Adams County Christian School coach David King has been guiding area schools to playoff appearances for nearly two decades, but the playoff thrill never gets old for the grizzled coach.

“Every season is a new season with new relationships and new kids,” King said. “I’m real excited for this year’s team. The school rallies around the team, and high school football is part of our society.”

King’s Rebels, Cathedral High School and Trinity Episcopal have all clinched playoff berths with each squad’s opener set for Friday night.

Cathedral and Trinity will both be on the road at Manchester Academy and Newton County Academy, respectively, while MAS AAA No. 2 ACCS hosts No. 15 North Delta Academy.

“They have the best quarterback that we’ve seen,” King said.

The Green Wave (3-7) stroll into ACCS having lost their past three games. However, two of those losses came by a combined three points.

“Everybody is 0-0 at this time,” King said. “They had some injuries early and lost games, but now they’ve got some keys guys back.”

King said what he thinks best prepared his Rebels (8-2) for the challenges ahead is their first two losses, where they MAIS AAAA opponents Madison-Ridgeland and Jackson academies. Since those early-season losses, ACCS has ripped off eight straight wins.

“You hate to lose, but those games got us in the right frame of mind that we can be a very good ball club,” King said. “We let the MRA game slip away, but to be able to play toe-to-toe with those guys, it let us know we had a good ball club.”

Cathedral at Manchester Academy

Manchester Academy’s offensive philosophy is simple but effective, Cathedral coach Chuck Darbonne said.

“They’re going to run the ball and hit you,” he said. “It doesn’t really matter to them that you know what’s coming; they’re physically and mentally tough.”

No. 12 Cathedral enters Friday’s tilt attempting to reverse its recent fortune after dropping five of its last six games.

The Greenwave have been plagued by injuries and will be without quarterback Connor Mire and wide receiver Craig Bradley.

But Darbonne isn’t making any excuses.

“You can’t do anything about the injuries,” he said. “You have to move on and fill in the next best guy, and I think we’ve done a pretty good job of that. They’re gaining experience every week.”

The No. 5 Mavericks (6-4) and the Greenwave faced one common opponent this season in St. Aloysius. Manchester lost that game 28-21, while Cathedral recorded an 18-14 win.

Darbonne said the key for his squad will be to win the turnover battle and finish drives offensively, something they do effectively, he said.

“I think we have a really good chance to move on to the second round,” Darbonne said.

Trinity at
Newton County Academy

Trinity Episcopal coach Graham Roberts said one looming factor stands out to him when he watches game film of Newton County Academy — how well they’re coached.

“They’re hard-nosed, and they like to pound the rock,” Roberts said.

The No. 6 Generals (7-3) won the MAIS AA crown in 2014, and have won their last five games entering the playoffs.

“Defensively, we’re going to have to stop their rushing attack, that’s first and foremost,” Roberts said.“That will give ourselves a pretty good chance.”

The first-year coach said other keys for his squad include coming out ahead in turnover margin and keeping his high-octane offense on the field as much as possible. The No. 11 Saints have scored 40 or more points four times this season, including 49 points against No. 2 Wilkinson County Christian Academy last week.

“We have to get first downs and score points,” Roberts said. “It’s just that simple.”