NATCHEZ — Eleven weeks ago, the Adams County Christian School Rebels did something that most teams didn’t come close to doing this year. They went on the road to Centreville and gave the Centreville Academy Tigers a run for their money, falling just short 56-44.

The 44 points were the most scored on Centreville this season, and other than their loss to AAA school Oak Forest, the closest anyone came to beating the Tigers all season.

But now, the Rebels will get another shot. Except, a lot more will be on the line, as the two schools meet in the MAIS AA State Championship game.

“We’re not foolish here. We know everybody is picking them that is not misinformed,” ACCS head coach David King said. “They’ve got an outstanding ball club, and Bill Hurst is one of my dearest friends in the coaching profession. Centreville has a very rich tradition in football, which is something we want to accomplish here. To be the best, you’ve got to beat the best.”

But the Rebels aren’t going to just lie down, and King expects his team will come out with a different mentality in round two.

“I think when we went over there the first time, there was still that bit of slight intimidation of Centreville,” King said. “I think that is going to be the biggest difference in this ball game. They are still outstanding, and we’re still underdogs, but we’re not going to be intimidated like we were the first time.”

Unfortunately for ACCS, King said he hasn’t seen much of a difference from Centreville since their first matchup in week three, and he expects them to come out as strong as ever.

“They had no weaknesses when we saw them first, and I haven’t seen one pop up since then either,” King said. “They are just a well-coached, and very physical ball club.”

But King said it isn’t the same Centreville that many are used to seeing every year.

“The difference in this team is they can throw it around,” he said. “They’ve got an outstanding quarterback, and they have speed to match every one of our speedsters.”

For the majority of the players in the game, it will be the biggest of their lives, and King said he has to be sure to account for that early on.

“Being in this game before, I don’t feel the pressure that I know my boys feel,” King said. “So I worry about the fact that I will get overly aggressive, and I don’t want to do that if they aren’t capable of making the plays that this game is going to take. There has only been a handful of kids that have played in a state championship game from this town, and they are going to be nervous.”

But with all the nerves and pressure aside, King hopes to be able to enjoy this state title game more than he has in his previous trips.

“I’m going to enjoy this week and the moment like I never have before,” he said. “For the first time in my coaching career, I’m going to enjoy the fact we are playing for a state championship and enjoy that moment with these boys.”

Ultimately, though, King said he is most proud of what the team has accomplished the past few years under his direction.

“The last time the school won 12 games was in the state championship year of 1982,” he said. “Last year, we won 10 games, and that is the only time in school history that we’ve won 10 games in back-to-back years.”

The Rebels and Tigers will kickoff Friday at 1 p.m. at Robinson-Hale Stadium on the campus of Mississippi College.