By Patrick Murphy

The Natchez Democrat

FERRIDAY – Ferriday High School Trojans will host 4A Plaquemine High School Green Devils on Friday in the Trojans’ home opener.

The Trojans (0-1) come into this season with a No. 8 rank in Class 2A Louisiana High School Athletic Association’s preseason polls.

During practices this week, Trojans head coach Stanley Smith said he wants to the team to focus on three important aspects where they struggled last week against Alexandria Senior High School.

The Alexandria High Trojans beat Ferriday, 35-22.

“We have had a problem with a lot of people cramping up, so we’re making sure we condition well and push them hard,” Smith said. “We have got to work on some tackling drills. We didn’t tackle well last week. We also have to work on special teams. We need to iron it out and get the right people in position.”

Two players who had an impact in the game against Alexandria were quarterback Kobe Dillon and running back Bryon Milligan. Dillon ran for 164 yards on 16 carries and rushed for two touchdowns while Milligan ran for 127 yards on eight carries. Dillon said his goal for Friday is to win.

“I just want to put up some scores against a bigger school,” Dillon said. “We want to go out there and beat them and come away with the upset.”

This Friday is the Trojans’ home opener. Last season, they were 6-0 at Meiz Field. Smith said it’s always going to be packed at Meiz Field.

“We want to make sure we put on a show for the crowd,” Smith said. “They’re going to let you know if you’re doing good or bad. This is a town where we pride ourselves with the black and gold. We travel well and when we come home we’re going to pack those stands.”

The Green Devils come into this game after a win against Livonia High School. The Green Devils beat the Wildcats, 38-7.  Smith said the Green Devils have had a successful program for the last 5-10 years.

“I think it’s going to be a great opportunity for our kids to compete against a bigger school,” Smith said. “We get a large classification school to town; it’s a big deal for us. I think it’s going to be a big time game. It’s going to be a clash of the Titans.”

The game will start at 7 p.m. on Friday at Ferriday High Meiz Field.