By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

Riverside coach Mickey Roussel warned his team this week that seedings can be deceiving. He didn’t have to search far for an example.

“Mangham’s the 25 seed. I asked my kids if they knew what that meant, and noone said anything,” said Roussel.

“We were the 25 seed last year, and we beat number eight and number nine. It’s possible, and we’ve all seen it first hand. So it’s a very easy point to get across this year.”

Not as easy for the Rebels is preparing to weather Mangham’s single-wing offense, an offensive attack Riverside has not seen this season.

“They do things differently, and it’s hard to prepare for,” said Roussel. “That single-wing, you don’t see it much.

They do a lot out of it and it makes you spend a little more time in preparation for it. It’s not like facing a spread team when you’ve faced five of them in the regular season. You have to start from the beginning.”

Roussel guesses that Mangham’s plan of attack will be to grind out scoring drives and keep Riverside’s explosive offense off the field.

No team has truly stopped Riverside this season and the Rebels enter the postseason having scored 40 points or more in all but two contests. The Rebels are also battle tested, with three district games coming against teams set in the top 13 seeds in 2A, including No. 1 (Curtis) and No. 3 (St. Charles).

Mangham has also battled tough teams in its own District 2-2A, which includes Ferriday (9) and Farmerville (14).

“They’re a good team from a good district. I’m expecting a good test for our team,” said Roussel.

Mangham is coming in on a two game winning streak, most recently defeating Lake Providence, 35-28.

Riverside, meanwhile, broke through against Newman with a win in a shootout, 44-37, on Darnell Rachal’s game-winning touchdown run with five seconds left.

The Rebels survived a big game by Newman receiver/rusher Odell Beckham, Jr. Beckham accounted for five total touchdowns and 225 total yards (68 rushing, 79 receiving, 88 passing).

Rachal’s big night offset Beckham’s charge, though, as he’d finish with 199 yards and five scores.