After an opening win over Excel, the McKenzie Tigers are preparing for a region showdown with Florala.

The Wildcats are coming in off a big win over J.F. Shields, and McKenzie coach Miles Brown expects them to be prepared for the Tigers.

“We’ve watched them on film, and they executed on offense and defense,” he said. “The kids understood the game plan. They’ll be well-coached and prepared.”

The game is also Florala’s home opener, and Brown said he’s preparing for a fight.

One big positive for McKenzie is the status of quarterback Calvin Henderson.

Henderson has been recovering from a broken foot, and he practiced for the first time on Monday.

“We did a lot of running, but we also got him throwing and he looked good for the first day,” Brown said. “We’re definitely going to keep watching him. He looked good putting weight on it.”

The Tigers have also had concerns about swine flu, but Brown said several members of the team continue to recover.

“We’ve got a couple still fighting it, but we’re getting better,” he said.

Kickoff for Friday’s game is set for 7 p.m. in Florala.