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BEALLSVILLE -- After sitting at home and watching Ohio start a week early this year, head coach Dan Rovira and the Madonna football team are chomping at the bit to get their season started on Friday night.
First up for the Blue Dons is a trip to Beallsville to take on the Blue Devils.
"It's great, our kids are looking forward to it, our coaches are looking forward to it. We're ready to start the season," Rovira said.
The Blue Devils were one of those Ohio teams that saw the field last week, dropping a tough opener 36-16 on the road at Miller.
Beallsville is classified in Class A in the OVAC along with Madonna, and has a listed enrollment of 70.
Rovira, who's team is made up of 23 players, knows the low-number struggle of the Blue Devils and their 17 players.
"They're hurting for numbers like every other small school team, but they play hard. They're well-coached. We have a few more than he does, but I understand what (Beallsville coach Rusty Bondy) is saying. His kids will still play hard and try to do the right things.
"The 11 they have on the field will still be well-coached. People who haven't coached small school football don't realize how much the numbers can hurt you.
"You don't appreciate the numbers until you don't have them. You don't want to hit too much in practice because you don't want anyone getting hurt before Friday night. It's tough."
As for what Beallsville will try to do on Friday night, Rovira expects Bondy's club to run the football with senior running back Bradley Moats.
"We have to stop the run. Most small schools are going to try to run the ball on you," Rovira said. "Obviously we are a little bit different, we like to pass the ball. They run power, they run something called an upside down pro where the tight end is the tackle and they move the tackle over to play tight end. They do things they have to do because of their numbers, they try to out-flank you.
"They run power-O and they have a nice athlete (Brandon Louden) that plays receiver and they use at quarterback some to run wildcat. He's a nice player."
Louden is a speedster for the Blue Devils, as he is an OVAC and East District champion in the 100 meter dash.
For the Blue Dons, senior quarterback Santino Arlia enters the season with high expectations after being one of the top passers in the area each of the last two seasons in helping guide Madonna to the playoffs.
He also has a host of talent on the outside in seniors Evan Quering, Michael Burdine and company.
While opening on the road might not be seen as ideal, it's nothing new to the Blue Dons.
"We're used to it, I think our first three games last year were on the road," Rovira said.
The Blue Dons will not have to wait as long as expected to play at home, however, as Rovira said their Sept. 3 game against Carrick that was originally scheduled for the road will now be played at home.
With a tough field in West Virginia Class A's playoff race, he knows each and every game is vital to giving the Blue Dons their best shot at a long playoff run -- and Friday night is no exception.
"You almost have to win the first one, you have to get points. You have to be in that top-12 to have a shot. Every game is important to us, every single one," he said. "When you have low numbers, you have to get your kids excited. Football is a tough sport, I say it all the time. You have got to make it fun. You've got to win, you have to."