For the second straight week, Bogalusa is on the road in Tangipahoa Parish and this week is the start of District 7-3A play, as the Lumberjacks play Independence.

The Lumberjacks won last year’s game 33-28.

Bogalusa comes into this contest with an 0-5 record after a 35-6 loss to Loranger last Thursday.

The Lumberjacks, who are 45th in the unofficial Class 3A power point ratings, have struggled to put up points this year. They’ve scored just 12 points in the four games played. The first week was a forfeit loss to Southern Lab. The offense has scored just six points, but one of the bright spots last week was the running of Chas Smith. He rushed for 27 yards on seven carries (3.8 yards per attempt) and helped the Lumberjacks convert a pair of third downs last week with runs on third-and-1 and third-and-5.

“Sometimes, you’ve got to take advantage of these situations when you get a shot,” Bogalusa coach David Roberts said. “The other guys will get to run. They’re a little bigger than him. Chas has good vision. He’s Sean Forbes’ cousin and you can see the resemblance.

“Javon (Tate) banged his shoulder up a little bit and LaTodrain (Dillon) had a little ankle issue. They’ll both be back and they’ll be in there as well. Both of them can also help you in other areas, so giving Chas more snaps will help keep them fresh.”

The defense has played well this season, Roberts said.

“Defense played pretty good and I’m going to give Loranger credit. They’ve got good running backs. They did some things with the run/pass option. Those things are hard to defend,” Roberts said.

Last week, the defense got into the end zone when Tramarcus Levi picked up a loose ball from a backwards pass and returned it 26 yards for a touchdown. Dominique Tillman helped create a pair of turnovers by intercepting two passes last week.

Independence enters this week with a 1-4 record. Last week, the Tigers suffered a 26-24 loss to Belaire. The Tigers’ win came in week one when they defeated Springfield, 28-18.

“Independence is big up front,” Roberts said. “They’ve got a bunch of strong linemen. They’re going to line up and smash right at you. I feel we’ve had a good week of practice so far, and hopefully it’ll continue. We’re trying to build on what we did at the end of the game last week and get better.”

Independence is 38th in the unofficial power ratings for Class 3A.