The Jefferson City Jays are eager to get back on the field for a chance to end their losing streak at two.
Luckily for them, they'll suit up tonight as they host the Fort Zumwalt West Jaguars a day ahead of schedule.
"I think every football team in America is probably ready to play by Wednesday night by the end of practice," Jefferson City coach Scott Bailey said. "High school, college or even the NFL is probably ready to play by the end of practice Wednesday. Everything else is just waiting for kickoff."
The game is scheduled to kick off at 7 p.m. at Adkins Stadium.
The game was originally scheduled to be played Friday in O'Fallon, but was moved because of the school district's policy on traveling to certain areas in the state because of COVID-19.
With Capital City's game against Kirksville being scheduled for Friday at Adkins Stadium, the Jays and Jaguars will play a day early.
"I actually think getting right back on the field helps, especially after losing two games in a row," Jefferson City defensive coordinator Jeff Jacques said. "We're in that hurry up situation where we want to get back on the field and fix our mistakes."
After wins against Sedalia Smith-Cotton, Capital City and Hickman, the Jays have been outscored a combined 67-21 against Helias and Battle.
The Jays gained a combined 735 yards rushing in those three wins, averaging 5.6 yards per attempt.
Combining the Helias game and the second half of the game against Battle, the Jays averaged 3.7 yards per rush.
"When you lose that's probably the hardest thing is still having faith and confidence in what you know is truly good football," Bailey said. "When you lose a game you start to doubt and second-guess yourself."
The Fort Zumwalt West Jaguars (2-6) have allowed opponents to average 4.7 yards per carry in the past five games.
Senior linebackers Chris Kerr and Jack Parker lead the Jaguars in tackles with 54 and 49, respectively.
"What I see is alignment and assignment," Bailey said. "They're gonna be in position, you're going to have to block them out of position and you better get their linebackers blocked because they make a lot of tackles."
The Jaguars will have to find a way to subdue the play-making David Bethune, who's run for 654 yards and eight touchdowns on 111 carries this season.
There's also the task of trying to halt the physical running of quarterback Seth Brooks and fullback Jacob Duke.
Fort Zumwalt West will also need to keep track of Kevion Pendelton, who's lined up in various spots and split time at quarterback last week.
Taking the snaps for the Jaguars is sophomore left-handed quarterback Mike Ludwig, who's completed 43-of-91 passes for 380 yards, three touchdowns and eight interceptions in six games.
Ludwig has also run the ball 84 times for 278 yards and three scores.
"It's basically a triple-option offense, so we're gonna have to be assignment-oriented and all 11 guys are going to have to be responsible for their spot on the field," Jacques said.
Leading the rushing attack is sophomore running back Kyle Nunn, who has 760 yards and three touchdowns on 104 rushes.
The Jaguars have spread the ball around in the passing game, with senior Chris Kerr leading the receiving corps with 212 yards and a touchdown on 20 receptions.
"We're gonna have to make sure we adjust to him and put our best defender on him," Jacques said.
Jefferson City (3-5) is in a battle with Rolla and Camdenton for the No. 3 seed in Class 5 District 4.
Rolla (3-3) is third with 31.11 points, Jefferson City is fourth at 30.46 points and Camdenton (4-4) is fifth with 29.93 points.
Rolla and Camdenton face each other Friday night.
The Jays will get the benefit of bonus points facing a Class 6 opponent.
"We really want to secure the 3-seed in our district, and to do that we need to win," Bailey said.
The Jaguars have climbed out of the No. 8 and final spot in Class 6 District 2 with two straight wins.
"If you want to knock the confidence out of somebody you've got to physically knock the confidence out of them," Bailey said. "Probably a good place to start as any."