Quick Facts

•Matchup: Sebastopol (0-0) vs. Clarkdale (0-0)

•Location: Clarkdale

•Kickoff: 7 p.m.

•Previous games: Both teams are opening the season. Clarkdale is coming off a 2-9 year in 2016 and finished with a loss to Bay Springs in the final game of the regular season. Sebastopol finished 2016 with an 8-5 record, ending the season with a loss to Stringer int he first round of the Class 1A postseason.

•Notable: The last time these two teams squared off was in the 2014 season opener. Sebastopol won that game 39-6.

On opening the season:

“It happens pretty quickly,” Bulldogs head coach Wes Roy said. “You start practicing, then two weeks later is a jamboree, then you play the next week, so you wonder if you’re prepared or not, but we did the best we can.”

Keys to the game:

“It’s the same for everyone,” Roy said. “You have to have good play on the line of scrimmage for sure. We have a pretty young offensive line this year — we lost a lot of guys — so that will be very important for us. On defense, the key is tackling. The same things that win have always won: If you block and tackle well, you usually have a chance to win.”

On Sebastopol:

“We’ve played them some over the years,” Roy said. “They’re tough, hard-nosed kids, and I expect them to come out fired up and ready to roll, as I hope we will be. As far as Xs and Os, I’m not really sure. You have a little idea of what they’ve done in the past, but you never know, because you don’t really have film to scout. You just have to be ready for a variety of things.”