It’s been a tough year for coach Bo Swilley and his 0-3 Adams County Christian School Rebels. With the Centreville Academy Tigers paying them a visit tonight at 7 p.m., however, things may get worse before they get better.

&uot;They’re a traditional power,&uot; Swilley said of the Tigers. &uot;That tradition goes a long way. It makes the kids really believe they can win every game.&uot;

The key to this game will be keeping the ball away from Centreville (2-1), Swilley said, especially from Tiger tailbacks John Vincent and Johnathon Newman.

&uot;They’ve always been good at running the ball,&uot; Swilley said. &uot;The only difference this year is they’re throwing the ball, and they look pretty good at it. For us, that makes a bad situation worse.&uot;

To combat the Centreville offense, Swilley said his defensive line needs to dominate up front to allow linebackers Jason Rollins and Chase Bradford the ability to move up and down the line.

&uot;Our linebackers really need to play heads-up football,&uot; Swilley said. &uot;They really need to play smart.&uot;

Swilley said not to be fooled by the fact that the Tigers only scored 13 points last week in a win against Amite School Center.

&uot;They might not have scored many points, but that doesn’t mean they’re not capable,&uot; he said.

Against Centreville’s stingy defense — the Tigers have only allowed 15 points in their last two games — Swilley said his game plan is to mix up the run and pass as much as possible &uot;to keep them off balance.&uot;

With no wins so far this season, the game would be important even if it weren’t the district opener, Swilley said.

But with the district ramifications, &uot;This is our most important game so far,&uot; he said. &uot;A win here puts us in the position to make it to the play-offs.

&uot;I really believe that everyone has to head through Centreville to win a district title,&uot; he added.