If there’s been one consistent area of success for North Bend’s football team in recent weeks, it’s been the squad’s offense.

That’s good news for the Bulldogs, because they need to spend as much time as possible this week on their defense, preparing for a dangerous La Salle squad.

North Bend hosts the Falcons in the second round of the playoffs Friday night. The game kicks off at 7 p.m. at Vic Adams Field, with the winner advancing to the Class 4A quarterfinals.

North Bend coach Rick Taylor got a good look at the Falcons Friday night, when La Salle beat Philomath 35-34 in a double-overtime thriller to open the playoffs. He knows his team is up for a test this week.

“They’ve very good,” Taylor said. “They’ve got a diverse passing game (with) a lot of formations.”

The Falcons use multiple receivers and also can run well.

During the win over Philomath, La Salle quarterback Tommy O’Dell threw for more than 300 yards and three touchdowns. Running back Mike Becker carried 21 times for 76 yards and two scores.

La Salle Kicker Austin Thul has a potent leg and has hit a couple of field goals from more than 40 yards this season.

La Salle is 7-3 overall and beat playoff teams Siuslaw and Banks, as well as traditional power Scappoose, during the nonleague season. In league play, the Falcons lost to Capital Conference champion Estacada and runner-up Gladstone. La Salle also lost 13-7 to Stayton in a game that featured three interceptions by O’Dell and three other turnovers.

Stayton, La Salle and North Marion tied for third place, though La Salle won the tiebreaker to reach the playoffs.

“They’re in a tough league, so they’ve had tough games,” Taylor said of the Falcons. “They’ve had good experience with good teams.

“It’s going to be a great ballgame.”

North Bend has had some trouble with passing teams, though in most cases, the Bulldogs have done a great job adjusting during the games.

“The kids seem to pick up an awareness as the game goes on,” Taylor said. “I feel real good about the kids making on-field adjustments. (Defensive coordinator) Gary Prince does a great job of getting the kids prepared.”

A good example is North Bend’s preseason win over Sweet Home, when the Huskies converted two long touchdown passes early and then the Bulldogs shut down the offense the rest of the night.

It’s not just La Salle’s passing game that has Taylor’s attention.

“They have running plays that have stymied some of the team’s they’ve seen, so we have to be concerned with that,” he said.

Another concern for the Bulldogs will be not falling behind too much early.

“We want to keep them from jumping out ahead,” Taylor said. “Several teams have gotten ahead of us this year, and we’ve come back.”

The good news is with North Bend’s combination offense of triple-option and wing-T performing in high gear in recent weeks, the Bulldogs should be able to move the ball, too.

North Bend’s only loss since the season-opening endowment game against Marshfield was when the Bulldogs turned the ball over seven times against South Umpqua.

“We haven’t lost a game when we’ve won the turnover battle,” Taylor said.

North Bend hopes to control the clock.

“We need to keep the ball in our hands,” Taylor said. “We need to keep the ball away from La Salle.”

Fortunately, the way fullback Jake Lucero and wing backs Cody Harden and Cameron Seiger have been running the ball, North Bend has had a lot of success in recent weeks.

“Our running game has been really, really good and we feel real confident in that,” Taylor said, adding that the line has done a great job springing the backs for big gains.

“I really enjoy watching the kids block and the way they execute,” Taylor said. “It’s been fun. If we can do that, it puts us in a lot better position at the end of the game.”