Russell Christian Academy is in the midst of a four-game home stand to end its 2015 campaign.

And the Warriors are searching for wins to close out the season on a positive note.

Russell Christian (1-7, 0-3) will host Pickens Academy (2-5, 0-2) in a battle of two teams looking to notch its first win in AISA Region 2-AA play.

“We’ve got to block and tackle better; that’s been our downfall all year,” Russell Christian coach Nate Ballard said. “Pickens is a double-option, Wing-T offense, so we have to be disciplined in (assignments) defensively.

A win today would go a long way toward instilling confidence in the young Warriors, which has just five seniors on roster. Additionally, a victory would better position RCA for a potential playoff berth.

“We have a lot of freshman and sophomores that are playing this year,” Ballard said. “If we can some of these games and end on a positive note, or make the playoffs, I think it would spring us into the offseason.

“It’s between us, Wilcox and Pickens (for the playoffs). Wilcox beat us, so one team won’t make (the playoffs), but the other two will.”

Ballard said Pickens is powered by a strong offensive line, particularly in Daniel Powell (No. 53) and Jeff White (No. 54).  

“They’re just big, physical kids,” Ballard said. “We’ve got to beat them on defense, because those are the two they like to get up on linebackers when they run their option. We’ve got to be able to defeat them from the linebacker position.

“We just have to execute in our assignments. We’ve been practicing all week, and I feel we have had a good week of practice. As long as we execute, we should be OK.”

Ballard said the Pirates will run their defense out of a 4-2-5 formation, and it’s imperative for his team to make plays when presented the opportunities.

“We’ve got to try and hit the soft spot in their zones,” Ballard said. “We just have to make the catches. That’s what has been killer. We’ve either dropped balls or overthrown wide open receivers, and just not executed.”

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.