Purcell opens the 2023 gridiron season at home hosting the Alva Goldbugs Friday at 7:30 p.m.

Alva will be out to avenge last year’s 40-34 loss at the hands of the Dragons in Alva.

Alva will operate out of the spread offense showing some two back and some three back sets out of the shotgun.

That’s the word from new Dragon skipper Aaron Dillard.

Defensively the Goldbugs utilize a 4-2 base.

“The key will be the line of scrimmage,” Dillard said. “Both their offensive and defensive lines are pretty big so the guys in the trenches will have to perform.”

Stopping the run on both sides will be key.

“We’ve got to make them shut down our running game and we’ve got to stop theirs,” the coach said. “They’ve got a good back we have to stop.”

In last Friday night’s scrimmage at Minco with Wynnewood and Lexington Dillard liked what he saw defensively.

“It went well,” he confirmed. “Overall, we did a tremendous job on defense against everyone both our ones and twos.”

He said the defensive line including Brody Holder, Derek Cravens, Jonathan Minor and Tavian Engert played well as did inside linebackers Christian Kirk and Ryker Fink.

On offense Dillard said his club lacks consistency so far.

“We’re not putting plays together like I would like to at this point,”  he said.