Countdown to Herald Pigskin Preview — TODAY: Back to the drawing board in Sylvester (EDITS: corrects that Worth opens at home tonight vs. Fitzgerald, not on the road)

SYLVESTER — It’s not the size of the Ram in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the Ram.

That’s what head coach Scotty Ward was preaching to his Worth County football team this week as the Rams prepared for their season opener today against Fitzgerald.

“We lost a lot of big guys from last year,” said Ward, who is in his second year as head coach and ninth overall at Worth. “We don’t have a lot of them this year. We’re a lot smaller and quicker and we’re going to have to find a way to adjust and make do.”

That adjustment comes in the form of a completely new defense.

“Last year (we had a) 4-3 (defense), with big guys across the front,” Ward said. “This year we’re a lot smaller and quicker. We actually went and talked to Crisp County, and they do a lot of stuff we saw that we liked, so we’re actually going 3-5-3.”

It’s basically a new identity. An adjustment to the present conditions. A different team than the one that lost to Fitzgerald, 49-0, last season. And the Rams actually open up against the Purple Hurricanes tonight on at home.

“I think it just give us better avenues on our talent,” defensive coordinator Perry Pylant said. “We kind of lost some (big) linemen last year, but this year we feel like we got a little better (since) we have a little more speed than last year.”

That’s the theme for the Black and Gold this year: change.

The Rams have a new defense, a fairly new head coach and five returning starters who will be at new positions.

One of the most prominent players changing spots is Trey Frager, a former tackle who is now at tight end.

“Hopefully, I can keep the team going,” said the 6-foot-1, 250-pound Frager, a senior who defensive coordinator Perry Pylant said will be a leader for the defense at outside linebacker as well. “(The position change) is nothing major. It’s still blocking, so it won’t be a big adjustment.”

Despite the changes, Worth County has one advantage in preparing for the football season: a later start to the school year. They don’t begin classes until Sep. 7.

“It kind of (gives us an edge),” said Ward. “But other times, I’m not so sure. Because everybody else has a certain time when school ends and everything, for us, (it’s an adjustment). Since our county is so dang big, it’s a struggle to get everybody here (at the same time).”

The players don’t mind, though.

“Without the pressures of school and homework and all that, you can get a lot more (practice) in,” starting quarterback Will Peacock said.

Peacock is one of the reasons Ward and Co. are confident about this season.

While the QB missed the first half of last season because of an injury he suffered in the spring, he bounced back to lead the Rams to a 4-1 records during the second half of the season.

“He’s throwing the ball really well this summer,” Ward said. “Hopefully this year we’ll be able to throw the ball a bit better. Last year, we couldn’t throw worth a lick.”

Peacock was 18-for-74 last year with 203 passing yards and two touchdowns, but this year, the senior is much improved.

“I’m going to just keep the offense going, keep them on pace,” Peacock said. “I’ll be throwing hard every play.”

That will be key for a team that got outscored, 70-38, in the first quarter last season and went 1-4 in its first five games.

“Last year, we started off not very good at all, but we made some adjustments and kind of found ourselves the second half of the season,” Ward said. “Peach (County) was the only team that beat us (in the second half) last year, and we actually led them in the third quarter. It didn’t work out for us to win, but they went on to win the state championship, so (we) feel like (we) made some strides down the stretch.”

Ward and the team are now brimming with confidence after the strong finish to last season, despite the size shift.

“We’re quicker than what we were … smaller, (too),” said returning starting RB Jhue Rhodes, who ran for 667 yards and seven TDs last season. “But we’ll continue to work hard.”

And that’s all Ward expects from his players.

“As a football team, you have to get better every day,” the coach said. “You gotta find yourself and find what’s good for you. At the end of the year last year, I thought we did a pretty good job of doing that.”

Hopefully that will extend to the start of this year, no matter how big the task.