WESTLAKE — Curtis Deville’s impact on the stat sheet wasn’t as noticeable as usual, but he delivered clutch plays when needed to help Iowa beat 31-28 Friday night in a District 4-3A game.

Iowa (8-0, 3-0) will host Lake Charles College Prep (5-3, 3-0) next week in a first-place showdown.

Westlake (6-2, 1-2) provided the Yellow Jackets their first test of the season. Iowa had won its first seven games by at 19 points or more and scored at least 41 points in each game.

The Rams took a 21-16 lead in the third quarter on a 6-yard run by Jamaal Guillory, who ran for 127 yards and threw for 82 to keep the Rams close throughout.

Iowa answered with touchdowns on its next two drives to move ahead 31-21. On the first drive, Deville had a 40-yard catch-and-run to set the Yellow Jackets up at the Rams’ 15-yard line. Ronald Young scored from 8 yards out three plays later to give Iowa the lead for good.

On the next Iowa possession, Deville ran 18 yards on a fake punt to keep the drive alive. On the next play he ran 20 yards to the Westlake 10. On fourth-and-goal, he hauled in an 18-yard pass in the end zone to extend the Yellow Jackets lead to 31-21.

Westlake got within three points with 3:19 left on a 35-yard pass from Guillory to Gavin Robertson.

The Rams forced a punt with 31 seconds left, but Deville intercepted a pass as time expired to preserve the win.

“Big-time players come through in big games, in big situations, and that is what Curtis did tonight,” Iowa head coach Tommy Johns said. “He just continues to do what he has always done.”

Johns said he was not surprised the game went down to the final play.

“We knew all week it was going to be a dogfight, we told the kids that,” he said. “They have a great team; they were 6-1 for a reason. I’m just proud of my team for the way they finished the game tonight. We played a lot better in the second half after they had the long touchdown drive. Their quarterback (Guillory) is a heck of a player.”

Westlake opened the scoring with a 6-yard run around left end by Brandon Jupiter to cap a 10-play, 58-yard first-quarter drive.

Iowa responded with a pair of second-quarter touchdowns. Young scored on a 3-yard run and McQuinton Montgomery followed with a 69-yard run. Deville ran in the 2-point conversion after each touchdown to give the Jackets a 16-7 lead.

Westlake got within 16-15 at the half on a 2-yard run by Jupiter following a fumble recovery.

Each of the three other Rams drives reached Iowa territory but ended with two missed field goal attempts and an interception.