The Goshen Eagles (1-1) will face their toughest test of the season Friday night, as the Keith Bears (2-0) come calling.

GHS Head Coach Bart Snyder said the wing-T offense of the Bears should provide a challenge for his defense.

“With that wing-T, they’re going to be all over the place,” Snyder said. “It’s going to take a lot of discipline on our part defensively to make sure we are in place to make the play. If we’re in place, we have to make the play, because if we don’t, they’re gone. They’re that athletic.”

While Goshen is fairly familiar with the offensive schemes involved in running the wing-T, Snyder said Keith’s athleticism is especially troubling.

“They have some real good athletes in that offense,” Snyder said. “They have a real big quarterback, a left hander that’s a super athlete.”

Defensively, the Bears will often put eight men in the box to stop the Eagles’ rushing attack.

Keith will mostly line up in a 4-4, but will also have a 3-4 look as well.

The Bears also focus on penetration along the defensive line, something Snyder said Goshen is aware of.

“Their defensive linemen like to get upfield and make their way into the backfield to try and disrupt things,” Snyder said.

The Keith defensive front is anchored by Robert Giles, a six-foot-two, 285-pound junior.

“Robert Giles does his job real well,” Snyder said. “We’ve really got to make our blocks on him. That will probably be the key.”

Another defensive playmaker for the Bears is Terry Jones, a five-foot-eleven, 220-pound senior middle linebacker. Jones is known for his hard-hitting style of play.

“Their middle linebacker can hit you hard enough that your ancestors will feel it,” Snyder said.

The talent on both sides of the ball has been apparent for the Bears, as they have won their first two games by a combined score of 88-6.

The Bears were also victorious in last year’s meeting between the two teams, a 41-8 blowout.

Despite the challenge that Keith will undoubtedly provide, Snyder said he is confident in his teams’ chances.

“Honestly, I feel like we match up pretty good,” Snyder said. “I think if we do our job as coaches and help put our players in the right place, we’ll do real well. I think we’ll give them a run for their money.”

One thing that Goshen has going for it is momentum. The Eagles are coming off of their first win of the season, a 22-6 win over region foe Zion Chapel.

“The morale has been great in practice this week,” Snyder said. “I think the win was big for our players.”

The Eagles should also have all of their players available Friday, something that has become uncommon around the state due to teams battling the flu.

“Also, we’ve been just about at 100 percent, which is key with the flu going around,” Snyder said. “That certainly should help us out this week.

Goshen will take on Keith Friday night in Goshen at 7 p.m.