Last season, Providence Christian defeated McKenzie by one point and bumped the Tigers out of the playoffs.

This year’s rematch takes on even more significance because it’s also homecoming for the Tigers.

“They’re one of the best 4-4 teams in the state,” said head coach Miles Brown. “I think they’re as good as last year. We’ve talked about losing by one point and getting knocked out of the playoffs.”

Brown said the team has also talked about how the last several homecomings at McKenzie haven’t gone as planned.

“I reminded them that we haven’t won a homecoming game here in a few years,” he said.

The McKenzie defense will be put to the test in stopping the Eagles’ rushing attack.

“They’re a running team, they’re methodical about it, and they’re very good at it,” Brown said. “It looks like they’re trying to see how many people they can fit in a phone booth. They’re definitely one of those ‘three yards and a cloud of dust’ football teams.”

Brown also said that they use play action effectively after getting the defense to commit to the run.

Fortunately, the Tigers are in good shape physically following a big win over Kinston last Friday night.

“We seem to be rested and ready to go,” Brown said.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. with the presentation of the homecoming court at halftime.