Football teams play preseason games to get an idea of where they stand and what to expect when they open the season.

McKenzie School is no different.

The Tigers faced off with J.U. Blacksher High School last week, and cruised to a 50-6 win.

It would be easy to assume that such a convincing win provided plenty of answers about whether or not McKenzie is ready for Week 1, first-year head coach Josh McLendon still has plenty of questions.

“To be honest, we’re sort of in the same situation we were in last week,” he said. “That game didn’t mean a lot. It was just preseason, and we played OK, but it’s one thing to do it in a preseason game. It’s another to do it when it counts.”

It will county Friday night when the Tigers travel to Class 2A Highland Home High School.

“Highland Home is a very well-coached team,” McLendon said. “They will be well prepared. They are very athletic and they will play physical football. We’ll have to play well to win. We expect to play well, but you never know until you get out there in a game that counts.”

McLendon said the Flying Squadron will spread the field and try to get its playmakers out in open space. It’s a tactic the Tigers are familiar with.

“Offensively, they do a lot of the same things we do,” he said. “We’re going to have to play well defensively and limit their big plays. We’re going to play physical and fly to the ball and we’ll see how it turns out.”

McKenzie and Highland Home will face off Friday at 7 p.m.