West Limestone football coach Shelby Davis is already prepared for a happy weekend. Davis’ wife is expecting the couple’s first child, and Saturday they will find out whether the new addition is a boy or girl.

But Davis’ weekend could go from good to great if his Wildcats can defeat Deshler in their Class 4A, Region 8 opener Friday night.

“I told my wife, ‘Saturday will be a lot better if we win Friday,’” Davis said with a laugh. “Deshler is one of the most historic and winningest programs in the entire state. They’re the defending region champs, and anytime you play them in your first region game of the season, that’s a big one.”

Deshler played for the Class 4A state championship in 2018 and went undefeated in region play last season before advancing to the quarterfinals of the state playoffs.

The Tigers have yet to play a game this season. They had an open week in Week 0, and last week’s scheduled game against Russellville was canceled due to COVID-19 concerns.

Even though Deshler hasn’t played, Davis knows just what to expect from the Tigers.

“We want to play tough and physical, and that’s the same thing they want to do,” Davis said. “We like to run the ball and be physical, and they like to run the ball and be physical. I told the guys at our 6 a.m. workouts that ‘You’re going to play a team that’s going to hit you back. A lot will depend on how you react to that.’”

Unlike Deshler, West Limestone has had an opportunity to play a game and knock some of the rust off. The Wildcats defeated Clements 53-19 last Thursday, even though Davis was unhappy with a litany of penalties and mistakes his team made.

He said the team has spent this week cleaning up those mistakes. That’s the only way the Wildcats are going to beat Deshler, he said.

“The message is this week, we’ve got to be disciplined and we’ve got to focus on the details,” Davis said. “Our discipline and character is important. We’re going to have to match theirs and outmatch them with our attitude and effort.”

Even though this is the first region game, Davis said it is a vitally important one for his team, as a victory over the defending region champion could set the Wildcats up for a shot at a region championship.

“Winning the region championship is a goal we set at the beginning of the year,” Davis said. “If you want to win one, you’ve got to go through Deshler. Everyone is real locked in and focused on what we have to do Friday night to get the win. I feel like if we can come away with a win, we’re in a good position going forward.”