The Charles Henderson Trojans return from their bye week to host the Greenville Tigers on homecoming Friday evening at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

The Trojans entered their bye week sporting a 2-2 record. Although they didn’t have to compete with another team last week, the Trojans did have to battle mother nature and the hot Alabama sun.

“I think that was the main thing that we battled all week,” said Charles Henderson head coach Brad McCoy. “We had a solid week of practice. Considering the homecoming, the focus has been good. We are coming off a bye week trying to get the guys back in the right mindset. We have a huge game this week. I think the kids’ attention and focus has been good all week.”

The Trojans entered the bye week coming off a 27-7 win against Beauregard, evening their record at 2-2.

“It was big,” McCoy said. “The players felt good about how they played up at Beauregard. We’re satisfied with the game plan we had going into the game. It gives you a moral boost going into the ball game. Going into the Greenville week, I think the players feel good about the game plan and some of the adjustments we made.”

Friday night’s game against Greenville opens a key stretch for the Trojans. Following Friday night’s game, the Trojans will hit the home stretch of the region schedule with road games against Carroll and first-place Valley. They will also have a home game against Tallassee. The Trojans currently find themselves in second place in region play with a 2-0 record. They are behind Valley, who is 3-0, but has played one more region game.

“That’s what is going to wrap up the playoff picture,” McCoy said. “I think we are sitting in a good position, being 2-0 in the region. A lot can change in four weeks. We just have to maintain an edge and understand the sense of urgency we have to have.”

The Trojans are in no way looking past this week’s opponent. The Tigers knocked off the Trojans 42-17 last year.

“We have an immense challenge ahead of us,” McCoy said. “That’s as far as we look. Greenville presents a huge obstacle in our way. The players they’ve got and the schemes they run, they are just so athletic and physical.”

The Tigers have gotten off to a rather slow start in 2019. They are coming off a 6-0 loss to Rehobeth last week, their second loss in a row. The Tigers find themselves 2-3 overall, but just 1-2 in region play. Despite their start, McCoy and the Trojans still know the challenge ahead of them.

“They understand how to win ball games,” McCoy said. “Even though they have had some bumps in the road the last couple of week, it’s still Greenville.”

Greenville in years past has featured athletic receivers and a strong running game. This year will be no different, but they will feature a different kind of quarterback than in year’s past.

“There is nothing different with this group,” McCoy said. “The last two years they had a tremendous quarterback. They had to replace him this year and it is a different kid. He is a runner, probably more a runner than a passer. If the pass rush loses contain, he can hurt you really quickly with his legs.”

Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.