Pine Prairie needs win over Northwest to stay in the playoff hunt; stands at No. 38

The Pine Prairie Panthers are in that same position they found themselves in last season.
The Panthers sit at 3-4 on the year and at No. 38 in the latest power ranking released by the LHSAA. What that means is that Pine Prairie needs more power points to climb the ladder to No. 32 or higher in order to make the playoffs for the first time in school history.
For that to happen, the Panthers must find a way to get past the 5-2 Northwest Raiders tomorrow night at home.
Northwest is one of those teams that can be unpredictable at times. The Raiders reeled off three wins in a row to start the season and then fell twice in back-to-back weeks, only to win the last two games played.
“We know that because of their success over the last four years, they are going to come ready to play,” stated Pine Prairie head coach Yves Prince. “Their coaching staff does a tremendous job getting them ready to play. It will be a tough task for us tomorrow night. But, I think our guys are ready to go.”
Northwest comes into the game averaging 31 points per game. The Raiders have scored four touchdowns or more in every game but one; a week four 49-12 loss to Iota.
“They will spread you out with four and five wides and will get it into the hands of their athletes,” said Prince. “Their quarterback can run the ball and he will take off with it at any time. Our biggest concern is that we do not have enough defensive backs to cover all of their receivers.”
One advantage the Panthers have is that they will be playing before their home crowd. Pine Prairie is 2-0 at home and have out scored their opponents on their turf 70-13 this season.
“You have to be at your best when you play before your fans,” commented Prince. “No doubt, this is a huge game for us.”