The Goshen Eagles advance to the postseason for the 11-straight season last year. They kick off their jamboree game on the road Friday night against Wicksburg.

It’s been a rainy and hot summer in Goshen. They have had over three inches rain this week in Goshen, hampering their efforts to get ready for Friday night.

Very wet,” said head coach Bart Snyder. “We have had two days of rain and one day we had over two inches and the next day we had an inch and half.”

Being mentally focused has been Snyder’s message to his team so far this week. Despite the urge to hit the field, the Eagles have had to be patient and practice when and where they can during the wet conditions.

“The rain and the weather has gotten us out of sync of what we would normally be doing,” Snyder said. “We have to be mentally prepared and rehearse the things that we normally do. We don’t have an indoor facility so we have to practice with what we have.”

So far, the Goshen players have responded favorably to the conditions. The excitement of the opener has led to good practices and a good work ethic.

“They are excited about it,” Snyder said. “They understand what they are doing and they understand how this game fits in the scheme of things. We are going in there looking for things to work on as we get into the season.”

This game is a jamboree and although the Eagles will treat it like a normal preseason game, Snyder hopes to get a look at all his players in different schemes and positions.

“We are going to mix things up,” Snyder said. “We are going to play it like a real game, but we are going to make sure we mix things up and put players into positions and see who we need where and  see how it works.”

The Eagles enter the game with little to no position battles, So Snyder will use the game to fine tune some key details.

“We have areas we need to work on to get better,” Snyder said. “We had some people that played in the spring, but didn’t come back out. Now, we have to put some people in different places and get them ready to play.”

The Eagles will travel for the game, something that Snyder feels his team is prepared for.

“We play on the road just as good as we play on the road,” Snyder said. “We hope we are mentally ready to do the things we are coached to do.”

Wicksburg finished last season with a 7-4 record.

“They are big and they are supposed be better than they were last year. They were good last year, so that concerns us,” Snyder said. “They have a really good offensive line with a young, but good quarterback. They are supposed to have some skill people.”

Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Newton.