By JOHN JAMES MARSHALL, Journal Sports
For the Airline Vikings, tonight’s game is a case of been there, (haven’t) done that.
It was a year ago at this point in the playoffs in which the Vikings were knocked out of the Division I (non-select) playoffs. Mandeville, a No. 21 seed, came to Airline Stadium and defeated the Vikings 56-50.
Once again, the Vikings will be at home for a quarterfinal game against a team from the New Orleans area. This time, it will be 10th-seeded Destrehan, a 63-21 winner over Northwood last week.
Making the next step has been a goal for Airline all season. The school has not been to the semifinals since 1972.
Last year’s exit was particularly painful since it was a game in which the Airline defense couldn’t off the field and allowed 334 yards on the ground.
This year, the Vikings picked up where they left off as they seek to become the first Shreveport-Bossier school to reach the Division I semifinals (select or non-select) since 2020.
“They’ve had a great year,” Destrehan coach Marcus Scott said earlier this week. “They’re 11-0 and they’re at home. They deserve to be where they are. We certainly will have our hands full. We have to really play well in order to get the win.”
Airline is led by senior quarterback Ben Taylor, who has moved into the No. 2 spot for career passing yards for Louisiana quarterbacks.
“He’s the real deal,” Scott said. “He’s big, he throws the ball really fast and he’s accurate. We’re going to have to line up right and play hard.”
This will be the third Shreveport-Bossier team that Destrehan will play in 2024. In addition to playing Northwood last week, the Wildcats also played Captain Shreve during Week 7 of the regular season, winning 46-42 on a last-play goalline stand.
Destrehan has scored more than 60 points in two of its last three games. Last week sophomore running back Malachi Dabney scored six touchdowns and ran for 270 yards. It’s the third time he has rushed for 200 yards this season.
“I think the last team to have the ball is going to have the advantage,” Scott said.
The Wildcats (9-3) have had two shutouts this season and six games in which they have allowed less than 20 points. Airline, the No. 2 seed, is coming off perhaps its best defensive performance of the year in holding high-scoring Westgate to only 16 points in the second-round playoff game.
“We knew we have a pretty good defense,” Airline coach Justin Scogin said after last week’s game. “We were able to show how good we really are.”
The winner of the game will face the winner of the Ruston-Southside game in the semifinals. Airline defeated Southside last year in the playoffs.
Contact JJ at johnjamesmarshall@yahoo.com