NATCHEZ — It’s been six months to the day since Leake Academy handed Adams County Christian School a 27-19 loss in the MAIS AAA football playoffs.

The loss still stings for members of that Rebels team.

“(Last season), everyone doubted us, and we had a chip on our shoulder,” wide receiver George Scott said. “We got that big head and thought we were going to go in there and do the same to other teams. It backfired on us.”

After the loss, which quarterback Davis Sharp described as an undisciplined game on the ACCS side of the ball, all the Rebels could do is wait for the 2016 season to begin.

The tone of spring practice is focused, which the team hopes will cut down on costly penalties in crunch time during the season.

“We have to be more disciplined in practice to start, and it will translate to the field,” Sharp said.

Head football coach David King is a self-described spread-offense coach. This season, King is thrusting a relatively inexperienced quarterback under center in Sharp.

“I’m mainly a wide-open, spread coach,” King said. “Right now, we’re struggling for an identity, but I think we’ll be able to run the ball better.”

King and his coaching staff intend to raise the bar for the Rebels’ squad this season. The Rebels are aiming for their third consecutive district championship and 10-win season. Now, it’s about getting over the playoff hump.

“We’ve got some guys who have been in the program,” King said. “(The coaching staff) has circled this season to be a special bunch.”

King said ACCS has a large senior class, but he added the key was that his roster is full of sophomores and juniors that have logged plenty of minutes on the football field.

The Rebels’ head man believes his squad will win games on defense in 2016.

King said the speed and tenacity of his defense sticks out to him the most. He and defensive coordinator Richy Spears have been experimenting with adding an extra linebacker into some of their formations — moving from a 4-3 defense to a 3-4 defense.

“We’ve got guys that really want to hit and fly to the football,” King said. “With a lot of returners on defense and an all-area kicker (Cristofer Thompson), we have the chance to be more of a ball-control team.”

Offensively, King said the time his players put in during the spring is important.

Sharp and his wideouts took time during Thursday’s practice to work on timing routes. Sharp has a sturdy target in Scott, who he said the Rebels try to isolate on an island and take advantage of mismatches.

Davis said something that could surprise spectators this season is the dynamic playmakers in ACCS’ offensive backfield.

“We’ve got speed and brawn,” Davis said. “(Jordan Wells) is a big boy who can punish some people.”

ACCS will host its spring game against Oak Forest Academy May 14.