Halloween is still two weeks away, but for Greenville High School head coach Earnest Hill, the scariest night of October may well be this Friday night.

That’s because the Tigers host Saraland High School, a team Hill describes as “dangerous,” for homecoming.

“They have a very athletic football team,” Hill said. “They have a great coaching staff, and they play hard. They score a lot of points and if you don’t put them away early, they will beat you.”

Add to that the distractions that come with a homecoming game, and you have a recipe for a Halloween nightmare.

“As a coach, you don’t love homecoming,” Hill said. “A lot of times kids get involved in things they shouldn’t be doing and get distracted from preparing for the game. We’re hoping that our kids won’t do that. We’ve talked to them about how homecoming is for the other students and the alumni and the game is our responsibility.”

There’s certainly plenty riding on Friday night’s game. A win guarantees the Tigers a playoff spot and would likely give them a No. 3 seed in the postseason. A loss could force the Tigers to face a No. 1 seed in the opening round of the playoffs.

“We need to take care of business,” Hill said.

Greenville (3-4, 3-2 Class 5A, Region 3) and Saraland (4-3, 3-2 Class 5A, Region 2) will face off at 7 p.m. at Tiger Stadium.