NATCHEZ — The Adams County Christian School Rebels are looking for a tough season-opener Friday night when they host the Oak Forest Academy Yellow Jackets of Amite, Louisiana.

The Yellow Jackets are currently ranked No. 1 in Class 6A, said ACCS Head Coach David King.

“They’re bigger than us, but we’re slower if that can tell you anything,” King said of the Yellow Jackets. “And, they’ve got 65 and we’ve got 22 players. They’re bigger than we are and we’re slower but besides that we feel like we are in good shape.” ACCS beat the Yellow Jackets 26-20 in overtime last year.

“I know that they’ve got some revenge on their mind, and they’ve got 26 seniors,” King said. “They’ve got four more seniors than we’ve got players.”

King said his team has been working hard in practice and has learned a good bit from last Thursday’s jamboree games against Parklane and Centreville Academy in which both games ended 0-0.

“This is going to be a rebuilding year for us,” King said. “We kind of know that and we are going to get everything we can out of the team.”

The Rebels also have moved up to Class 5A in the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools this year after claiming last year’s Class 3A championship.

The team lost a few key seniors last year but has nine seniors on this year’s squad.

“The boys’ spirits are good, but we’re just young and inexperienced and not many players,” King said. “That is a trifecta you don’t want to have in 5A.”

On Tuesday afternoon the Rebels ran drills, practiced special teams and formations.

“We’re going to lay it out there, and our boys are always going to play hard,” King said of Friday’s opener. “We are going to represent our school with pride and play hard and do the best we can. We are going to have some fun out there and that’s the main thing for football is to have fun.”