After win, Kaplan now sits and watches to see what happens on Friday

KAPLAN - Now the Kaplan Pirates (8-1) sit and wait.
What are they waiting for?
See how well or not well other high school teams do on Friday.  A win here and a surprise win there could affect where the Kaplan Pirates are ranked in the Division III Non-Select power point standings on Saturday morning.
Before the St. Martinville game on Thursday, the Pirates were ranked No. 7 in the Division III Non-Select Power rankings.
After the 32-0 win over the Tigers, the Pirates are still No. 7 in power rankings. 
The outcome of Friday’s high school games will likely affect the Pirates’ power ranking. The good news is the Pirates have a first-round home playoff game on Friday no matter what happens.
Kaplan could climb to No. 6 if specific teams on its schedule win. The Pirates could drop to No. 8 or No. 9 if teams on their schedule lost.
Now that the season is over, the coaches and players are starting to focus on the playoffs, which begin on Friday.
“We will figure out where we finish and who we match up with,” said  Kaplan head Stephen Lotief. “We think we could drop in power rankings, depending on what other teams do on Friday.”
The Pirates could play No. 25 North Webster (3-6), No. 26 Oakdale (3-6), No. 27 Patterson (1-7), or No. 28 Vidalia (2-7).
“I am not worried about who we are playing,” said Lotief. “I worry about us and how we practice that week.”
The Pirates are coming off a tough road loss to Erath High last Friday. The Bobcats won the game on a last-second field goal.
Lotief said the Pirates were out-coached and outplayed against Erath. 
This past Thursday, he made sure that did not happen again.
The Pirates scored eight points in the first quarter and then 18 in the second quarter to lead 26-0 at halftime.
Mother Nature opened the clouds when the game began, and rain fell for most of the first quarter.
The Pirates, due to the wet conditions, kept the ball on the ground.
The Pirates shined in the first quarter.
On the Tigers’ first drive, defensive lineman Carter Petry had the first of his three sacks. 
Kaplan took its first possession and marched 37 yards behind the running of Wyatt Hebert, who had four carries on the drive. Scoring for the Pirates was Daylon Landry on a four-yard touchdown run. 
Hebert converted the two-point play that made it 8-0 at the 2:43 mark in the first quarter.
The Kaplan defense had a big play on St. Martinville’s next possession. KHS linebacker Jacob Devoltz had a fumble recovery on the Tigers’ 30-yard line. 
It took the Pirates nine plays to go 30 yards for a score. Hebert ran into the end zone from the two-yard line and made the two-point play, which put Kaplan in front 16-0.
The Kaplan defense came up big once again. 
Kaplan linebacker Taven Housend had an interception to set up Kaplan’s third touchdown.
It took Kaplan on three offensive plays after Housend’s interception, to score. Daylon Landry ran 23 yards for a touchdown to make it 24-0 with 6:04 to play in the first half.
The Kaplan defense was not finished making big plays in the first half.
The Pirates’ defense pinned St. Martinville back to its goal line. On third down, St. Martinville’s quarterback saw linebacker Jacob Devoltz in his face. St. Martinville’s quarterback threw the pass out of the end zone to avoid the sack.
The referees ruled it intensional grounding in the end zone, which resulted in a safety and two points for Kaplan.
The Pirates led 26-0 at halftime.
Kaplan had success running the football. Hebert finished with 131 yards on 26 carries, scoring twice. Dayon Landry had 11 carries for 125 yards and scored twice.
 Bradyn Bear had seven rushes for 36 yards.
Quarterback Sabe David completed one pass for 10 yards.
The Kaplan defense held the Tigers’  running game to minus 22 yards and 64 yards passing.