And once again, it will be against another tough opponent in China Spring.
Kickoff for the Class 4A Division I contest is set for 3 p.m. today at Rutledge Stadium in Converse.
The last time the Lions booked a trip to the second round and the San Antonio-area was in 2008. That year, La Feria played at the Alamodome and defeated Bandera 31-14 to earn a spot in the third round of the playoffs, where they fell to Cuero.
But if the Lions hope to get another crack at advancing to the elusive fourth round of the postseason, they’ll have to get past a very tough China Spring squad.
“At this round, everybody is good,” said La Feria head coach Oscar Salinas. “We know they’re a top-ranked team in Division I 4A right now, but at this level we know everybody’s good and I feel we match up well against them.
“If we play like we played last week and like we’ve been playing the second part of the season, I feel we can beat them.”
Last week the Lions defeated Beeville Jones 67-31 in a game where they dominated the second half.
“Our tempo finally got to them,” said Salinas of his team’s win over Beeville. “We wore them out with our offensive tempo. Coach (Ruben) Zambrano came up with a great defensive adjustment in the second half and took away their big plays.”
In the game, the Lions racked up 579 offensive yards — 281 passing and 298 rushing.
However, China Spring is known for its defensive play and has not allowed more than 19 point in its last five games.
Yet the Lions’ offense has been clicking since the inclusion of some important players midway through the season.
“Our offense has been in a good rhythm because of the tempo we’ve been able to incorporate,” said Salinas. “We’ve been able to really mix it up now since we got Russ Gonzalez back from injury. Our offensive line has matured more and they are doing a great job protecting. We have some speed on the outsides that can play with anybody.
“Right now we are in a rhythm and we’re healthy and the bottom line is that we are the healthiest that we’ve ever been.”