THE FAIRFIELD EAGLES varsity football team opens the 2009 season Friday evening when they host the China Spring Cougars. The opener also is "Parents' Night." The 2009 football season officially gets underway Friday when the Fairfield high school Eagles host the China Spring Cougars.

Kickoff for the varsity game is 7:30 p.m. Activities start a bit earlier as the parents of players and cheerleaders are announced for "Parents' Night."

Freshmen and junior varsity games will be played Thursday evening at China Spring.

"They are good, but they will be good for us," FHS head coach Darrell Piske says. "It will show us our weaknesses real quick."

This is the fourth year the Eagles have faced China Spring in pre-district action, and the Fairfield squad has yet to come out with a win.

China Spring posted a 12-1 season in 2008 and is expected to be strong again this year—-the Cougars are picked to win the District 7-AAA title and are a top 10 pick in the state.

Piske points out that the Cougars have the continuity of having the same head coach for 12 years, whereas upperclassmen on the Eagles varsity squad have worked under three head coaches since they first donned pads in junior high school.

"These kids (China Spring) have been running one system. That makes them good, offensively," the FHS head coach, in his second year here, says.

China Spring runs a spread offense, capably operated by senior returning quarterback Brian Bell, the head coach's son. Bell passed for 2,911 yards and 29 touchdowns last season.

"They throw the ball really well. They are a pass oriented offense," Piske reports.

The FHS coach says that the Cougar line protects the quarterback well and that the receivers run good routes.

"We are going to try and keep the ball away from them," he says.

China Spring runs a 4-3 defense, which returns just three starters and is not expected to be as strong as the offense early in the season.

"They are not as big as last year, but they are quicker," Piske says. "They are going to be really sound."

Fairfield is hoping that the experience gained by a slew of returning varsity players who lettered as sophomores translates into making the squad into a contender this year.

The Eagles are almost half-and-half seniors and juniors, returning seven offensive and eight defensive starters.

Taking snaps this Friday are juniors Jacob Cain and Justin Terry—-Cain was backup varsity quarterback last year and Terry moves up from the jv.

"We are trying to win the first game, but we also are trying to make sure we have everything lined out by district," Piske says.

Part of lining things up for district is getting plenty of playing time for both quarterbacks.

In the backfield will be juniors Chris Burns and Robert Durham at tailback, and seniors Evan Simpson and Lamar O'Brien at fullback.

Burns and O'Brien scored twice each in a scrimmage with the Madisonville Mustangs last week.

"We have to play a good game, don't turn the ball over and don't get any stupid penalties," Piske says.