Iowa starts title defense with first round win

IOWA – The Iowa Yellow Jackets started their Non-select Division II state championship defense with a 47-21 win over district rival DeRidder on Friday at Jesse E. Cady Stadium. No. 10 Iowa (7-3) won a playoff game for the sixth consecutive year and is 13-6 in the postseason under head coach Tommy Johns. “It always feels good to get a win in the playoffs no matter what round it is,” Johns said. The win sets up a rematch with No. 7 Lutcher. Iowa beat the Bulldogs 28-21 at home in the quarterfinals last year. This time the game will be at Lutcher, who beat No. 26 North Vermilion 55-14 on Friday. While the Yellow Jackets scored 40-plus points for the sixth consecutive week and outgained the Dragons 359 yards to 279, Johns knows they will need perfect everything for their regional matchup. “First of all, we have to get our penalties cleaned up,” Johns said. “That is a start. You have to be able to execute at a very high level to beat a team like that (Lutcher). “We know that.

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