The road to the state finals will be a difficult one for No. 3 Jennings.

Its side of the Non-select Division III high school football bracket holds all four of last year’s semifinalists, including the defending state champion and their regional-round opponent, No. 14 Opelousas.

“You know, it’s like you’re preparing for a state championship game with somebody of that caliber,” said Jennings head coach Bret Fuselier. “You’ve got two good teams going after it. Our kids are hungry to make a deep run this year.”

The quarterfinals could bring a matchup with 2023 semifinalist No. 11 Northwest, which plays at No. 6 Plaquemines. Looking further ahead brings into the picture state runner-up No. 18 Cecilia, which knocked out the Bulldogs in the quarterfinals last year, or semifinalist No. 7 North DeSoto and No. 2 Lutcher. Lutcher hosts Cecilia on Friday, and North DeSoto hosts No. 10 Belle Chasse.

The Bulldogs used their bi-district bye to focus on themselves and how they can further improve on their nine-game win streak.

“That last game of the regular season, we had a couple of fumbled snaps,” Fuselier said. “Things in the special-teams game, you know, our field goal and extra-point team just shoring up that snap because we’ve had a couple of mishaps there, and just the defense getting back to basics.

“We’ve gotten better over the course of the season, but when you get to the playoffs you’ve got to be good tacklers and not giving up the big plays. We don’t want to lose sight of those things, and there’s always something to get better at.”

Opelousas has won six consecutive games with an explosive offense that scored 40 or more points four times and three shutouts on the defensive side.

“Preparing for these guys, I’ll tell you what, I almost feel like the Pittsburgh Steelers here trying to defend, you the Ravens with Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson. It just happens to be the D’Shaun Ford and the (Zackeous) Malveaux kid at quarterback.

“They know how to win big games, obviously. The thing that sticks out from the first time you put the tape on is how big they are. It’s not just their size, it’s how they play. They’re aggressive in what they do. There’s not much secret about them because they’re going to do what they do. They’re going to line up on offense. They’re going to run the ball right at you. They’re going to line up on defense. Their D-line is so big. They’re going to try to control the line of scrimmage and dictate what you do up front.”

The Bulldogs have their own dynamic duo in the backfield with running back ReJohn Zeno (186 carries, 1,441 yards, 21 TDs) and quarterback Chris Ned (87-828, 19 TDs).

Elsewhere

On the top half of the Non-select Division II bracket, No. 5 Iowa (10-1) gets a rematch with No. 21 Wossman (6-5) at home Friday. The Yellow Jackets beat the Wildcats 41-18 in Week 4.

Iowa’s Jonathan Walker Jr., J’vien Adams, Cohen Charles and Jeremiah Bushnell have combined for 52 rushing and receiving touchdowns.

On the Select side of Division II, No. 7 Leesville (9-2) will host No. 10 Loyola Prep (7-4) after a first-round bye.

Leesville has one of the most powerful offenses in the state at 47.1 points a game, led by senior running back Xavier Ford (253-2,733 yards, 42 TDs). Ford owns the school record for career rushing yards and touchdowns and needs 142 yards to reach 8,000 for his career.

No. 9 Lake Charles College Prep (6-5) will play at No. 8 John F. Kennedy (6-4). But the Trailblazers are no stranger to the rigors of postseason travel. They have played six of their last seven playoff games on the road, including all three in a run to the quarterfinals last season.