centreville — Last season Centreville Academy cruised past Amite School Center 54-15, but when the Tigers open up their 2011 season Friday they expect to see a much-improved Rebels squad standing on the opposing sideline, Centreville assistant coach Robbie Isonhood said.

“From what I’ve heard they have a good turnout this year, and they have a lot of returning players,” Isonhood said. “

Isonhood said Amite has weapons in the offensive backfield, including do-it-all running back Bull Toler, that the Tigers will have to game plan against.

“From what I saw in the jamboree films they run a bullet formation and a pistol and try to spread you out,” Isonhood said. “We have to contain their running backs and watch Bull Toler, because he’s a hard runner, and when he gets his pads down he’s coming at you. If we stop them we aught to be alright.”

Isonhood said the Tigers’ defense stood out to him in their jamboree win over Parklane Academy last week. But, he did see some concerns with the offense.

“The offense seems to struggle, in my opinion, at the beginning of the year,” he said. “It takes kids a while to get in game mode.”

Centreville has used the week leading up to its first contest to fine tune all aspects of its game, Isonhood said.

“I’m the offensive line coach, and we’ve focused on technique and form,” he said.

Isonhood said his unit would be a major factor in the team’s success Friday.

“I’ve got three returning linemen, so I’m expecting a good showing out of them,” he said. “Our skill players have an enormous amount of talent. We have really talented backs and wide receivers returning, so if the line does what they are supposed to do we should be able to score.”

Centreville got off to an 0-3 start last season, and Isonhood said it is very important that this year’s team start fast.

“(The first game) is extremely important,” he said. “That sets the tone for the rest of the year. (It’s big) if you can start that year off with a win and get that momentum rolling. A big part of football is building confidence.”

Centreville will travel to Amite School Center, and the game will kick off at 7 p.m.