By Matt Vines 

STONEWALL – Practicing on Thanksgiving is far from a given for most football programs, but North DeSoto is making that a habit.

A Thanksgiving practice means a football team will be playing in the playoff quarterfinals the next day, and North DeSoto will be playing in consecutive quarterfinals matchups for the first time since moving to Class 4A in 2014.

The No. 1 seed Griffins (10-1) will host No. 8 Iowa (9-3) in a Division II Non-Select quarterfinals matchup on Friday at 7 p.m.

After having a state title in their grasp this past season before losing a second-half lead, coach Dennis Dunn said his bunch have been all business this season.
“Our team has been on a mission all season,” said Dunn, whose Griffins have won their games by an average of 32 points per game. “They’ve taken it 48 minutes at a time. “They have embraced the process of executing to the standard that has been set.”

North DeSoto needed much fewer than 48 minutes in a 63-21 second-round dismemberment of No. 17 DeRidder.

The Griffins led 56-7 at halftime, spurred early on by special teams.
Returner Cole Cory took the opening kickoff to the 1-yard line to set up North DeSoto’s first score, and DeRidder fumbled the next kickoff that led to the Griffins’ second touchdown.

“Special teams was huge at the beginning of the game,” Dunn said. “The first 14 points came from special teams.”

Not that the Griffins’ offense or defense needed much help.

North DeSoto’s offensive balance was on full display as the Griffins threw for 255 yards and rushed for another 150 in the victory.

It’s just another chapter for an offense that features one of the state’s most prolific passers in Luke Delafield paired with a pair of 1,000-yard rushers in Trysten Hopper and Kenny Thomas.
Hopper rushed for three touchdowns with Thomas adding another against DeRidder.

“It’s tough to defend us because you have to make a choice on what you’re going to try and stop,” Dunn said. “We do both well, so we have been able to take advantage of what the defense gives us.”
Delafield tossed four touchdowns on 11-13 passing for 185 yards. Seven different Griffin receivers caught passes from Delafield and backup Nick Turpen, led by Cory (five catches, 88 yards, one touchdown) and Landry Wyatt (three catches, 63 yards, two touchdowns).
The North DeSoto defense won’t have to make the same kind of decision when trying to solve Iowa’s offense.

Quarterback Josiah Bushnell, a transfer from Lake Charles College Prep, is the Yellow Jackets leading passer and rusher.

“He’s dangerous with his feet and arm,” Dunn said of Bushnell, who has thrown for nearly 1,500 yards and rushed for nearly 1,000 . “He’s certainly a factor and containing him will be a must.”
Iowa overcame a 1-2 start to win eight of its last nine games, which included a District 3-3A championship.

The Yellow Jackets knocked off St. Louis Catholic and Jennings by one score, the latter of which is a No. 10 seed and still alive in the Division II quarters.

The North DeSoto-Iowa winner will play the winner of No. 4 Lutcher and No. 12 Opelousas. Lutcher rallied to beat North DeSoto in the championship game this past season.