The Jefferson City Jays are going for degree of difficulty when it comes to the 2014 football season.
"Tough, tough and tougher as the season goes on," Jefferson City head coach Ted LePage said. "It just seems like with each week we play a tougher opponent.
"Being a big Class 6 school in the middle of the state, without being in a conference you're going to have to take whatever comes."
The schedule is loaded with Class 6 runner-up Rock Bridge, perennial power Rockhurst and always-tough St. Louis schools C.B.C and DeSmet.
"It's a really tough schedule," LePage said. "Some teams we're really looking forward to playing. It'll be a lot of fun.
"We feel like we've always had to put together a schedule because of teams who want to play us, not people that have to play us. There's a difference. Anybody we get is usually going to be at the top of their game. They're going to be a very good team. We've come to realize that. You can't go out and take a week off."
Five of the nine regular-season opponents remain the same, starting with a home game against McCluer North on August 22. The others are Hickman, DeSmet, Rock Bridge and Rockhurst.
The Jays close August with a tilt at C.B.C.
"They're a predominately a big-time playoff team in Class 6," LePage said. "They always have some of the best talent in the St. Louis area. That will be a good game for us. We finally got them on the schedule. They wouldn't play us for years, now we finally do get an opportunity to play them. At the all-state meeting this year, they basically said they wanted to play this year."
September brings a home game against Hickman, an away game at DeSmet and two games with Rogers (Ark.) and Rock Bridge scheduled for Adkins Stadium.
"Week in and week out, if you're going to play a Class 6 school, you're going to have a hard game," LePage said. "Hickman, enough said. You might as well mark that one down as being tough as all get-out.
"DeSmet will have some of the best talent you'll play against.
"Rogers was a playoff team in Arkansas last year.
"Rock Bridge is going to be loaded. They have a lot of the parts that they went to the (Edward Jones) Dome with coming back."
October features a homecoming game with Confluence Prep Academy out of St. Louis and road games at Battle and Rockhurst.
"Confluence is one of the new schools in St. Louis," LePage said. "I'm sure they'll have some pretty good talent on their team.
"Battle is going to have some talent. A lot of kids in the Columbia area that are younger went to that school.
"Rockhurst is going to be as good as anybody on your schedule every year."
Then comes Class 6 District 3 play, complete with Blue Springs South, Francis Howell, Fort Zumwalt West, Hickman, Rock Bridge, Timberland and Troy Buchanan.
It's nearly identical to last season's district, with Blue Spring South swapping in for Francis Howell Central.
"That's kind of interesting, to be honest," LePage said. "I think it's interesting that Blue Springs South or a St. Louis school is going to have to travel across the state for a district game. That's a four-hour drive one way. ... It's going to add more strength to what was already a strong district.
"It doesn't matter to us who is in our district. It's just funny the way the alignment worked out."
Jays Schedule
Here is the 2014 football schedule for the Jefferson City Jays:
Aug. 22 McCluer North
Aug. 29 at C.B.C.
Sept. 5 Hickman
Sept. 12 at DeSmet
Sept. 19 Rogers, Ark.
Sept. 26 Rock Bridge
Oct. 3 Confluence Prep Academy
Oct. 10 at Battle
Oct. 17 at Rockhurst
Oct. 24 District game