Ferriday High School coach Dwight Woods said his team is playing better after its win over LHSAA foe Washington-Marion last week.

But the second-year coach isn’t fully satisfied.

“The first quarter we didn’t play well, but the second and third quarters were better,” he said.

The Trojans will look for a complete-game performance Friday night when it hosts Rayville High School in its district opener.

The Hornets (1-4) enter the district showdown fresh off a 34-6 win over Block High School.
Woods said it is pivotal for his squad to slow down Rayville running back Sadeq Wilson in order to best position itself for a win.

“He’s a big running back, about 240-250 pounds, and he’s a track guy,” Woods said. He’s amazingly fast and exceptionally strong, and they like to give him the ball a lot.”
The Hornets are not just a one-trick pony, however, as they are blessed with a deep and talented receiving corps.

“They have some guys that can go and get it,” Woods said. “They have four wide receivers returning from last year, and two of them were all-district.”

Woods said his squad is a little banged up, and perhaps may be missing two key defensive lineman in Sam Johnson and Javen Scott because of injuries.

“We’re doing what we can do to get well,” Woods said.

Stopping the run and establishing a ground attack is key for Ferriday, Woods said.

“That will give us a good opportunity to win,” Woods said. “Running the ball will make it easier on (quarterback) Ronald (Williams), and us not putting it all on Ronald. We’re going to have to be able to run the ball against their front.”

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.