By MATT VINES, Journal Sports
Out of the frying pan and into the fire.
That’s how District 1-5A teams can feel – particularly defenses – as they navigate one of the deepest districts in the state.
Natchitoches Central (1-1, 0-1) will welcome Captain Shreve (1-1, 1-0) and its stud running back Jamarcea Plater to Turpin Stadium tonight at 7
The Chiefs go from battling a four-star quarterback in Evangel’s Pop Houston to one of the best running backs in the state in Shreve’s Plater.
Plater rumbled for 287 yards and four touchdowns to top NCHS 40-20 this past season.
“He’s an outstanding running back that runs hard, has great vision, and good speed,” said NCHS coach Brad Laird. “It will be important to have a great night tackling, team tackling, and getting as many hats to the ball as possible.
“The quarterback (Jackson Gaskin) is making great decisions, the offensive line played well last week, and they have a talented group of receivers. We’ll have to play great team defense.”
Plater (163 rushing yards) had help from teammate Gabe Lockett (172 yards) in a 56-34 win against Huntington this past week in a game that Shreve took over in the second half.
The NCHS defense shut out Breaux Bridge (41-0) in the opener before Evangel converted key third and fourth downs en route to its 63-42 win in Week 2.
But the scrappy Chiefs continue to compete and play more consistently in Laird’s second season, bringing a lot of offensive firepower of their own.
NCHS scored five second-half touchdowns and four in the fourth quarter against Evangel as Owen Smith threw for 322 yards.
The Chiefs established a running game in Week 1 with Kelton Howard that wasn’t quite as efficient in Week 2, but a large deficit meant NCHS didn’t hand the ball off much either.
That balance would serve the Chiefs well as they’d love to engineer long scoring drives to keep Shreve’s high-octane offense off the field.
“We’re continuing to focus on consistency on the offensive side of the ball,” Laird said. “It starts up front with the offensive line – we go as they go.
“Owen has continued to play well, and a lot of different skill guys have been involved in the offensive scheme.”
Jordan Carpenter led the way with four catches for 132 yards against Evangel, including a 54-yard catch from fellow receiver K.J. Newton on a trick play.
NCHS has a chance to position itself in the top half of the district with a win against Shreve.
Byrd, Haughton, Benton, and Huntington have struggled early with a combined 1-7 record, and the Chiefs appear to be suited to battle with district members like Shreve and Parkway.
Shreve very well could be the best team on this list, and an NCHS win Friday could go a long way in district and playoff positioning, somewhere NCHS hasn’t been since 2021.
“In District 1-5A, week in and week out, the opportunity will be there,” Laird said. “You have to focus on one week at a time, and this week 100 percent of our focus is on being the best team we can be Friday against Captain Shreve.”
Shreve head coach Jeremy Wilburn has history with Laird.
Wilburn, also in his second season, played as a safety in Laird’s defense at Northwestern State on the Demons’ last conference championship team in 2004.
Wilburn coached under Laird in 2010-11 as a graduate assistant.
Now it’s a battle between a Shreve program that’s established itself as a heavyweight in the district against an up-and-coming NCHS group aiming to make that climb with the coaching stability Laird provides.
Contact Matt at sports@journalservicesllc.com
