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NATCHEZ — The defending MAIS Class 5A state champion Adams County Christian School Rebels will be on the road for the first round of the 2024 MAIS Class 5A State Playoffs when No. 10 seed ACCS travels to Meridian to take on the No. 7 seed Lamar School Raiders this Friday night.

Kickoff between ACCS (8-3) and Lamar School (6-4) is scheduled for 7 p.m. The Rebels defeated MAIS District 3-5A and cross-town rival Cathedral High School 42-8 last Friday night on Senior Night at ACCS. The Raiders won at District 2-5A foe East Rankin Academy 47-14 last Friday night.

Even though the Rebels would have loved to have hosted a first-round game at Bobby Marks Stadium if they would have been seeded a few spots higher, assistant coach Matthew Freeman said he doesn’t mind them having that road warrior mentally that worked before.

“We always play good on the road in the playoffs. We get out of Natchez and away from the distractions,” Freeman said. “Lamar’s a tough team. They’ve to a really good quarterback and good receivers and a really good running back. Offensively, they’re going to be really good.”

Even though the Raiders enter the playoffs with a 6-4 overall record, they narrowly lost to district champion and No. 3 seed Leake Academy 35-34 on Oct. 18 and fell by one point to Class 4A Winston Academy earlier this season.

“Every game they’ve lost, it’s been close. They almost be Jackson Academy earlier this season, so they’ve got a good squad. They had a close loss to another 6A team (Presbyterian Christian School. We know we’ve got our work cut out for us,” Freeman said. “Big atmosphere. Playoff atmosphere.”

The Rebels’ defense will have to slow down one of the top-scoring offenses in the state, led by senior quarterback Wyatt Bond, whom Freeman said has several junior college offers.

“We’ve got have a well-balanced game (defensively). They throw the ball well. They run the ball well. There won’t be just one thing we can key on,” Freeman said. “Alignment, assignment, execution as coach Stanley (Smith) always says. They run a spread offense.”

As for how ACCS will attack Lamar School’s 3-4 defense, Freeman said, “We’re just going to run what we’ve been running. We’re not going to change just because of what they run. We’re going to do what we’ve been successful at what we do.”

Freeman said it will take a group effort for the Rebels to emerge victorious on the road Friday night and advance to the quarterfinals at No. 2 seed and District 1-5A champion Magnolia Heights School (9-2 overall) in Senatobia.

“It’s really our whole team. It’s going to take a group effort from the coaches to the players to the managers. The cheerleaders, the dance team, our fans. We need our fans to show up and have everyone else show up and do their part and help us advance,” Freeman said.