North Moore kicks off its Yadkin Valley Conference schedule tonight at home against West Montgomery.

The Warriors (3-1) are another tough assignment for the Mustangs (0-4), who are coming off a 69-8 road loss at Jordan Matthews.

West Montgomery handed JM its only loss of the season so far on Sept. 10, 21-13. The Warriors are coming off a bye.

Head coach Greg Simmons said the team has added a "toughness check" to the end of each practice to get ready for Friday's game. He's trying to instill a little more attitude and swagger in his guys.

"We're trying to get a little bit meaner and tougher," he said in an interview during Wednesday's practice. "I thought were very passive and we tried to catch people instead of hitting people (referring to the Jordan Matthews game). You play against teams like Jordan Matthews and West Montgomery, you better be ready to bring it."

West Montgomery won last year's meeting between the two schools 55-13 in Mount Gilead. The Warriors went on to finish the season with 11 wins and lost to another YVC foe - Albemarle - in the state semifinals.

Simmons said West Montgomery brings a lot of speed to the table on both sides of the football. On offense, it starts with quarterback Jaquil Capel, who is a dynamic playmaker.

"They've got as good a quarterback as you're going to find around here," he said. "[He's] that type of kid that can take a game over himself. But they've got good players around him, too. They've got a lot of team speed. They're really well-coached. They're not going to beat themselves. They're tenacious on defense ... hard-hitting and fast on defense.

"They've got a lot of speed. That's how they do things - by being fast. They're an option team, a little bit of wing T, a little bit of spread. They rely on No. 16 to make good decisions for them, and he does most of the time."

Containment is key for North Moore, Simmons said. He wants his defense to get up field, disrupt things in the backfield and take away some of West Montgomery's space. He said giving a team like West room to work will only cause problems.

He added that his offense will have to avoid turnovers and costly penalties. It has shown the ability to make some big and exciting plays, which was evident on quarterback Xavier Scotton's 90-yard connection with receiver Billy Person for a touchdown last week against the Jets.

"All the guys are working hard," he said. "It's just a matter of getting some success on the field. It's a tough spot right now. We're in a tough stretch right here, and we just gotta keep on believing and keep on working hard."

Contact John Krahnert III at sports@thepilot.com.