NATCHEZ &8212; Friday&8217;s scrimmage at Adams County Christian School provided coaches and fans the first real glimpse of what this upcoming football season holds in store.

&8220;Well we only used four plays during each scrimmage, but I like to think it helped us,&8221; ACCS head coach Bobby Marks said. &8220;We have only had a week of practicing in pads, so this is the first chance we have had to see our guys against someone else&8217;s players.&8221;

With just one week&8217;s worth of practice under their belts, the Rebels looked good, easily besting both Tensas Academy and Central Private Academy during the 15-play scrimmages.

&8220;We looked pretty good,&8221; Coach Marks said. &8220;We got six yards a carry on offense and defensively we didn&8217;t give up many first downs.&8221;

Offensively the Rebels churned out first downs at will as the offensive line opened up lanes for backs Matthew Guedon, Austin Williams, Tel Faulkner, and Brian Sanderson.

Defensively the Rebels employed a number of blitzes to keep the offenses of both Tensas and Central Private off-balance. The team&8217;s ability to blitz effectively will be essential to keep opponents from exposing their inexperienced secondary.

&8220;They caught us off-guard with some of that stuff,&8221; Tensas coach Chris Jacobs said, referring to the blitzes.

For schools smaller in size, the importance of scrimmages can not be overstated as Jacobs was quick to point out.

&8220;We have been practicing a lot of junior high guys against high schoolers just like everybody at this level does,&8221; Jacobs said. &8220;The nice thing about scrimmages is that you get the chance to do some things you can&8217;t do just practicing against your own team.

Things didn&8217;t go as well for the Chiefs, whose defense was shredded by ACCS and hit with big plays by Central Private.

&8220;Well, our guys found out they weren&8217;t as good as they thought they were,&8221; Jacobs said. &8220;But we have only been in pads a week and I think we&8217;re about where we should be at this point.&8221;