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Non-Region football games are always meant to get your football team prepared when postseason play comes around.

For Jefferson County, they’re getting that preparation right off the bat.

On Friday, the Patriots open the season on the road against perennial state power Oak Ridge. For head coach Spencer Riley, he understands the challenge ahead and is excited to see how his team responds.

“Oak Ridge is a very talented football team,” Riley said. “They return a lot of skilled guys that are really good. We’re going to have our hands full containing those guys this week.”

The Patriots enter Friday’s game following a scrimmage last Tuesday against David Crockett. In that contest, Jefferson County scored on every offensive possession. Despite that though, Riley still saw things his team needs to work on in order to be successful in the regular season.

“We have to make sure we’re lined up right,” Riley said. “That’s 90% of our problem right now. If we can do that, we can play some football. We just need to get where we’re supposed to be.”

The biggest threat Oak Ridge will bring to the table is wide receiver Brandon Heyward. A 3-star recruit, Heyward has offers from the University of Tennessee, Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri and Vanderbilt.

Containing Heyward has been a big emphasis in practice for Jefferson County as they break in a relatively new secondary unit.

“It’s been going good,” Riley said. “We just need to make sure we’re on the same page and not have any busts or blown assignments. I like our athleticism at corner and our knowledge at safety.

“Heyward can run. He’s got great hands, but he can really run. He’s athletic and can run and jump. That’s hard to defend.”

Getting the ball to Heyward is the big question mark for Oak Ridge as they break in a new sophomore quarterback. For Riley, he wants to see his very talented front seven get in the backfield early and often to take him off his game.

“If you can force him to make some bad decisions early, it can affect his confidence,” Riley said. “You don’t want him to get confident early. We need to pressure him early and get some sacks and make him make some mistakes.”

Offensively for Jefferson County, they’re in a similar boat as they will break in either Mason Henderson or Jackson Osborne at quarterback. Both are sophomores and have gotten some solid reps in during the Patriots scrimmages against Knox West and Crockett.

However, with it being the first game, Jefferson County will lean on their veteran running game to take the pressure off their young quarterbacks early.

“They’re going to factor into it a lot,” Riley said. “Everybody knows that. I don’t care who we have at quarterback. Our run game is going to set how we do things. We want to be 60-40.”

Kickoff for Friday night at Oak Ridge is set for 7 p.m.

For Riley, he understands starting on the road in a hostile environment will be a great challenge for his team and looks forward to seeing how they respond.

“I don’t mind starting on the road because at some point in time you’re going to have to win a big ballgame on the road,” Riley said. “You might as well get started at it week one. Atmosphere will be crazy which will be great. I want us to be in a highly competitive ballgame and atmosphere right off the bat because I want us to be able to prepare us as we move forward in the season.”