Troy football returns to Alparon Park on Friday as they welcome Montoursville.

The Trojans are coming off a scrimmage against District IV power Jersey Shore.

"Jersey Shore is a strong athletic team," Troy coach Jim Smith said. "I felt we were physical and there were a lot of good things to pull out of it. When you play a great team your weaknesses are more obvious. It’s easy to find the areas we need work on. It’s nice to play a great team/program in a scrimmage, and Jersey Shore is just that. It certainly helped us to prepare for the season."

Montoursville has been one of the top teams in District IV in Class AAA, and the Trojans have a history with them, beating them in the semifinals back in 2013 when they won the district title that year.

"We have only a week one scrimmage to scout Montoursville," said Troy coach Jim Smith. "We have no other history to go on. They are a brand new coaching staff developing a team with a new evolving identity. We will have to be prepared to adjust on the fly. They are certainly a program with a rich winning tradition. A team up a size in classification and one that historically has a difficult schedule. They will not be intimidated by us. They always have great athletes with smart strong players. They seem confident. We will be tested and will have to play well to come away with a win."

One area Troy will be feeling some things out will be on offense as they break in new weapons.

"We lose many of our playmakers from last year's team," said Smith. "In fact our whole backfield on offense graduated. It’s always exciting to see how players who step into new roles develop and respond to that opportunity. So far I like what I see."

KEYS TO THE GAME

Montoursville - Win the battle up front. It will be ground and pound for Troy, so if the Warriors can't get them off schedule it could be a long night for them.

Troy - No big plays. Montoursville comes in with a lot of athletes, and will be doing their best to spread them all over the floor.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Eljah Eck, Montoursville, QB - Eck threw for over 1,000 yards as a sophomore last season, giving them a good starting point on offense.

Jayden Kutt, Troy, RB - After a couple seasons waiting in the wings Kutt will get his chance to shine in the running back role.