Lee Academy is one of Pillow Academy's longest standing rivals, and don't look for that to change now that the two teams aren't in the same division.
The Mustangs and Colts will square off for the 34th time in a rivalry that started in 1970. Lee's drop from the AAA classification to AA moved the Colts out of the same conference with the Mustangs for the first time in some while.
Friday's game is the season opener for Pillow. Lee, ranked No. 3 in the statewide academy AA poll, opened last week with a 27-2 win over DeSoto Academy.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. in Clarksdale.
"This is probably the first time in 25 years that the Pillow-Lee game won't be a conference game, but the intensity will still be there. It will be a typical Pillow-Lee game, a close, hard-hitting game," Pillow head coach Riley Myers said.
Pillow, which trails 20-13 in the series, is 4-1 against Lee in Myers' first five years as the team's head coach.
To make it 5-1, the Mustang defense will have to find a way to slow down the Colts' big-play passing attack, Myers said.
"Our defensive backs will see a lot of action. Lee's working mainly out of the shotgun with a West Coast-type offense and is going to throw the stew out of it," Myers said. "Their quarterback (Jesse Spinks) has a good arm and is very fast and mobile."
Spinks, a 6-foot, 160-pound junior, completed 9 of 13 passes for 157 yards in the first half against DeSoto. He finished 11 of 20 for 169 yards.
When asked about blitzing Spinks, Myers kept his defensive plans relatively close to the vest.
"People have blitzed him, but in six quarters (two in a preseason jamboree and four against DeSoto), he's been hit just once. And he got the ball off then," Myers said. "If you take just four to guard their receivers, they're going to get you, so that makes it tougher to bring pressure. We've got to get imaginative and bring pressure from different places."
Myers is also hoping to play defense with a good offense. He would love to see some nine- and 10-play scoring drives to keep the ball away from Spinks and Co.
"I feel good about our offense right now, but we've got to throw and catch the ball a little better. I like what I've seen from our running game. Our linemen are doing a good job of blocking and our backs are running hard," Myers said.
The sixth-year PA head coach warns not to be fooled by Lee's AA classification.
"They are still a good team with good numbers. This is a good, tough game to start with," he said. "We have a lot of respect for Lee."
Pillow starts the season with 31 players on its roster, compared to 28 for Lee.
