ferriday — Fresh off a solid showing in the Vidalia jamboree, the Ferriday Trojans are looking forward to beginning their 2015 campaign.

“We are a little more comfortable,” Ferriday head coach Dwight Woods said. “We still have a lot of young guys playing, but we have more confidence going in. I think we are in pretty good shape to match up with Carroll.”

However, Woods said the game won’t be a walk in the park for the Trojans.

“We had a chance to look at (Carroll) against Grambling,” Woods said. “They are big and athletic. They are huge up front, physical and fast off the ball.”

But Ferriday isn’t lacking in size either, with the likes of Dare Rosenthal, Dantrieze Scott and Marquis Brown making up one of the grittiest defensive lines in the state.

“I know the defensive line is going to play great,” Woods said. “Their offensive line is not fast, so I think our guys can take advantage of that.”

Defensively, Woods said the Bulldogs run a 3-3-5 and tend to be aggressive.

“I think we can handle them, though, with some of the stuff we do and the packages we have,” Woods said. “We should be able to score on them.”

A majority of the pressure will fall on Trojan quarterback Ronald Williams, who had an up-and-down performance in the jamboree.

Against Tensas, Williams finished 2-for-3 for 77 yards and a touchdown, but against Vidalia, Williams completed just three of his thirteen passes.

“Ronald has had a good week of practice, and we tried to go in and work with him on key things, like making quicker reads,” Woods said. “I expect him to perform better this week. I’m hoping this is his breakout week passing.”

The Trojans do have a solid fall back plan in their rushing attack with Malik Hampton and Ronald Davis leading the way. Both had standout performances in the jamboree.

Against Tensas, Davis racked up 84 yards, while against Vidalia, Hampton shined with 95 yards and a touchdown.

With a rebuilt district this season, Woods stressed the importance of picking up wins when possible, especially early in the season.

“It is a big deal, crucial, to get that first win,” Woods said. “It is big with the district we are in. We need all the non-district wins we can get. That is the biggest thing power point system, get every win we can.”

Ferriday and Carroll are scheduled for a 7 p.m. kickoff in Monroe.