NATCHEZ — It may be Ron Rushing’s first time to coach against his alma mater as a head coach, but it’s not his first time to coach against it period.

When Rushing’s Cathedral High School travels to Adams County Christian School tonight, Rushing said he’ll cease his Rebel fandom for approximately two-and-a-half hours.

“I’ve actually coached against them before when I was (an assistant coach) at Brookhaven Academy and Trinity,” Rushing said.

“It’s not really a concern for me. I still love the school, but from 7 to 9:30, I’ll be all Green Wave. After that, I’ll still be pulling for them in all the sports they play.”

And Rushing said he’s expecting the game to be hard-fought.

“I think they’ll be bigger than us,” Rushing said. “They’re a big, strong team, and their kids play hard. I think it’s going to be a slobberknocker.”

ACCS head coach Hunter McKeivier said he’s trying to prepare his team for Cathedral’s athleticism both offensively and defensively.

“Offensively, I expect to see a lot of athletes,” McKeivier said. “They have good athletes on the outside with the slot receivers and regular wide receivers.

“They have a good running back in the (J.D.) Ealey kid, and a good quarterback in (Caleb) Upton. Defensively, we saw them run a 3-5-3 in the jamboree, and they have a lot of speed that we’ll have to try to counter as best we can.”

Rushing said it’s good for the community that the two teams decided to play a home-and-home with one another both this season and next.

“It’s basically another home game for us,” Rushing said. “It’s less time for us to travel, and it’s good for us to start a friendly rivalry with them. It’s just win-win all the way around.”

McKeivier also said he’s glad the two teams are getting to square off.

“As many schools as this community has, it’s good to have games between each other,” McKeivier said.

“These guys grew up playing against each other in Dixie Youth baseball, so it’s sort of for bragging rights in the city. It’s fun for the community, but it can be stressful for the coaches.”

McKeivier also said he’s noticed a lot more focus this week in practice.

“We’ve had a couple of better practices this week than we’ve had all fall,” McKeivier said. “I was pleased with the way we looked (Thursday), and you really start to see a little more focus the week of a rivalry game.

“We preach focus all year, but when they line up against people they grew up with, it’s special for them.”

Rushing said his players are also eager to get out on the field.

“I heard there was a lot of excitement over there this week, and there should be,” Rushing said. “I know we’ve had a countdown timer for 180 days (until kickoff). We’re definitely excited to finally have a chance to play.”

Kickoff at ACCS is at 7 tonight.