To gear up for this Friday night’s homecoming region contest against Calhoun, Red Level coach Tony Ingram said his team is going back to the basics.

“We’ve just got to focus this week on the fundamentals,” Ingram said. “I know I sound like a broken record, but it’s blocking and tackling is what it’s going to come down to it, and we didn’t do either very well (last week).

“Goshen had something to do with that, they’re a pretty good football team,” he said.

The Tigers (1-2, 1-1 in Class 2A, Region 2) are coming off a 45-7 loss to Goshen last week.

“We played pretty fair defense to start with, and as soon as (Goshen) got the first points on the board, we were just done,” Ingram said. “I don’t know if we’ve lost for so long that when they put points on the board we say ‘here we go again.’ We’ve got to learn to play from behind, because sometimes you’re going to get that way.”

This week, the Tigers will be facing a team that has won only six games in the last five seasons. Last week, Calhoun beat Zion Chapel 42-14.

“I’m assuming they’re athletic, they have been in the past,” Ingram said. “They beat Zion Chapel, and evidently played Elba in a pretty good game. So, they must be pretty good.”

When Ingram said his team must get back to the basics in practice this week, he said they were going to “dial it back, way back.”

“It’ll be blocking, tackling and fundamental football,” he said. “I’m not saying we’re not looking at Calhoun, but it does no good to scheme without the fundamentals. We’ve got to go back and tackle and block people.”

After this week, the Tigers will reach the mid-way point in the season in a home contest against McKenzie on Sept. 24.

Getting a region win Friday night is crucial, Ingram said.

“We’ve got to have it,” he said. “It’s an absolute must win. We’ve still got a legitimate shot at the playoffs. We’re not giving up, I’m not giving up, and they’re not giving up. It’s easy to talk about it, but if you talk it, then you’ve got to walk it.

“We didn’t do anything well last Friday night,” he said. “I thought we had a pretty good week, and we were prepared. We didn’t have hardly anything. Goshen has a good football team. Now, 45-7 better than us, no I don’t think so.”

Ingram said he has been telling his players to not let homecoming become distracting, and focus on the game against Calhoun.

“We try to tell our kids that homecoming is more for the alumni than the kids,” he said. “When they get to be alumni, then it’ll be for them.”

Kickoff at Bobby Dye Field is at 7 p.m.