The first step is a big step for the Charles Henderson High School football team.

Region rival Eufaula visits Movie Gallery Veterans Stadium tonight with a victory under its belt and a desire to avenge last year's 20-0 loss to the Trojans.

The Trojans' regular-season opener comes in Week 2 of the regular season for most teams in the state. CHHS could not fill its opening week after scheduled opponent Highland Home cancelled the game.

&uot;It's a big game for us because it's the next game,&uot; CHHS coach Hugh Fountain said this week. &uot;But it's also important because it's a region game. This is a very important game in terms of getting to the playoffs.&uot;

But, really, it's an important game because it is Eufaula.

&uot;They always have a good football program,&uot; Fountain said. &uot;It's always a blue-collar game. They're physical and aggressive.&uot;

And they're a year older than the Tigers who were blown out last year.

&uot;That was early in the season and they had a very young team,&uot; Fountain said. &uot;We were a very experienced team last year and probably playing early in the season helped us.&uot;

The roles are reversed this year. Charles Henderson is searching for depth on its offensive and defensive lines. The Trojans looked out of sync in their preseason game against Pike County two weeks ago.

&uot;We've been trying to get ourselves better,&uot; Fountain said. &uot;We're trying to get ready for a big football game.&uot;

Eufaula defeated W.S. Neal 10-7 in last week's opener, but also raised eyebrows when it defeated Central-Phenix City in a preseason game.

&uot;They're very fast,&uot; Fountain said. &uot;They've got good speed and play hard. Really, they played good against us last year. They always play hard.&uot;