Football is almost here. Cross-county rivals Dawson County and Riverview middle schools will hit the field against each other at 7:30 p.m. Saturday night at Tiger Stadium.

"It is a great way to start the season off, playing Saturday in front of a big crowd. It gives the fans an opportunity to see what the future holds for Dawson County football since all of the boys will be playing on the same team in upcoming years," said Dawson County Middle School Tiger Head Coach Thomy Edwards.

The Tigers saw a preview of what the season holds after hosting a scrimmage game with Jasper and Clear Creek middle schools last week.

Each team played a running 20-minute clock against each other.

"I thought the boys played well on Thursday. The offense was able to move the ball and the defense did great stopping the run. The offensive line was able to control the line of scrimmage," Edwards said.

Quarterback Brody Chester guided the offense against much bigger teams like Clear Creek and Pickens.

"Brody did a good job running the offense," Edwards said.

On defense the Tigers were led by Conor Woodbury at linebacker.

"Conor was all over the field for us on defense. He did a great job at middle linebacker," Edwards said.

"I thought the defensive line was getting a good push. Overall I was pleased with the way we played," he added.

Edwards said he saw several things on both offense and defense that the team needs to work on.

"On offense we had one penalty that hurt us and we also need to work on protecting the football. Defensively, we need to work on pass coverage. There were several times we had them in a third or fourth and long and they were able to get the first down," Edwards said.

Saturday's game will be a festive atmosphere against rival Riverview Middle School.

"As far as next week goes against Riverview, I hope it is a good game for everyone," Edwards said.