The Straughn Tigers are “anxious to play” tonight as the 2010 regular season kicks off in Geneva, coach Trent Taylor said.

“We’re just anxious to play,” Taylor said. “It’s been a long time, and we’re ready to get going.

“I think our kids are more than eager to play — obviously a lot of schools have already got a game with a jamboree — so from a coaching stand point, we’re ready to see what this bunch can do.”

Now, in Class 4A, the Tigers will be playing a “different” team, and the fact his players haven’t forgotten last year’s match up, Taylor said.

“They’re a different bunch, and we’re a different bunch,” he said. “You said the players haven’t forgotten, and I hope ours remember that the game (last year) was very, very close until early in the fourth and late in the fourth quarter.

“They have a real good football team, and have a lot of those kids coming back,” he said. “We’re really going to have to play well.”

Taylor said the “keys” to tonight’s opener are to have no turnovers and to have good tackling.

“Anytime early in the season like this, you’ve got to make sure you don’t turn the ball over,” Taylor said. “You worry about tackling a little bit because it is different when you’re tackling somebody else instead of your teammates.

“Obviously, you have to worry about that just a little bit,” he said. “If we continue to protect the football, then we’ll have the best shot.”

As of Thursday afternoon, Straughn’s countdown clock read five hours, 37.03 seconds until the start of the regular season.

“We’re real anxious to get going,” Taylor said after he noted how much time is left. “I know our kids are even more so. We’ll see where we’re at, and see the things we need to work on and improve on and go from there.”

The last time Straughn played Geneva was in the first round of the Class 3A state playoffs last year. Kickoff tonight is at 7 p.m.