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The state champs are finally back home, after a long road trip to open their season. Chambers Academy will play a regional opponent, Edgewood, at 7:00 p.m. CT on Friday for their home opener. 

The Rebels start the season 2-1, after falling to Mississippi Starkville Academy in their first game. However, they have looked solid in their last two away games, winning 35-7 against Fort Dale and 48-16 against Valiant Academy. 

“[Edgewood] is very well coached. That [coach] has been there for five or six years now, and we played them as much as anybody. So he knows he knows a lot about us, and we know a lot about him. So we’re expecting those guys to come in here and be ready to play,” said Jason Allen, Chamber’s head coach.

The Wildcats have a big quarterback, and Allen said they have a strong running game. 

Allen added that the team is going to try to spread them out by both passing and rushing. Something Chambers has been cleaning up the past couple of games has been turnovers. 

“We had too many turnovers that first game, but we really corrected that problem the last two games…So hopefully we’ll continue to clean up the turnover situation and take care of the football, and I think our team will continue to get better,” the coach said. 

Despite the high expectations after last season, the motto for Chambers this season has been one game at a time. 

“I think we get better each week. Our kids have played really hard the first three games. We’ve been very physical as a team, which is something that we really preach,” Allen said.

There have been several standouts this year, including Luke Tarver, Eli Horton and TJ Daniels. Horton was injured last week but is set to return for the home game. 

“We got a lot of good players that really care about [and] they love their teammates and play hard for one another,” Allen said. 

The team is not resting on their laurels ahead of Edgewood, after beating them 38-6 last season. There are still areas the coaching staff is and will continue to address this season. 

“We’re always trying to get better on the back end and our secondary coverages and try to disguise things, but make sure we play the run correctly, and then we’re just looking for upward improvement each week,” Allen said. “I think it’s still about us a lot…We’re striving for that, for when we play, we play that perfect game.”

The Rebels will play at their home field. Allen said it is cash only entry into the game. 

“Our kids and coaching staff are really excited about being able to play in front of our home crowd this Friday…We hope everybody can come out and support our team,” Allen said.