Opp’s got a sure-fire test Friday night as the Bobcats host fourth-ranked T.R. Miller at Channell-Lee Stadium.

Like the rest of the AHSAA member football teams, this week starts region play. Teams have to win a certain number of region games to secure a berth in the playoffs, and a number of games to win the region outright.

Last week, the Bobcats defeated rival Elba 49-6 in a rout to open the season. T.R. Miller had a similar game against Escambia County, where the Tigers won 50-18.

OHS head football coach Jack Whigham said the Bobcats will have to play “more disciplined and play 48 minutes.”

“It’s a cliché I know,” Whigham said. “But, we’re going to have to play 48 minutes. We’re not going to win or lose the ball game early. We’re going to ply the whole game.”

A first step in the right direction is mixing it up offensively, the coach said.

“We’ve got to use some plays to set up some other plays,” Whigham said. “We’ve got to run some plays we know aren’t the best plays to run at the time in order to run some plays later on.”

TRM has four good running backs in Kameron Coleman, Jalen Jones, Dominique Jackson and McHenry Coleman, who highlight the back field for the Tigers.

“They have an excellent running game,” Whigham said.

Leading the charge on offense is junior quarterback Keion Smith.

Whigham said Smith can use his legs well, and can throw the ball whenever and wherever on the field.

“He’s very dangerous with his legs,” he said. “He gets outside on the counter boots, and he runs the ball real well as a quarterback. He was the quarterback when we played him last year because Kevin Davis hadn’t come back from his baseball deal. He’s areally good athlete, and dangerous on the perimeter. We’ve got to do our best to contain him.”

Most importantly this week, Whigham said the players are excited about the game, where kick off is slated for 7 p.m. tomorrow.

“They know if we want to win the region and set up some of the goals for themselves, then we’ve got to beat teams like T.R. Miller, Bayside (Academy), Straughn and W.S. Neal,” he said. “You’ve got to beat those type of folks. So, it’s an early-season challenge.”