Sidney Moore/Contributing Writer
sidburgundy@gmail.com

The Franklin Broncos will be heading to the Eastern Shore to open their season against the Nandua Warriors.

The game plan for the match is to keep things aggressive.

“We need to make sure we execute on all three phases of the game; offense, defense and special teams,” said Coach Darren Parker of his Broncos. “We make sure we’re ready for ourselves, because we’re our biggest opponent.”

Parker had one word for the Warriors — “Big.”

“They won last week, really big, and they’ll be coming in on a high,” said Parker. “We’re looking to be 1-0 and need to take care of the small things.”

Leading up to this game against the Warriors, the practices have been great for the Broncos.

“The boys have high energy and are being aggressive. They’re 110 percent hungry. The coaching staff is on point,” said Parker. “The key is to be humble and hungry. We’re always hungry, but we have to remain humble.

“The boys are very anxious to get on the field and compete, to play against guys when there’s no quick whistle because you’re going against your teammate. They can’t wait.”

Parker said the focus is on the entire Broncos squad.

“Everybody has a role to play. We don’t look at individuals. We’re a team with a goal to get to the State Championships at the end of the year,” said Parker.

He also stressed the entirety and importance of excelling academically.

“Our boys are academically strong and understand that the way to win on the field is through academics,” said Coach Parker. “Academics are number 1.”

When asked whether he had anything else to say, Parker said, “I just want to say that God is great. God is always awesome.”

Southampton going heads up against Smithfield

The Indians will face off against the Packers in Courtland on Friday at 7 p.m.

For the Southampton student-athletes, there are small personnel moves but no major changes from this past week.

“We just simplified things to the fundamentals and returned to the basics,” said Coach Willie Gillus Jr. “We’re going to keep it basic on offense and defense.”

Gillus said this game will be fast and fierce, being that Smithfield is a very athletic, fast and well coached team coming off last year’s playoff berth.

“As a coaching staff, we keep it positive with the players,” Gillus said. “We’re all excited and have a great plan for the staff and the players.”

Southampton Academy

V. Word of God

Christian Academy

The Raiders are looking forward to a great conference game against the Rams today at 7:30 p.m.

“Nothing has changed for us,” said Coach Dale Marks, speaking about their game plan. “We plan to keep the field spread out and stick to the formula.”

The two schools have a slight rivalry, but Coach Marks doesn’t let the hype affect him.

“They’re not quite as good as last year from what we’ve seen on film,” Marks said. “They’re large though and defensively have something to offer, but I’m confident we’ll be able to put points on the board.”

The guys watched films and practiced only on Tuesday and Wednesday due to the short week, and have a lot of energy to put into this game.

“On average we scored 59 points per game last year. We’re explosive,” Marks said. “We have a great line that keeps the run alive and delivers those downfield blocks. As long as we stay away from injuries we’ll be fine.”

The Dukes to host Washington & Lee

The Eagles of Washington & Lee will be traveling to Windsor to face the Dukes in the second game of the season. Both teams should have something to prove, with each coming off of a loss during the first game of the 2013-2014 season.

Coach Chuck Parrish of the Windsor Dukes could not be reached for comment. The game begins at 7 p.m.