NATCHEZ &8212; While most in the Miss-Lou are treating Friday night&8217;s match-up between No. 1 Huntington and No. 2 Trinity as an event, the Saints and head coach David King are taking a different approach.

Having been part of several big games in their time, King said he and the Saints were treating Friday&8217;s game as a district championship game rather than a titanic struggle.

&8220;We try to make every game mean something,&8221; King said. &8220;This game, for us, is a game for the district championship. It&8217;s our job to give this team a chance to win the state championship, and hosting a district playoff game is part of that.&8221;

Senior defensive tackle Patrick Blanchard said the team was taking the game seriously, but still taking a one-game-at-a-time approach.

&8220;I think that we&8217;re getting a little more fired up just because we know they&8217;re good and this is the first time they&8217;ve been good in a while,&8221; Blanchard said. &8220;But we&8217;re still treating it like a game that will win us the district title, because that&8217;s our goal.&8221;

&8220;We&8217;re trying to stay away from the No. 1 vs. No. 2 and the rivalry thing,&8221; King said. &8220;It&8217;s something that we&8217;re just not trying to do. We&8217;ve been in big games before.&8221;

Blanchard said he was most looking forward to taking Huntington down a notch.

While King acknowledged that Huntington has a few more weapons than his Saints, but said Trinity&8217;s toughness would play a difference.

&8220;They&8217;re probably a little bit quicker, and they probably have more weapons,&8221; he said. &8220;But we&8217;re as tough as anyone. We work them hard every summer, and it shows every fall. After what we put them through in practice, games seem a lot easier.&8221;

Trinity will host Huntington at 7 p.m. Friday.