By tonight the Pike Liberal Arts School Patriots will have forgotten about the dance, the floats and the camaraderie involved with Homecoming Week. It will be time to focus on winning a football game.

“The loss of focus really hasn’t been that bad this week,” PLAS head coach Steven Kilcrease said. “As a coach, I am always concerned about the Homecoming game. We want the seniors to enjoy their final Homecoming, but we also have a job to do Friday night.”

Kilcrease said the Pike cheerleaders have done a great job in filling the school with spirit and pumping the fans up for the week and the game.

“The cheerleaders do a great job making signs and doing all the other stuff that goes along with Homecoming,” he said. “They have made this place full of excitement.”

But when the football team takes the field, Kilcrease and his staff have done everything they know to do to get them ready for the game against region foe Taylor Road.

The Pike (4-0, 3-0 AISA Class AAA, Region 1) defense will lead the charge against the Tigers. The first team unit has only allowed 23 points in four games and has held opposing teams to less than 200 total offensive yards in each game.

Taylor Road will line up two wide receivers who Kilcrease said can jump high and run fast, but he said he is confident in his secondary’s ability to shut them down.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Dewight Field at Delaney Kervin Stadium.