The Blytheville Chickasaws will play their home opener Friday night against the Okolona, Miss. Chieftains.
Chieftain head coach Jack Clark brings his team to Haley Field with a 2-0 record after posting wins over North Panoloa, Miss. and a 14-6 win over Houston, Miss. last week.
The game replaces a spot usually held for West Memphis but a scheduling conflict with West Memphis this season forced Blytheville to find a different non-conference opponent.
"It was either them or Christian Brothers in Memphis," said Blytheville assistant coach Ben Fisher.
Fisher and the rest of the assistant coaching staff of Joey Mosely, Brett Kirk, Mark Quearry and Win Moseley are still filling in for an absent head coach Vince McCrosky, who has been out on medical leave since last week. Fisher said the players have adjusted well to the coaching changes.
"Tuesday we had one of our best practices of the season," he said. "Offensively and defensively. We were upbeat. I think the kids have gotten it in their head that this is the situation right now. We want him (McCrosky) back and we're hoping he comes back but right now, this is what we've got."
The same can be said for the coaching staff.
"We're adjusting well," he said. "Coach Mac said this was one of the best staffs he's been with in his career. After these past two weeks, I can see why he said that. We're all pulling together."
Fisher hopes the team can pull together to stop the speed of the Chieftains.
"They're fast," he said. "They're a spread team. They do a lot of the zone read option and the pistol. They primarily run the ball with their quarterback but they can throw it too."
That quarterback is Tyson Eddie. Fisher said that most of their runs are with the quarterback but Eddie also has another option in running back Dequin Babbit. When Eddie drops back to pass, his favorite target usually is senior Rakeem Bogan.
"They run a pretty basic offense," said Fisher. "But they're not afraid to mix things up. We saw where they ran a reverse play on their own two-yard line. It's their speed that's going to be an issue for us."
Defensively, Fisher said Bogan, a defensive back, and Eddie, a linebacker, are the key players in the their 3-3 stack set.
"They are going to come after you," said Fisher. "They like to fly to the football."
For the Chicks, they are trying to bounce back from a tough, 40-22, loss to rival Osceola a week ago. Offensively, Blytheville moved the ball relatively well with close to 300 yards on offense, but turnovers and inability to convert in the red zone cost the Chicks a lot of points and probably the game.
"We've worked on our red zone strategy," said Fisher. "One of the things we looked at was just at the way we lined up, especially near the goal line."
Along with strategy, Fisher said they've been working on dealing with the intense heat over the last week.
"That was a factor last Friday," he said. "We had a lot of guys just cramping up. So, this week, we've been making sure the kids have stayed hydrated. We made them drink a bottle of water before and after they weight-lifted.
"We've got them drinking gatorade before and after practice. This Friday, we're going to give them some pickle juice before the game."
Dating back to last season, the Chicks have a five-game losing streak. Their last win was a 22-16 decision over Greene County Tech on a cold and rainy night in Paragould. There are no injuries to the starting line up.
afitzpatrick@blythevillecourier.com