The Patriots open up their season Friday when they travel to take on Clarke Prep.

“We are looking forward to it,” said head coach Gene Allen. “Last week we were able to go up against some new people (in a jamboree). We saw a lot of things that we can improve on. Everyone is excited about the first one, and we are expecting good things.”

The Kingwood Jamboree gave the Patriots a first look at what the team can offer this season.

“Overall I thought we had a pretty good showing,” Allen said. “I think as we continue on we will get better and better.”

Clarke Prep is coming off an 8-4 season and a trip to the second round of the Class 2A state playoffs.

“They are traditionally a good football team,” Allen said. “We know they are going to run the same offense that they have been running for the last 25 years. They are going to be good at it. We haven’t seen them on tape, so we don’t know how big they are.”

The Patriots faced the Gators over the summer during a 7-on-7 tournament and the Patriots are familiar with their athletic abilities.

“I heard they were more athletic this year,” Allen said. “We saw them in a 7-on-7 and we feel like we match up pretty well with them. They have a good offense that puts pressure on the defense. Our defense is going to have to step up and be better than we were last week.”

The Patriots open the season on the road this season.

“I think it is going to help us that we played the jamboree last week on the road,” Allen said. “It kind of puts everything in perspective for us. This is a game that counts, so the atmosphere is going to be different.”

The run game could prove critical for the Patriots. Last week the Patriots were led by Reece Burbage who ran for a total of 129 yards on seven carries in just two quarters of play.

“We have been running the ball well,” Allen said, “All three of our backs ran the ball well last week. We are going to utilize all three and hopefully it will be a plus for us.”

After missing the playoffs last season the Patriots hope to get off to a better start in 2016.

“That’s very important from a confidence standpoint,” Allen said. “We want to go in there and get better. A loss can get the momentum going in the wrong direction so we want to go in and play well.”

The Patriots and the Gators will kick of at 7 p.m. on Friday at Billy Hamilton Stadium in Grove Hill.