The CHHS Trojans “hit the ground running” on Monday, and their coach expects the same tonight when they open region play against Carroll in Ozark.

“We got back to work on Monday morning with the kids and they responded well,” said head coach Brad McCoy. “We had a good week of practice.”

CHHS (0-1) lost a heartbreaker to UMS Wright in the final seconds of last week’s game. Carroll (1-0) comes to the matchup with the momentum of a 49-13 win over Daleville and a senior-heavy lineup.

“They are probably going to be the best running team we face in the regular season,” McCoy said. “Their offensive line is really good and the have a good stable of running backs that they use.”

McCoy said Carroll may be one of the toughest rushing teams the Trojans will face. “They have tremendous rushing football team and they showed that during the spring. The X factor is going to be us being able to stop the run.”

On defense, the Eagles will feature an eight-man front that will crowd the box and look to stop the run.

“We are going to have to take advantage of that in the secondary,” McCoy said. “Our receivers know that we are going to have to get some big plays from the guys.”

The Trojans will rely on the running game to drive the offense. “We are going to start early in the game trying to run between the tackles, just to see how athletic Carroll really is,” McCoy said.

McCoy is confident the offense, led by junior quarterback Noah Lowery, can get the job done.

“We have the confidence in them,” McCoy said. “We are going to have to run the ball first. We believe in our offensive line and we believe our receivers blocking on the perimeter. I think we are capable if we have to go to the air. I think we showed that last week.”

The Trojans and Eagles will kick off at 7 p.m. today at Mathews Stadium in Ozark.