Pine Prairie takes on Port Barre in crucial game

The fate of the Pine Prairie playoff hopes may be on the line this Friday as the Panthers will travel to Port Barre to take on the Red Devils in a crucial District 5-3A matchup. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
Pine Prairie comes into the contest 3-4 on the season and 0-2 in district play. More importantly the Panthers are the number 35 ranked team in the state in terms of power points.
A win over Port Barre Friday would give Pine Prairie win number four on the season but most importantly a boost toward making sure they remain in the top 32 ranked teams, the magic number for making the playoffs.
“This will be one of the most important games of the year for us,” said Panther head coach Yves Prince. “We need another win to ensure that we stay in the top 32 ranked teams to be able to make the playoffs. We are going to have to be mentally ready to play.”
Port Barre comes into the game 4-3 on the season and 0-2 in district competition after falling to Ville Platte this past Friday 6-0 in overtime. The Red Devils average only 16 points per game and may be without two of their most important weapons on offense, running backs JJ Sylvester and Curtis Chavis.
However, Prince is not taking the Red Devils lightly.
“I don’t know if their two running backs will play or not,” stated Prince. “But it does not matter; we are going to have to stop their run game. They will have another back ready to go and they like to run it down your throat.”