JONESVILLE, La. &045; Normally, sporting blue around a bull spells safety from the intimidating bovine’s charge.

Red is the typical color to avoid.

However, St. Edmund’s royal-and-white uniforms will look brighter than a Stop sign to Block guard/tackle Brantley &uot;Bull&uot; Taylor, as the Bears welcome the Blue Jays in a Class 1A quarterfinal showdown at 7 p.m. today.

&uot;They say I have a mean streak. I let everything go when I get out onto the field,&uot; said Taylor (6-0, 290), who got the nickname as a boy from a neighbor. &uot;You’ve got to. Everything you’ve worked on practice that week has got to go onto the field.&uot;

That’s been No. 8 Block’s M.O. during its current 9-3 campaign under head coach Chad Harkins’ guidance.

Harkins, who played collegeiately at Northwestern State in Natchitoches, La., and Arkansas-Monticello, was an assistant when the Bears (9-3) won a district 4-1A title in 2001.

He has now been at the helm of a district three-peat with titles in 2002 and 2003, including this year’s team that steamrolled four foes 192-8.

Last week’s 49-0 regional round romp over Ascension Catholic in Donaldsonville, La., was a testament to his team’s channeling.

&uot;What impressed me most was their focus. I tell them each week they should start to focus on the playoff game on Monday,&uot; Harkins said of his Bears. &uot;Down there they were ready to take care of business. Even at the beginning when they were sitting on the sideline.&uot;

Perhaps more than any recent year, the parity in the Class 1A brackets is stark. Look no further than the top-seeded Blue Jays.

A bi-district 20-14 scare against Northwood and then last Friday’s 34-27 victory over Loreauville, in which St. Ed’s (10-2) blew a 20-0 lead, could mean the Blue Jays are the most susceptible one-seed in the five classes.

Thinking that Block believes it can coast by? Wrong, Taylor said. The Bears tried that in their 14-6 opening round win over St. Mary’s and nearly went one-and-done.

&uot;St Ed’s is the No. 1 seed and not because someone put them there; they earned that,&uot; Harkins said. &uot;But I feel we’re focused and are ready to play up to our ability.&uot;

In the playoffs for the third year in a row, Block continues to ooze with confidence every postseason affair.

The Bears defeated Haynesville in the bi-district round before breaking down in the second half in a 34-6 regional round loss to Kentwood last season.

Not so coincidentally, both Kentwood and Haynesviile, two of 1A’s storied programs are alive in the bottom half of the bracket.

If both win their respective games tonight, the ‘Roos and Golden Tornado will put hats on hats in next week’s semifinals.

&uot;I’d much rather play a team without a lot of experience in the later rounds, like us, than ones with that seasoning,&uot; Harkins said. &uot;I’ve been pleased with the draw so far. St. Ed’s is a tough team and Vermillion Catholic is a tough team. You’re not going to make it to the state championship unless you beat people that are good.&uot;

The ‘Jays use their size as a strength, lining up mostly in two-tight end sets and cramming the ball down opponents’ throats with back Chris Caswell leading the way.

Caswell had four touchdown runs in the win over Loreauville.

Block hopes its team speed defensively can compensate for the mismatch, as far as size is concerned.

The ability to dig deep and discover the wherewithal to reign supreme in close games, as both teams have done this postseason, can never be overstated, Harkins said.

&uot;I don’t think we had the opportunity last year to be in a close game except for Jena, and that was early in the year,&uot; he said. &uot;We had our taste of them this year. Hopefully it’ll help us in the long run.&uot;

If St. Edmund’s ground game can be compared to a hard-charging freight train, then the Bears are a 0-to-60-in-three-seconds Ferrari.

Wing back Demetrius Duncan, who ran for 192 yards on 14 carries in the drubbing of Ascension Catholic, posted more than 1,300 yards on just 90 rushes during the regular season.

&uot;(Duncan) can see where the blocks are going to be,&uot; Taylor said. &uot;He’s so quick from point-A to point-B.&uot;

Traditionally a three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust type coach, Harkins has opened up the offense with quarterback Demetrius Bowie’s arm.

&uot;We’re not gonna change anything we do; dance with the one that has brought us,&uot; Harkins said. &uot;Our passing game to a certain degree has forced people to respect us offensively. We’re capable of airing it out if it’s open. That eliminates people sticking 10 in the box and saying, ‘We know you’re going to run it.’&uot;

Two steps away from the Louisiana Superdome and the state championship game. It’s unfamiliar surroundings for these two squads.

Whichever team can bottle their emotions, slap on the blinders and stare down the task at hand and avoid seeing red should have the upper hand.

&uot;This is a place both teams, in the past, have not been accustom to being there every year,&uot; Harkins said. &uot;We’ve made it to the playoffs in the past, and I’m sure they have. One of us is going to have to come out and set the tempo.

&uot;I feel like one of us is going to come out beating at a different drum than the other.&uot;