Pearl River’s Rebels begin their season tonight at the Chalmette Jamboree, where they will face the Belle Chasse Cardinals with kickoff scheduled for 6 p.m.

The teams should be familiar with each other, as last season they met with Belle Chasse coming out ahead, 21-7.

Pearl River went on to a 5-5 year and missed the postseason.

Stephen Arthur

The Cardinals made it to the regional round of the state playoffs before losing to Archbishop Shaw, 34-6.

Rebel coach Joe Harris said he sees this like he would a normal contest even though it will not count in the standings, but he admitted next Friday’s opener is his primary concern.

“We’re treating it like any other game, but we’ve got Varnado on the back of our minds,” Harris said.

The Rebel coach also said his backups will more than likely see playing time tonight.

Pearl River’s defense will be put to the test as the Cardinals offense is led by quarterback Blake Matherne. During last week’s scrimmage at Northshore, he helped his team score 27 points in a 15-minute period. Matherne presents problems for any defense with his arm and his legs. Harris said Matherne is a talented signal caller.

“He’s a very athletic kid,” Harris said. “They’ve got a potent offense. It’s difficult to defend guys like that.”

Pearl River will count on a defense that returns eight starters from last year, led by linebacker Stephen Arthur.

Last season, Arthur was in on 91 tackles and posted 5.5 sacks for the Rebels. Senior free safety Jacob Maxwell, who also plays wide receiver, intercepted three passes and returned one for a touchdown.

Offensively, the Rebels run the Wing-T offense that returns six starters and features seven seniors and four juniors.

The group is led by junior running back James Gillum, who rushed for 2,213 yards last season and 23 touchdowns. The other two running backs the Rebels will count on for production out of the backfield at senior William Reed and junior Jeremiah Levy.

The quarterback is second-year starter Matt Smith. His main weapon is Maxwell (6-foot-4, 215 points), who can use his height to make a lot of catches.

The offensive line has three seniors, but center Justin Piglia (6-2, 260) is the only returning starter for Pearl River.

The newcomers to the starting lineup are senior left tackle Will Howell (6-5, 260), junior left guard Mason Lee (5-9, 195), junior right tackle Duane Steen (6-0, 255) and senior right guard Nick Gaines (5-7, 200).