This interview was recorded Wednesday, Aug. 30, with Coach Jamie Driskell and Michael V. Hannigan.
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The Malakoff Tigers got their season off to a hot start last week by beating West Rusk, 56-14. Things won't be as easy this week as the Tigers travel to Grandview to take on the Zebras.
Malakoff started the season ranked No. 5 in the state by Dave Campbell's Texas High School Football, while Grandview was ranked No. 8.
"It's kind of a playoff atmosphere early in the year," said Malakoff Coach Jamie Driskell. "It'll be a lot of fun."
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While Malakoff and Grandview have become rivals since they faced each other in the state title game in 2018, they have also become respected adversaries.
"They're very well coached," said Coach Driskell. "Their kids play really hard. They play really fast."
Coach Driskell said the Zebras are hard to fool on defense.
"It's hard to get them misaligned with their defense," he said.
Grandview will spread the field offensively, and even their linemen will have wide splits to spread out the defense.
"They're just solid all the way through," Coach Driskell said.
With all that said, remember that this is an early season, non-district game, and the Tigers are mostly looking to improve.
"This is a game to get us better," said Coach Driskell. "There's bigger fish to fry down the road."
"It's a good measuring stick for both teams," he said.
Keys to the game, according to Coach Driskell:
* Take care of the ball.
* Limit unforced penalties.
* Play hard no matter what's going on in the game.
