One would have to think that the Booneville High football team would be pretty confident heading into its home quarterfinals game against Belmont.

After all, the top-ranked and undefeated Blue Devils (12-0) beat the Cardinals 30-7 in Belmont just a few weeks ago and this is the Cardinals’ (9-3) first-ever trip to the quarterfinals in any classification.

But Blue Devils head coach Jim Drewry has his reasons to be worried about facing them on Friday night, and it starts with how both teams have been playing of late.

Peaking at the right time

Belmont won at South Delta in the first round and then knocked off a tough Water Valley team in overtime last week. Booneville, on the other hand, beat up on Marshall in the first round before struggling to beat Nettleton in the second round.

“From looking at tapes, they’re (Belmont) a much better ballclub right now than when we beat them in the last regular-season game,” Drewry said after Wednesday’s practice. “We’re not playing as well and I don’t know why.

“We didn’t play well at Nettleton. We played well enough to win, but that’s about all.”

Drewry said the Cardinals are playing better defense and their running and passing games “seemed to have picked up.” Much of the credit for Belmont’s offensive success can go towards its offensive line, which feature four seniors.

With that being said, there’s another reason why Drewry is wearisome of having to play Belmont on Friday. This happens to be the second time the two teams will have played each other this season, and that doesn’t rest easy with a longtime coach such as Drewry.

“The hardest thing to do in high school football, on the college level or any other level for that matter, is to beat somebody twice in one season,” Drewry said. “All the odds are against you.”

Lessons from the past

The Booneville coach cited the 1990 season as an example of how it is difficult to motivate players to play their best against a team that they have already beaten and how it is also difficult to have success running their offense and defense against a team that has already seen it firsthand during the season.

In 1990, the Blue Devils lost 25-0 at home to Philadelphia in the regular season, but were able to beat the same Tornado team, 26-6, in the state championship game.

Even though this is Belmont’s first trip to the quarterfinals, the fourth-ranked Cardinals are more than motivated to make it to the next round.

“We’re proud of the accomplishment and I’m proud of these kids,” said Belmont head coach Kerry Moody. “But our focus is on Booneville and not what we accomplished thus far. We’re trying to make it to the next level.”

That’s another reason for Drewry to worry.

“When you get a young team that’s hungry like that, it poises more problems for you,” the Booneville coach said. “We got enough problems as it is.”