Hebron Christian School is learning a new style of football on the fly.
In the summer, the Eagles shifted from Mississippi Association of Independent Schools 11-man competition to MAIS eight-man play.
Now with a season opener and an open date in the books, Hebron Christian is ready for its next challenge at 7 tonight at Calvary Christian.
“We learned so much by playing our first game,” Hebron Christian coach Tri Nason said. “It”s a different brand of football. We have worked hard in practice and are ready to make some changes. I am excited to see what our team has learned by playing another game.”
Hebron Christian lost to Strider Academy 34-16 in its season opener Aug. 19. Despite the loss, Nason saw several positives.
“In the fourth quarter, we had a drive and found a way to score,” Nason said. “I was really proud of the effort. I thought we played hard the entire game. To see the attitude and the fight meant a lot to us as coaches. We did some things we have worked hard on in practice well. Even though the game got away from us, we could take several positives from it.”
When the team addressed its mistakes last week in practice, the coaching staff felt changes were needed. As a result, a decision was made to turn quarterback Corbin Rogers loose.
“We have a quarterback we are confident in, and we are going to use him more,” Nason said. “The biggest thing for us (entering tonight”s game) is the element of surprise. We are going to do a lot of things differently. Calvary will have to defend against the element of surprise.”
While the team practiced eight-man football from the beginning of preseason camp, it was a lot easier for the coaches to coach and to correct mistakes after four quarters of live action.
“The main thing with eight-man football is you have to defend more,” Nason said. “You have to be good at open-field tackling. Essentially every player is a defensive back. For each player, you have are the last line of defense.
“Offensively, you have to spread the field more. The goal now is to attack and score on every possession. That is style of play you have to have to be successful.”
Calvary (0-2) has lost to Central Academy 22-14 and to Kemper Academy 38-14.
Oak Hill Academy (0-2) at Indianola Academy (1-1)
Oak Hill Academy first-year coach Benjie Merchant sees a lot of similarities between his Raiders and his opponent at 7 tonight.
“They have 22 players,” Merchant said. “They have a decent running back and decent speed. However, they have struggled with consistency. What we have seen on film is that the two teams appear very similar.”
Oak Hill Academy is trying to bounce back from a 42-6 loss at Winston Academy last week. The Patriots sprinted to a 34-0 halftime advantage and cruised to the victory.
“The key for us is to keep a positive attitude,” Merchant said. “The morale is still good. However, eventually you have to find a way to win. I thought we competed last week and gave a good effort, but we were outmanned in a couple of areas.”
Fullback Reid Posey scored the lone touchdown for the Raiders. Oak Hill Academy lost its season opener to Newton Academy 18-7.
“Defensively, we have had a couple of lapses, but overall we have played well,” Merchant said. “Offensively, we are still moving some people and trying to find out what we can do well. It is a new philosophy.
“However, the attitude has been great. The kids have been working hard. During the offseason, during weight training, during fall practice, the sprit has been real good. It is all about trying to turn around a program. We are working hard each day trying to get that accomplished.”
Indianola Academy opened the season with a 50-21 win at Bayou. It lost to Lee Academy 18-6 last week in its home opener.
“It is about fundamentals and staying positive for both of us,” Merchant said. “We have had a good week of practice. Hopefully, that will carry over to (tonight).”
Indianola Academy won last season”s meeting, 25-0.
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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