Those returning to Meadowview Christian School tonight for Homecoming will have plenty to celebrate

when the Trojans battle area opponent Sparta Academy.

MCS is in the midst of one of its best seasons in recent memory. At 3-2, the Trojans are eyeing an AISA postseason berth. Meadowview is coming off a convincing 28-14 win over Kingwood last Friday night. It was the second straight win for the Trojans, the first time in six years they have won consecutive games.

“One of our goals coming into this season,” MCS coach Rick Jackson said, “was to make the playoffs. With what we had been the past couple of years, I thought that was a lofty goal.”

After two previous seasons in which the Trojans went without a victory, times have changed. Following a season-opening loss to Abbeville, the Trojans have won three of their past four games.

“We’ve been successful because we’ve been able to make adjustments from week to week,” Jackson said. “We’ve made major strides since the first week.”

One of the major advances made by the Trojans has been the team’s ability to win on the road. After its loss at Abbeville and their disappointing loss on the road against Evangel last month, MCS played well at Kingwood. The Trojans rolled up 337 total yards of offense, including 182 yards on the ground by Dustin Lee.

“We’re a lot better off now,” Jackson said, “because we have kids who have been in the system for three years and they know what we’re trying to do here.

“Last week, we played in front of a hostile crowd,” Jackson added. “Last week we showed a lot of maturity. From the time they got dressed, they were focused on the game.”

The Trojans held a 20-14 advantage through three periods en route to the 2-touchdown victory. But Jackson knew that outcome could easily have been different.

“Without that maturity we had that game,” he said, “it could have been a loss. On our final drive, we made no mistakes and we drove the length of the field and scored.”

With this week’s schedule filled with Homecoming activities, the Trojans might have had several distractions. But Jackson said he would never allow that to happen.

“We have our activities here for Homecoming,” he said. “But the most important thing is to win the football game.

“If you win the football game,” Jackson added, “the dance afterward is a whole lot better. Everybody’s happy.”

After tonight, the Trojans travel to Escambia, which is 4-1 overall and 4-0 in the area. From there, MCS visits South Choctaw, then hosts Morgan Academy. The Trojans’ final game on Nov. 5 will have them entertaining Coosa Valley in an area game earlier postponed because of Hurricane Ivan.

The Trojans currently sit in fifth place in the region, with the top four making the postseason. Evangel, which sits in fourth place, has an identical 3-2 mark in the area. But it holds the tiebreaker edge with its head-to-head victory over MCS. One loss in its final three area games could very well spell the end of the Trojans’ run for the postseason.

“The area games are what count for us,” Jackson said. “We have to win at least two of those games to even have a chance of going to the playoffs.”