With strong senior classes, the Barbe boys and girls soccer teams look to make some noise in the state playoffs.

Both open the postseason at home today. The girls game will start at 2 p.m. with No. 16 Barbe (12-7-4) and No. 17 Southside (8-12-4). The boys game will pair the No. 11 Bucs (10-5-6) against No. 22 Alexandria (9-10-3) at 5 p.m.

The Barbe girls return almost everyone from last year’s stunning run to the Division I semifinals as an 18 seed. They have eight seniors, including two, Annalise Funk and Catherine Garner, who battled back from anterior cruciate ligament injuries. Six of the Bucs’ seven losses have come by one goal.

“We had one big loss that was unfortunate, but every other game we’ve lost by one point,” girls head coach Kassidy Guillory said. “They’ve all been against top-10 teams.

“Our senior class has been really good for us this year. They’ve kind of just led us in every aspect on and off the field.”

Those seniors make up the bulk of the defense and midfield in defenders Maggie Barrow, Garner, Kory Lebleu, and Madison Stutes and midfielders Savannah Sanford and Edie Stickle.

Barbe and Southside played to a 1-1 tie in the regular season.

“It’s always a battle,” Guillory said. “We think this year in this playoff run it’s going to be the same kind of battle that it’s been the past four years.

“We are going to bring our best, and they’re going to bring their best. It’s going to be a really fun atmosphere.”

Boys

Five of the seven seniors head up the defense which has allowed 0.91 goals per game. Tanner Jinks is the goalkeeper with Benjamin Warrick, Nestor Betancourt, Alex Fontenot and Eric Miranda on the back line. They allowed two goals in their last five games with three shutouts.

“Our backline has been pretty solid for us this year,” head coach Todd Hoffpauir said. “A lot of our seniors have stepped up this year.”

Hoffpauir said the defense will need to play tight on the Trojans.

“If you give them time and space, they’re a very dangerous team,” Hoffpauir said. “So we need to limit their opportunities and just try to put pressure on them when they do have the ball so we can be a little more successful.”

Hoffpauir said his team is battle-tested with 11 games eight decided by a goal or ending in a tie. They won their first district title since 2002 and look to win their first playoff game since 2017. They have outscored teams 55-21, led by 27 goals from sophomore L.J. Pruitt.

“We have had a tougher schedule this year, and hopefully that prepares us for the playoffs,” Hoffpauir said. “Since we’ve been in every game, we just have a belief that we can come back to win the game, and we’re never dead until the final whistle.”