By Matt Vines, Journal Sports

FARMERVILLE – A measuring stick.

When No. 12 seed Red River (7-4) loads up the bus and heads to Union Parish for a second-round playoff matchup, there will be more on the line than just a spot in the quarterfinals.

The No. 5 seed Farmers (7-4) are the defending Division III Non-Select champions, and a program that’s played for a state championship in each of the last four seasons. Union Parish has won three state titles since 2001.

When Red River coach Byron Keller speaks of building a championship program, Union Parish is the standard in this division.

“This is a definite measuring stick,” Keller said. “This Friday will be an indicator of the growth of the program.

“Getting a win on Friday would be a huge feather in our cap.”

But the second-round contest isn’t just a measuring stick against a reigning state champion.

This Red River squad that’s won six straight games after a 1-4 start will be measuring how far this specific team has come.

Five of Red River’s six wins have come against District 3-2A opponents, including the first-round playoff win against Winnfield.

And that has value – two other district members Mansfield and Lakeside protected their home turfs and will be playing a second-round game as well.

But now Red River will measure itself outside of the district, and against an earlier version of itself that struggled in road games at Oak Grove (55-8 loss), at Catholic-Pointe Coupee (26-6 loss), and at White Castle (48-30 loss).

Oak Grove is of similar standing to Union Parish, a tough, gritty, rural school in northeast Louisiana known for its championship caliber.

Now Red River – which has three road games in what’s been an emphasis this season – will face another test against a championship caliber opponent.

“Mistakes made early in the season cannot happen anymore,” said Keller, who added that his team has their road trip routine nailed down as the Bulldogs prepare for their eighth road game this season. “We have to play physical, smart football.

“We had to go through the early struggles and learn lessons to improve and get to this point. Our kids are confident and ready because we have faced some of the toughest teams in the state.”

Keller loaded up on longer road trips this season in preparation for the playoffs after the No. 26 Bulldogs lost a 16-point halftime lead at No. 7 Pine in the 2023 playoffs.

Building a lead as a sizable underdog isn’t completely new for the Red River squad.

One more measuring stick to boot? Union Parish hosted Oakdale in the first round, winning 42-6.

Red River ended its regular season with a trip to Oakdale, posting a 36-8 victory.

So how did this Red River bunch make such large strides during this season.

Keller points to the improvement of a sophomore-laden offensive line and junior quarterback Malique Smith.

“Malique has been able to handle more of the offense and has shown tremendous improvement in the passing game,” Keller said. “With the offensive line’s improvement, that allows Malique to be comfortable and dice up defenses.”

That allows weapons like Montreveun Smith, Jomello McDonald, Warren Bowman among others shine.

Pair that with a nasty defense that’s held its last five opponents to single-digit points, and Red River has higher goals than just winning its first district title since 2005.

“Union Parish is going to want to control the ball and the clock, so you can’t make a mistake, or you might not get the ball back for awhile.”

To beat a team like Union Parish on the road, Red River might need a little magic.

The Bulldogs have scored a non-offensive touchdown in each of the last four weeks.

That’s something that could wrestle momentum away from Union Parish, something that could catapult the Bulldogs to their first quarterfinals game since 2017.

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