FERRIDAY­ — The Huntington Hounds get a tough matchup in 8-2 Class AA Oak Forest this week before they face Wayne Academy in the first round of playoffs on Nov. 9.

“Oak Forest is a tough opponent to play the week before the playoffs,” Huntington head coach Chad Harkins said. “We just have to prepare and get focused on what we do.”

Harkins said the No. 1 goal for the game against the Yellow Jackets is to stay healthy.

“We are going to approach this game like any other,” Harkins said. “We want to win but this game doesn’t mean anything.”

Oak Forest’s option-style offense will pose a challenge for Huntington’s aggressive defense.

Harkins said the Yellow Jackets had some speedy backs that knew how to use their large offensive line.

“They have some big linemen,” Harkins said. “They will spread the ball out and use a double wing to get their option going.”

Harkins said his defense would have to play “responsible football” and play their assignments to contain the run.

Instead of relying on the potent running game in the 41-8 over Claiborne Academy, the Hounds showed some offensive diversity, passing for 163 yards.

Running back Jody Cottongin showed his arm strength at quarterback, going five-of-13 for 97 yards and a touchdown.

“We had some success passing last week,” Harkins said. “Passing is a part of our game we have to work on but we’re not going to pass as much this week as we did last week.”

Harkins said his team was going to focus on getting better and come out Friday night and play hard against Oak Forest.

“We are going to focus on what we do best and make a great game out of it,” Harkins said.