By MICHAEL KEREKES

The Natchez Democrat

VIDALIA — Vidalia High School (2-5, 0-2) will host Avoyelles High School tonight in the Vikings’ final regular-season game of 2013.

Off the heels of a tough 60-0 loss against Marksville last week, head coach Gary Parnham Jr. said things won’t get any easier for his squad this week as the Vikings prepare to take on the Mustangs out of Moreauville, La.

“They’re as big as a house,” Parnham said. “They’ve got pretty good tailbacks. They run the double wing offense, which centers around getting a lot of blockers out front and getting the tailback out there to find a lane and get through.”

Parnham said Avoyelles will run some misdirection, but it’s not a big part of the Mustangs’ game plan.

“Mostly, the back that goes in motion usually gets the ball,” he said.

Parnham described the double wing offense as an offense you “can’t really stop, you can only hope to contain.”

“We’re going to have to shed blocks and hold our ground,” he said. “If we start going backwards, we’re in trouble.”

Avoyelles (4-3, 1-1) also brings the added challenge of a boom-or-bust kicking game. The Mustangs never punt, and they always go for an onside kick, regardless of the circumstances.

“It’s unorthodox, and it’s a pain to prepare for,” Parnham said. “It’s something we have to deal with, and we’re going over onside kicks in practice.”

Despite last week’s loss, Parnham said morale has been high in practice this week. He also said quarterback J.T. Townsend, who after last week’s game said he needed to “step up more” than he has the past few weeks, has been everything the coaches expected.

“I think he was just being tough on himself,” Parnham said. “He has a grasp of our offense and knows how to run it. Nothing is his fault. He might want to shoulder the blame, but you have to put the blame on all of us — coaches, players, everyone.”

Kickoff is at 7 p.m. today at Vidalia.