It's where Leesville wants to be. It's how Terence Williams wants his program to develop. It's where six state championships reside.
It's also where Leesville plays Saturday night.
Thanks to Hurricane Gustav and the chaos that he brought along with his winds and rain, the 4A No. 4 Leesville Wampus Cats will go from hosting Jennings tonight to traveling to West Monroe to take on Class 5A No. 2 West Monroe at Rebel Stadium Saturday at 6 p.m.
It's an opportunity Williams and the Wampus Cats embrace wholeheartedly.
"We, as coaches, are trying to get our kids to play at a championship level," Williams explained. "They [West Monroe] are already there. This is a great opportunity for us. Most of these players won't have a chance to play at a place like this again at the high school level. We're excited about the challenge."
A challenge indeed.
The Rebels are coming off a season which could be considered subpar for a championship caliber program. They lost in the second round of the Class 5A playoffs a year ago, but are poised to make another run at the Louisiana Superdome in December.
It's where Leesville wants to be and could be with the talent lining up for the Wampus Cats. First, they have to go toe-to-toe with a bigger and deeper team that could help somewhere down the line.
"First things first, it's our job as coaches to get this team ready to play a team this caliber," Williams said. "But whatever happens, we'll be a better football team for playing West Monroe.
"With that said, we have to be precise at every position on the field," Williams continued. "Obviously West Monroe is well-coached. They will be prepared for us, I can guarantee that. It will likely come down to whichever team has better technique. The little things help you win big games."
The obvious matchups between the two teams begins with the offensive skill players. It may be a meeting of the two best backfield combinations in the state this season. Leesville's duo of Michael Ford and Travante Stallworth have gotten the headlines about being the state's best tandem.
However, Rebels head coach Don Shows can match up with seniors D.J. Banks (5-10, 175) at quarterback and Ladarius Abrams (5-9, 185) at fullback. Banks has committed to Tulane, while Abrams is being recruited by Louisiana Tech, Tulane and Arkansas. Abrams will move from fullback to tailback depending on whether or not the Rebels are in a spread formation or a more traditional I-formation.
"No doubt those guys are the key for them on offense," Williams said. "As a defense we have to tackle well and not let them run between the tackles. Our defensive line has to play exceptionally well on first and second down. I'll take our chances if we make them pass on third down."
With Ford and Stallworth, it's easy for the rest of the Wampus Cats to depend on the two stars for points. On the contrary, Williams wants diversity in his offense that will make them dangerous in Class 4A this season.
"We can't just hand off to Michael and think we'll win because he's the best running back in the state, or depend on Travante," Williams said. "Our receivers need to step up. Our offensive line has to play together as one unit. It's a great challenge for us, but our kids are excited about the opportunity."
The Rebels will try to defend the Cats' vaunted spread offense with a 3-4 alignment, led by a physical defensive line. Sophomore noseguard Chuck Hunter (6-1, 295), and ends Jordan Allen (6-6, 250) and Matt Gilley (5-11, 220) lead the way but the most formidable name on defense is linebacker turned safety Barkevious Mingo (6-5, 210), who is being heavily-recruited by several elite colleges such as LSU, Alabama, Florida and USC.
Leesville is coming off a lethargic performance in a 7-0 win over Winnfield at the Natchitoches jamboree a week ago. However, the team had to wait four hours to play a 15-minute period during which they ran only 12 offensive plays.
Then Gustav entered the picture and Leesville couldn't go through its normal game week routine. The Cats returned to practice Wednesday.
"The layoff really didn't hurt us that badly," Williams said. "The kids were energized and excited about playing West Monroe. In fact, they have been text messaging me constantly about when we would practice, even during church last Sunday. Most of them started showing up Wednesday at 1 p.m. even though we didn't practice until 3."
This game will mark the second meeting between West Monroe and Leesville. In 1985, the Wampus Cats knocked the Rebels out of the Class 4A playoffs with a 49-14 victory in the second round at Wampus Cat Stadium.
Game time is set for 6 p.m. A full house is expected so Leesville fans are encouraged to arrive early. Tickets will be available at the gate.
DIRECTIONS TO REBEL STADIUM: Travel north on Hwy. 165 through Pineville and up to Monroe. From Interstate-20, head west and take Exit 115 (Stella-Mill) and follow the signs to Mill Street. Turn left at the first traffic light onto N. 7th Street (La. 143). Rebel Stadium is 0.8 miles ahead at the intersection of N. 7th and Travis Street. Access can also be obtained on Thomas Road off I-20 and onto N. 7th Street from Thomas Road, which contains several restaurant opportunities.