The Goshen Eagles will be the first Pike County team to kick off the 2015 football season when they host McKenzie Thursday in a preseason jamboree.

Eagle head coach Bart Snyder is ready for his team to strap on their helmets and hit the field. “My blood started pumping at the end of the football season last year,” Snyder said. “We started working then to get better. We had to fill some spots but things are looking pretty good. The guys are working extremely hard, and we have good senior leadership.”

Although week one’s matchup with McKenzie is a preseason game, Snyder expects to get the best out of his opponent and is excited to see his team match their intensity.

“McKenzie always has a good football team down there. Coach Norris will have them ready. It’s his first year as head coach down there but he has been assistant for years. They have some really good offensive linemen and good skill people. They are going to come really well coached and they are going to work extremely hard. They are going to be ready to play.”

The Eagles will rely on their senior members to lead by. The Eagles have eight seniors on the roster, including starting quarterback Kendrez White.

“He does a great job. All the seniors have done a great job,” Snyder said. “It is deep with the seniors and they have the desire to go out on a successful year.”

The Eagles enter Thursday’s opener with a new offensive system.

“It is similar to what we have done but it is still different,” Snyder said. “We have different skill people back there. White played quarterback for us last year, but other than that our skill people were ninth and tenth graders who were playing behind some seniors. We have some places to fill with young people with inexperience. Our offense will get better if they continue to work.”

Snyder believes the key for the Eagles is to stay focused and just keep things simple.

“We need to stay focus and understand it’s a jamboree and do the job we are supposed to do and work hard doing it.” Snyder said. “We will get better each game.”

And even though Thursday’s game is just a jamboree, the players are anxious to test their skills.

“They’re ready to play. We don’t take any game lightly,” Snyder said. “We take every game like it’s the game. We want to get better every day and that’s what we are doing.”

Kick off against McKenzie is 7 p.m. Thursday. The Eagles will officially kick off the 2015 season the following Friday night when they travel to Brundidge to play Pike County.