Last Friday, the Adams County Christian School Rebels should have been on their home field, in front of their fans, playing under the lights in a jamboree game against Trinity Episcopal.

Instead, rain trapped the Rebels in their gym, feral and rabid for their first taste of competitive action.

Senior linebacker and tight end Chris Smotherman was among those on the team clamoring for a chance at full-speed football.

“Everybody in (the locker room) wants to play,” Smotherman said. “We’re itching, whether it’s practice or a game, we just want to get better as a team and grow as a group.”

Smotherman embraces the classic football mentality: bring on the rain, bring on the mud, bring on the grueling heat.

“This is what makes it fun,” Smotherman said.

In his senior season, Smotherman is shouldering a lot of responsibility.

First, he leads a seasoned defense as the Mike linebacker, calling out coverages, relaying reconnaissance to his defense. Last season against Columbia Academy, he realized his studying in the film room had paid off when he could read the play based on the pre-snap footwork of the opposing offensive linemen.

Second, he has one more season to prove his skills to college scouts. The 6-foot-2, 225-pound athlete said he talks regularly to coaches from South Dakota State University, University of Louisiana-Monroe and Louisiana Tech, among others. He hopes that isn’t all the schools he hears from before the season is out.

“It’s the most important season,” he said. “I have to prove that I have what it takes to play at a high level.”

Finally, Smotherman — and the entire ACCS squad — is out for redemption.

The tables have turned for ACCS since its loss to Leake Academy in the MAIS AAA state playoffs last season. At an 11-0 mark entering the second-round matchup, ACCS was far from an underdog,

Now, Smotherman said the Rebels are quietly accepting their underdog status against AAAA juggernaut Madison-Ridgeland Academy.

“You feed off of that and push yourself harder,” Smotherman said. “You have to prove people wrong.”

This season, Smotherman assured the seasoned Rebels defense would win games in crunch time. While he said the offense still needs to get sharper, it doesn’t have to look far for an identity. ACCS’ offense — for the most part — is its defense. Smotherman is one of several ACCS players that plays on both sides of the ball. Because so much of the team is spending drive after drive on the field, the disruption caused by heavy rain could affect the team’s conditioning.

“When guys starting both ways you have to be in shape,” Smotherman said. “You have to want to be out there.”

Rain or shine, Smotherman wants to be on the field against MRA Friday night.

“Last year, we played (Jackson Academy), and everyone gave 100 percent, and they only scored once on us,” Smotherman said. “I think we can do that again, and our defense will win us a lot of games this year … We just have to play more as a group.”