By Robert Hudson

The Selma Times-Journal

It’s only the first game of the regular season, but when the Morgan Academy Senators take the field Friday night, they’ll be playing a game with playoff-implications.

The Senators football team will play a region game at home Friday night against the Tuscaloosa Academy Knights at 7 p.m.

Morgan Academy head coach Brian King is expecting a bunch of different looks from the Knights.

“We know that their coach is a big Wing-T guy, so we’re preparing for that,” King said. “Also, scouting them, they run a lot of spread this year, so it’s probably going to be a dual attack of Wing-T and spread, which are two entirely different offenses that we’ve got to be prepared for.”

King said he and his staff have been working extra hard to prepare for the Knights’ diverse offense.

“We’ve focused a lot on defense this week, just knowing where to be against each set,” King said. “We’ve definitely employed a more aggressive safety approach this week.”

King said he would employ a number of different sets to prevent the Knights from getting outside to the edge with bootlegs and toss plays.

With this being a region game, a game that will determine the Senators’ postseason fate, King said it’s especially important for his team to win.

“This is our first step, first game and it’s a region game,” King said. “They’re in between us and the playoffs. It’s a must win. There’s no other option, so we’ve been focused on what we can do. We’re not worried about anything else.”

King has been telling his team that if they work as hard as they can and execute, they’ll capture the win.

Offensively, Morgan Academy has been working on its basic offense.

“We’ve just been working on our I-formation and working on being able to move the football against their 4-3 defense,” King said. “Of course, first game of the season, we’re not completely sure what we’ll see from them. We’re just preparing what we know the best we can.”

Morgan Academy head coach Brian King is expecting a bunch of different looks from the Knights.

“We know that their coach is a big Wing-T guy, so we’re preparing for that,” King said. “Also, scouting them, they run a lot of spread this year, so it’s probably going to be a dual attack of Wing-T and spread, which are two entirely different offenses that we’ve got to be prepared for.”

King said he and his staff have been working extra hard to prepare for the Knights’ diverse offense.

“We’ve focused a lot on defense this week, just knowing where to be against each set,” King said. “We’ve definitely employed a more aggressive safety approach this week.”

King said he would employ a number of different sets to prevent the Knights from getting outside to the edge with bootlegs and toss plays.

With this being a region game, a game that will determine the Senators’ postseason fate, King said it’s especially important for his team to win.

“This is our first step, first game and it’s a region game,” King said. “They’re in between us and the playoffs. It’s a must win. There’s no other option, so we’ve been focused on what we can do. We’re not worried about anything else.”

King has been telling his team that if they work as hard as they can and execute, they’ll capture the win.

Offensively, Morgan Academy has been working on its basic offense.

“We’ve just been working on our I-formation and working on being able to move the football against their 4-3 defense,” King said. “Of course, first game of the season, we’re not completely sure what we’ll see from them. We’re just preparing what we know the best we can.”