal with blue-collar fullback Chris Williams, who loves to churn with tacklers wrapped around his shins and ankles.

Allen’s most serious worry however is neither one of those individuals, he said.

&uot;Our major concern is the quarterback (Tony Hawkins) and the running game obviously,&uot; he said. &uot;They have weapons all over the field. We know we’re going in overmatched. Hopefully they can help us.&uot;

A seasoned general with more than 35 years stalking the Vidalia sidelines, Faircloth is not buying too much into Allen’s poormouthing.

He knows very well that the Wildcats are in the playoffs for a reason. The postseason is not for teams that just slip in.

&uot;We’re not listening too much to (Livonia’s) crocodile tears they’re shedding,&uot; Faircloth said. &uot;I don’t believe our kids are looking over them. We haven’t any mentioned who we might play in the next round if we get by them.&uot;

With Port Barre figured to be rebuilding this season, Allen and his team circled their district opener as the game that would eventually decide district.

A heartbreaking overtime loss to another set of Vikings, where a touchdown was called back and two passes were dropped for surefire scores, set the tone for the rest of the year.

&uot;We knew every game from there on out was going to determine whether or not we made the playoffs,&uot; Allen said. &uot;That helped a lot. The kids stepped up and came to each practice ready to work.

&uot;Hopefully we’re coming together at the right time because that’s a big part of winning in the playoffs.&uot;

Faircloth succumbs to that philosophy too. That’s why when practice Monday was a bit casual for his preference, the temperature in the kitchen got warm.

However, through a lot of &uot;fussing and hollering&uot; and a rededication to the fundamentals the rest of this week went off without a hitch.

&uot;If we don’t come to play, they’ll start basketball and getting in the (batting) cages on Monday,&uot; Faircloth said. &uot;There won’t be a next time. You want to be hot when you get to the playoffs. You’d rather be ascending than descending/ Hopefully, we can keep the momentum going.&uot;