A week after dropping its season opener to cross county rival Lake Hamilton, Lakeside hopes to turn things around tonight as it travels to Sheridan to face the Yellowjackets.
Head coach Jared McBride is confident in his team's ability to bounce back from last week's loss and to not overlook any players that may generate various threats on both sides of the ball.
"They're getting the ball to a lot of different players," McBride explained. "We've got to be able to identify some looks and cover the entire field. They're doing a good job of spreading the ball around in the run and the pass game, so we've just got to be able to defend."
The Rams are facing back-to-back Class 6A teams for the first time, and McBride said that his athletes are "excited" and looking forward to having another opportunity to play football. He also explained that they will face a "good Sheridan team" as they continue to prepare for their 5A South conference schedule.
Lakeside also anticipates the opportunity to compete on the road after having just played one actual game so far this season.
"We're looking to improve on some areas, just being more consistent and being able to finish the game," McBride explained.
The 11-year head coach and his Rams see last week's season opener as an "opportunity to play, get better and to see and tackle someone else" after a spring and summer that was limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic
"Our kids played hard and fought back last week and were in it there at the end," he admitted. "(We've) just got to make those plays in the end."
With some familiar faces returning to Sheridan's lineup and sideline this fall, Lakeside is looking to capitalize on any new challenges that may prevent the Yellowjackets' ability to execute plays and score.
"For us, we were able to scrimmage them (in) a benefit game (for) the last several years, so we're familiar with their personnel," McBride noted. "They've got a new head coach so that changes things up a little bit, but we'll see a good 6A football team there on Friday night."
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Yellowjacket Stadium.