Fountain Lake is hoping for positive results in its first game of the season after several coaches and players were quarantined, resulting in the cancellation of its season opener against Hot Springs last week.
Despite that setback, second-year head coach Kenny Shelton is relying on his senior leaders to set the tone as the Cobras kick off their season tonight against England at Allen Tillery Field.
"The guys are really excited," said Shelton. "Unfortunately, we missed our scrimmage game and our first game of the season due to (coronavirus). But the guys have worked extremely hard and (they're) definitely excited to hit somebody besides each other come tomorrow night, and hopefully we can pick up where we left off last season with a good victory for us."
Several factors may prove key when it comes to Fountain Lake's force on the offensive line, and while Shelton recognizes England's myriad of strengths on the field, he and his staff are hoping to gain control early and keep "mistakes to a minimum."
"England definitely has some team-speed," he explained. "Their running backs are pretty fast; they do have one receiver that's pretty quick as well. I do think we can match up with those guys, but we definitely have the advantage up front with our lineman that I think are far superior to theirs. We're looking to come out and establish the line of scrimmage and be able to have a good night offensively."
Shelton said that in comparison to his team, the Lions will have the upper hand when it comes to how often England has been able to practice and the live games they've been able to participate in during the past couple weeks.
"We're definitely going to have some rust, having missed a couple weeks of practice," he admitted. "That's one thing they have the advantage on us. ... They didn't miss any practice and time, and they've had a scrimmage game and one regular game under their belt."
Despite a lack of preparation and competition in a game-situation so far this season, Shelton anticipates that his senior crew of 10 will inspire and ignite a fire for the younger athletes to follow with senior quarterback Jack Wurz leading the charge.
"We got a good group of seniors," Shelton noted. "They've worked extremely hard this offseason and throughout the summer. They did a great job of keeping the guys focused and excited about coming out before they made the announcement that we could even have football. They were still actively having guys work out, and they are definitely ready to play. We're trying to do our best to finish the season without anymore (coronavirus) issues and hopefully every team in the state's doing the same."
The Cobras may face various challenges after having not seen or competed against the Lions last fall, but both opponents carry a similar history that will place them on a somewhat level playing field.
"We didn't have the opportunity to play them last year," explained Shelton. "To me they're very similar as far as what we were last year, their numbers are down pretty low (with) a brand new coach. He's trying to get that program kind of re-established. They've had a lot of coaching changes in the last few years -- very, very reminiscent to what we've kind of gone through. I think we have a little bit more depth than they do, and I think it should be a good night for us."
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.