Salmen win streak on at Northside

Salmen continues its playoff run tonight when the Spartans take on the Northside Vikings in the quarterfinal round of the Class 4-A state Louisiana High School Athletic Association state football playoffs in Lafayette with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m.

The Spartans (9-2), seeded sixth, are riding an eight-game winning streak after beginning the season 1-2. Last week, Salmen held off O. Perry Walker’s two-point conversion in a 28-26 victory.

No. 3 Northside (10-1) defeated Edna Karr, 34-31, in a game the Vikings led 28-7 after the third quarter.

The winner of this game will face the victorious team in the Archbishop Shaw at Breaux Bridge match up in the state semifinals.

Salmen runs a spread offense led by sophomore Daniel Sams. Last week, Sams continued to impress by accounting for three of Salmen’s four touchdowns. He ran for two and threw another. He finished with 257 yards on 36 carries and TD runs of 1 and 4 yards.

His 1-yard run was set up when he threw a 37-yard pass to Jamal Robinson, who went up and made a nice catch at the 3. The score gave Salmen a 21-20 lead.

Sams’ touchdown pass was a 20-yard strike to Isiah Tate in the first quarter.

The Spartans will be going against a team that, through the first seven quarters of playoff action, had given up just 13 points. Coach Vincent Derouen named senior linebacker Jacarde Carter and junior cornerback Keenan Jackson as his top defenders.

Defensively, Salmen runs a 3-3. Last week, the unit came up big with 2:47 left when it stopped O. Perry Walker’s two-point conversion attempt, which would have tied the game.

Last week, junior Jordan Stevenson forced a turnover when he recovered a muff. The play set the Spartans at O. Perry Walker’s 49-yard line. It nearly set up a score, but a field goal came up short on the drive.

Offensively, Northside was led by running back Ridge Wilson, who ran 25 times for 120 yards and three scores. Also, running back Terrell Alfred had 95 yards on 17 carries and a touchdown.

The Vikings’ quarterback is Rochon Broussard.