VIDALIA — Vidalia High School won’t be getting any relief from its tough end-of-the-season portion of the schedule.

The Vikings (1-7, 0-4) are set to host Marksville High School 7-1, 4-0) tonight, which is ranked No. 3 in LHSAA 3A, and is currently leading in District 3-3A.

“They have some small, quick backs and big, athletic offensive linemen,” Vikings head coach Gary Parnham said.

“They run an unorthodox offense. It’s a lot like the Notre Dame box. They do a lot of misdirection and spin plays, which are very difficult to stop. We certainly have our hands full.”

Parnham said it’s tough trying to defend plays that rely on making opposing defenses uncomfortable.

“You just have to be disciplined, stay in your lanes and play the gaps,” he said. “You can’t just fly in there. You have to take care of your area, and it’s hard to teach a high school kid to do that.”

With the Vikings eliminated from any postseason contention, making sure players play with passion at this point isn’t easy for the coaches, Parnham said.

“A lot of basketball players are ready for that, and others are ready to focus on baseball, so it’s a tough chore,” he said.

“All you can do is emphasize playing for pride, especially among the seniors. Hopefully that plays on them mentally and gets in their heart, where they want to play the last two games of their careers hard.”

It’s also an opportunity for the younger players to build some experience and confidence as the Vikings prepare for offseason workouts.

“With the younger guys, we try to emphasize improvement and building on next year,” Parnham said. “We’ve been playing a lot of young kids because of that.

“We’ve basically thrown them to the wolves. Even without us having injuries amongst our starters, we’re getting them in games.”

Backup quarterback Michael Whitley, a freshman, is someone Parnham is specifically trying to give reps, he said.

“The game may be a little fast for him right now. It’s certainly faster than it was in junior high, but he’s doing a great job, and it’ll slow down the longer he’s out there,” Parnham said.

When looking back on 2010, Parnham said it was a season full of potential.

“All that means is, you ain’t done nothing yet. We never fulfilled our potential,” he said.

Kickoff is at 7 tonight at Vidalia.