NATCHEZ — Down by multiple scores to East Rankin Academy in the fourth quarter, Adams County Christian School head coach David King gave his quarterback an earful.

King shouted, urging senior Carlos Woods to get his head in the game and lead his team back to victory. Woods let King finish, gently tapped his head coach on the arm and said, “I got it, Coach.”

“OK, let’s wake up now,” said Woods, remembering the moment and the fourth quarter.

Woods went on to throw four touchdowns in the fourth quarter of the 40-39 come-from-behind victory against East Rankin, propelling his team to 9-0.

Today, the Rebels are one win away from perfection in the regular season, and though ACCS has faced one tough opponent after another this month — beating Columbia Academy, Cathedral and East Ranking by a total of 12 points — King said the toughest test might be saved for last.

“I would have to say it’s a hard tossup between Simpson Academy or Cathedral,” King said. “Simpson is extremely well coached and extremely fast and physical. We’re playing there, and it’s one of the toughest places to play.”

King said the (8-1) Simpson Cougars’ homefield advantage reminds him of Trinity Episcopal Day School’s “Pit,” a place King coached at for many years. Because Simpson’s field is sunken in, it’s reminiscent of the same field Trinity plays on.

A win for the Rebels secures a district championship. Should ACCS lose by five points and Cathedral defeat Columbia on the same night, the Green Wave will take the district title.

Not only are the Rebels playing for a district title, though, ACCS is also still vying for the No. 1 seed in the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools AAA playoffs. Indianola Academy is also undefeated.

But with everything at stake, players like Woods and wide receiver George Scott are far from tense. In fact, they can’t stop smiling about being undefeated.

“It’s just a good look on us,” Scott said. “We finished last season at 12-2, and this year we’re making a statement. That statement is we can be the best. Last year, we had Trey (Fleming), Lester (Wells), and Torrey (Smith), and everybody doubted us after they left, saying we’re not going to be all that good. We had a chip on our shoulder.”

Against Simpson, ACCS looks to continue an undefeated season, which is something King experienced only once in his coaching career (2010 Trinity team went 15-0).

Oddly enough, when the team met before the season, being undefeated was never a focal point. In actuality, Woods said he thought the team would actually have at least one loss. And being honest, King agreed.

“Looking at the schedule before the year, I didn’t see how we could, but we have found a way at this point,” King said. “But right now, we’re thinking about Simpson. They’re absolutely playing their best football right now.”

Simpson’s only loss on the season came against Cathedral. Leading the way for Simpson this season has been the Burney triplets. Kyle, Aaron and Matthew Burney are skill players that Scott and King said possess a lot of speed.

“They play every snap like it’s their last,” King said.

With a district title, No. 1 seed and perfect regular season coming down to one game, the Rebels are ready to take the field and make another statement.

“We told ourselves that we were going to be great,” Scott said. “Being undefeated, we never looked at it that way. We just play the game of football and play it well.”