The 2015 season kicks off Friday night for the Zion Chapel Rebels with a preseason match up at Pleasant Home.

“We are starting to get really excited the guys are starting to get some butterflies, that’s good to see,” said head coach Bradley Bowers. “We had a good practice today (Wednesday) we looked really sharp and that’s what we wanted to do.”

With what seemed like an endless summer of workouts and practices the Rebels will now be forced to change the page and switch gears.

“They were a little lighter on their feet this week, since it was game week,” Bowers said. “We told them the first two weeks of practice that these are the hardest weeks because they don’t have anything to look forward to. But now it’s game week and we have something to look forward to.”

The Rebels will begin the 2015 season on the road, something that Bowers believes could be a positive thing for the season opener.

“A lot of times at home you sit in the field house and you hurry up and then wait, you hurry and wait,” Bowers said. “They get antsy and nervous. With it being a road game we kind of have a little more time. We will have a nice little bus ride and by the time we get there we are getting ready for the game instead of just sitting around.”

And the Rebels will get used to the road trips. Five of their first six games are on the road.

“We are going to have to be tough, we have preached that all summer long,” Bowers said.

“We need to be physically and mentally tuff. We told them we need to control us and worry about what’s inside the lines.”

Last year the Rebels fell to Pleasant Home 26-22.

“They are a very big and physical team,” Bower said. “Athletically they pretty much match up with where we are. It’s usually a pretty evenly matched team. We want to hang with them until the fourth quarter, and we want to be in better shape than they are. We want a chance in the second half to be able to win the football game.”

Bowers plans on treating the game like a jamboree and will let several players get playing time.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.