Jonesville — When a small-town football team gets into the playoffs, the community is happy.

When that same team reaches the LHSAA playoffs two years in a row and gets a top-10 spot, the community goes nuts.

This is what Block High football coach Benny Vault has figured out.

“The kids are excited, the whole community is excited,” he said. “It’s hard to go anywhere. I went out to a restaurant for lunch today, and I had to field so many questions. Even my wife said the church wanted to know who we’re are playing and what they’re like — everybody from the adults all the way down to the little kids.”

But these are questions Vault doesn’t mind answering as his No. 9-seed Bears prepare to take on No. 24-seed Desire Street Academy of New Orleans.

The 1-A District 3 Bears (6-3, 3-1), who were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs as a No. 24-seed last season, will host the District 7 Lions (4-4, 2-3) on Friday.

“In the beginning of playoffs last year we had to travel,” Vault said. “We’re still a young team, and to be able to play at home in front of our home crowd is big.”

Being a top-10 team was also a big accomplishment for Block, Vault said.

“We talked about it from the beginning of the season,” he said. “We wanted to gain respect and let people know we were for real. That was one of their goals, and they worked hard for that.”

The Bears scooted into that spot after defeating district opponent St. Mary 41-14 and 2A Lakeview 34-12.

The two teams ahead of the Bears in the power rankings also lost in that time period.

“That gave us the opportunity to go out and compete against a real football team,” Vault said of the Lakeview game. “We didn’t play real well, but we took the starters out at halftime and let some of the younger guys play. Anyway you can build confidence in the younger players, it’s always a bonus.”

After watching film of their first postseason opponent, Vault said he recognizes the Lions’ offense as something his team has played against before.

They play a power football game, he said, and try to run a spread offense.

They’re also very big, with some speed.

“That seed might be a little bit deceiving, because they got started late with their season,” he said. “The first time I watched the film, on Sunday night, I turned it off after 15 minutes. I said, ‘Uh-oh!’ It kind of scared me.

“But we’re going in as the higher seed so we expect to go out and perform in that manner.”

Vault will run most of the Bears’ usual plays against Desire Street, although he plans to borrow a bit from one of his neighbors, Huntington coach Chad Harkins.

“Me and Coach Harkins conversate a lot, and I steal things from him,” he said. “I saw some offensive stuff he ran last weekend in a 44-24 win against Newton County Academy), and I’m incorporating that into my offense this weekend. I still call him from time to time to make sure I’m doing it right.”