NATCHEZ &8212; Sometimes fortune smiles upon you when you need it the most, such as this week when the Rebels (2-3) face what will arguably be their toughest opponent of the season, when the team travels to take on Riverfield (4-1).

&8220;This week&8217;s game will probably decide the winner of our district championship,&8221; coach Bobby Marks said. &8220;I don&8217;t want to make a big deal about it, but this is a very important ball game for our team.&8221;

Thankfully for coach Marks and staff, the Rebels will have their roster at full strength and not a moment too soon.

&8220;Duncan Guedon is finally back and we hadn&8217;t had him since he went down the first play of our game against Centreville,&8221; Marks said. &8220;Today he looked at full speed for the first time since he got injured, and we couldn&8217;t be happier that he&8217;s finally back.&8221;

Schematically, the Rebels are going to be tested this week, as the team will face an offense unlike anything they have seen this season.

Riverfield quarterback James Doughty leads what can be described as a modified spread offense, that incorporates a number of shotgun packages.

&8220;(Doughty) is a big kid, who can run and throw. They also have a big fullback, and three pretty good receivers,&8221; Marks said. &8220;They like to spread you out and get you out of your regular defense and then run the option in a variety of ways.&8221;

Marks said that he broke down film on the team until he came down to one conclusion &8212; the Rebels would have to run a defense they haven&8217;t tried all season.

&8220;We started out at the beginning of the week running two defenses and then decided we needed just one which was more or less a combination of the two,&8221; Marks said. &8220;We&8217;re going to be playing something that looks a little strange to the folks who have been watching us all year.&8221;

Last year ACCS defeated Riverfield 42-21, but this year the game-plan be to slow down the pace of play.

&8220;We&8217;re going to get in that T-formation and hopefully blow them off the line of scrimmage,&8221; Marks said. &8220;Right now we&8217;re averaging about seven minutes a drive and to win this week we&8217;re going to have to kill seven or eight minutes of clock each drive in order to keep their offense on the sideline.&8221;

Huntington at Tensas

Two rivals, each heading in with momentum, will square off Friday night in St. Joseph when the Huntington Hounds travel to face the Chiefs of Tensas at 7.

Huntington (5-0) is coming off a 76-6 win over Tallulah last week, while the Chiefs (1-4) picked up their first win of the season in a win over Franklin Academy.

The Hounds, ranked second in MPSA&8217;s Class A, will try for revenge after a 24-20 loss to the Chiefs last season.

Centreville at WCCA

Woodville will play host to a blood-letting Friday night when the Tigers and Rams renew their rivalry at WCCA.

The Rams took a 13-7 win last year at Centreville. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.