By MATT VINES, Journal Sports
BOSSIER CITY – With a near miss this past week against Captain Shreve, Natchitoches Central has another shot to climb the District 1-5A ladder when they head to Parkway’s Preston Crownover Stadium Friday night at 7.
The Chiefs (1-2, 0-2 District 1-5A) will be looking to stay in the district race while Parkway (3-0, 1-0) aims to remain undefeated.
NCHS achieved its fast start and led for the nearly the first three quarters against Captain Shreve last Friday in a 42-36 loss in which the Gators scored three of the final four touchdowns.
Coach Brad Laird wants to replicate the start but amend the finish.
“We need to get off to a fast start, withstand their attack early on, play with great effort, and play a physical football game,” Laird said. “Parkway has been very successful in all three phases in their first three games.”
The Panthers jumped all over their first three opponents (Carroll, Woodlawn, and Haughton), including dumping 38 straight points in the first quarter on a Bucs team that scored in their opening possession.
The Chiefs have faced a tougher schedule, blanking Breaux Bridge (41-0 win) before battling against Evangel Christian (63-42 loss) and Shreve.
Turnovers were a big theme against Captain Shreve as NCHS forced four. But when the Gators weren’t turning the ball over, they were scoring.
Laird said learning how to get off the field on third down will be a huge factor in how successful the Chiefs can be this season.
“We have to be more consistent defensively,” Laird said. “The inconsistency has allowed third-down conversions and missed tackles.”
NCHS’s offense proved it can score in bunches as well, scoring 35 points in the second half against Evangel and 27 in the first half against Captain Shreve.
Laird said it’s the play of offensive line that’s allowed quarterback Owen Smith and running backs Kelton Howard and Kaden Kuykendall to shine.
“Our two running backs run extremely hard with great vision, and the receivers have done a great job blocking outside,” said Laird, who was seeking to build a traditional running game in his first season. “Owen has the ability to keep defenses on their heels.
“The offensive line has done a great job both in the running game and in pass protection, and our offense goes as they go. I’m proud of that group.”
Smith has had an efficient season so far, throwing for 842 yards with eight touchdowns and one interception with a 66 percent completion rate.
The rushing numbers may not be overwhelming (Howard has 172 and Smith 151) in three games, but the team is averaging 4.4 yards per carry. Smith leads the way with four rushing touchdowns.
Parkway may not have a ton of guys tipping the statistical scales either, but starters haven’t played a full game in the three blowouts this season.
Quarterback Kaleb Williams has completed an astonishing 81 percent of his throws for 656 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Damian Dacaldacal has rushed for 259 yards with more than 10 yards per carry.
Contact Matt at sports@journalservicesllc.com
