NATCHEZ — Adams County Christian School head coach David King crunched some numbers, and what he found ahead of his team’s first round playoff clash was exactly the motivator he wanted.

“I did some calculations and we are 33-4 in the last 37 games and three of those losses have been to Centreville,” King said. “That gets your attention there.”

The most recent of those losses came last season in the MAIS AA state championship game, where the Tigers capped a 14-1 season with a 35-21 victory against the Rebels.

This year, however, has been a much different story for Centreville.

The Tigers squeaked into the playoffs as a No. 16 seed and are barely over the .500 mark with a 6-5 record.

However, King knows the dangers of facing the Tigers, especially after four grueling weeks to end the regular season.

“We’ve had a tough stretch with Columbia Academy, Cathedral, East Rankin Academy and Simpson Academy,” King said. “We are kind of mentally exhausted, but there is no time to breathe because we have Centreville, the defending state champions and one of the most historically successful programs in our association coming in.”

The Tigers bring in their well-known double-wing offense, and King said it is going to be a fight in the trenches.

“It is just a game of attrition,” he said. “They are going to see if you will wither and be undisciplined. Even if you do it From Page 1b

right, and you aren’t physical, they’ll still get yards. It is a struggle and a balancing act the whole game with them.”

On the flip side, King said he expects Centreville to bring much more pressure than usual and to be a quick defense.

“They are going to be a little more aggressive than they have been because they aren’t as big this year,” King said. “They tend to blitz a bit more because they lost a lot of good players from last year. But, their kids are battle tested and have had a rough schedule too, so they’ll be ready for us I know.”

The Rebels and Tigers will kick off the first round of the MAIS AAA playoffs at 7 p.m. in Bobby Marks Stadium.