The Northwest Raiders have been hit hard by injuries since the beginning of the football season.

Coach Chris Edwards, whose team has won six of its last seven games in the face of adversity, will be without star LSU commitment Markez Davis when the No. 13-seeded Raiders host No. 20 Erath on Friday at 7 p.m. in a Division II non-select bi-district playoff game.

"It will be a challenge both offensively and defensively," Edwards said of facing the Bobcats without the 6-foot-4 senior receiver and defensive back, who suffered a shoulder injury in a 35-7 win over Church Point in Week 9.

"We're playing it safe. He's about a week out from returning."

The Raiders (7-3) also lost senior quarterback Justin Chavis to a season-ending injury in a Week 2 win over Kinder. Sophomore Chaise Dupre, who didn't play against Kinder either, is the eighth-leading passer in the area with 1,306 yards and 16 touchdowns.

"Chaise stepped in and has done a great job," Edwards said. "He was competing for the starting job. We have all the confidence in him. The quarterback position is in great hands."

Davis is the area's fifth-leading receiver with 21 catches for 490 yards and six touchdowns. Mhy'kael Richard ranks ninth with 21 receptions for 446 yards and five scores.

"He has taken over the last couple of weeks," Edwards said of Richard, another 6-foot-4 target. "He's made some great contested catches."

Jayden Lazard, the reigning district track and field 200-meter champion, leads the team in rushing with nearly 600 yards and is third in receiving with 300 yards. Two-way standout Frederick Nimer leads the team in tackles and rushing touchdowns (nine).

"(Nimer) sets the tone offensively and defensively," Edwards said of the senior, who averages 10 tackles per game. "He's one of the best kids to come through this program. I can't wait to see what the future holds for him."

Additional skill players to watch include sophomore Christopher Cane, 6-foot-3 senior Kaedon Jenkins and freshman Jeremey Ledet. Cane missed a few weeks as well.

"We'll spread the ball around to continue to find the right matchup," Edwards said.

Defensively, tackle Damon Jones and linebacker Jermaine Clark have been instrumental for a unit that has allowed 14-or-fewer points in five of its last seven games.

Jone and Clark have played both sides of the ball. A three-year starter, Jones can line up at tight end, while Clark was the quarterback in the win over Kinder.

"We have a senior-laden group," Edwards said. "The 24 seniors know what it takes."

The Raiders, who reached the 2023 semifinals as a No. 22 seed (lost to Cecilia), will take on an Erath program that moved up a division after earning a No. 5 seed last year.

"It's definitely not an easy draw," said Edwards, who praised the Bobcats' complex offense. "They're a very well-coached team that does a lot. They run a lot of things."

Two of the 5-5 Bobcats' losses were to Class 5A teams Walker and Lafayette High. Erath lost a 56-49 shootout to Walker and fell 38-3 to Lafayette without quarterback Landen Derouen, who won MVP at a prestigious national baseball event that weekend.

"We'll have to keep him contained," Edwards said. "(DeRouen) is a Division I baseball guy. He's very athletic."

Northwest's only district loss was to undefeated Eunice by a seven-point margin.

The winner of Friday's game travels to No. 4 North DeSoto (10-0).

"Like I told the guys, people from the outside have a different perception than us as a coaching staff," Edwards said. "We only lost to Notre Dame, which is No. 1 in their division, No. 3 Eunice and No. 6 Opelousas.

"We could've won two of those games. People forgot about us, but this is our time of the year when we tend to make a run."