Two teams that are familiar with each other will face-off again today as Southwestern will host North Laurel in second round action of the Class 5A playoffs.
The Jaguars (6-5) are hoping to shock the state, and hand the unbeaten Warriors (11-0) their first loss.
The two teams met earlier in the season with Southwestern coming away with a 27-13 win.
The two teams have played 13 times against each other with the Warriors leading the series, 9-4.
Southwestern will carry a 27-24 postseason record into the game while North Laurel is 6-15 in playoff action.
“We understand that everyone we will see at this point is going to be really good in 5A football so we have to prepare great and play great to win,” North Laurel coach Jason Chappell said.
“Our kids have continued to work exceptionally hard every week this season and I have seen growth in our performance,” he added. “I feel like we are still improving and have a hunger to get better. Are we perfect? No. Have we played our best yet? No. But I do think we are playing at a pretty high level.”
The Warriors possess one of the best ground attack in the state. They average 303 rushing yards and gained only 205 yards on the ground during their first meeting with North Laurel.
The Jaguars outgained Southwestern in total offense se during the loss, 312-272.
The two-headed rushing attack of Tanner Wright and Christian Walden have been hard for opponents to slow down.
Wright has 1,351 rushing yards and two touchdowns while Walden has accumulated 981 yards on the ground and finding paydirt 14 times.
Quarterbacks Collin Burton and Roger Oliver share the duties from behind center. They’ve combined to pass for 1,188 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Their main receiver is Mason Hibbard, who has 511 receiving yards, and seven touchdowns.
Defensively, Southwestern has only forced 14 turnovers this season while recording 26 sacks.
Maddox Mink leads the Warriors with 98 tackles, and seven sacks. Ben Coomer and Wyatt Stanford each have four sacks apiece.
“Pulaski Southwestern is absolutely one of the best football teams in the state,” Chappell said. “They are really talented and I feel like they are one of the best-coached teams that we see. Their kids are really prepared and don’t beat themselves.
“With that being said, the keys to beating them are basically the same as they are every week,” he added. “We have to win the turnover battle, we cannot have multiple 15-yard penalties, and we have to be extremely physical in how we play them. We are really excited to see how much we can grow this week.”
North Laurel is led by quarterback Tucker Warren, who has 1,258 passing yards, and nine touchdowns. He also has 1,094 rushing yards, and a team-best 14 rushing touchdowns. Ethan Gregory leads the Jaguars with 1,211 rushing yards while finding paydirt 10 times.
Keaton Bowling and Jack Chappell lead the way at the wide out position. Both players have 22 receptions apiece while Bowling has 346 receiving yards, and three touchdowns while Chappell has 275 receiving yards, and three scores.
Defensively, North Laurel is led by Austin Johnson, who has 91 tackles, and 23 sacks. Clay Morris has a team-best 114 tackles while recording nine sacks. Connor Sizemore has 51 tackles, and 10 sacks.
The Jaguars have forced eight turnovers this season while totaling 55 sacks.
Can North Laurel pull off the upset over unbeaten Southwestern?
