Coach Cody White came to Brentwood Academy from Texas, where football is king.
He faces a king-size challenge in his first game with the Eagles.
Brentwood visits Trinity, Ky., which was named national champion in four polls last season. The Shamrocks handed the Eagles their most lopsided loss in school history last year, 45-7.
It was a stunning loss for the Eagles, a 10-time state champion.
"It's fun to play good people, and it's not like it's got much bearing on the rest of the season, so we're excited about the opportunity to see where we're at," White said. "We need to be in a little better condition than what we were last year, and I think we are."
There are several Midstate schools playing Kentucky teams in the first few weeks of the season, but none has the challenge facing White or Montgomery Bell Academy coach Marty Euverard, whose team hosts Trinity next week.
Trinity returns nine starters from its 14-0 Kentucky Class 6A champion that averaged 49.8 points. Defensive end Jason Hatcher (USC commitment) and cornerback Ryan White (Vanderbilt) lead the defense.
"They have a great defensive line and great defensive backs," said Brentwood Academy quarterback Max Staver, a Florida commitment. "We've got to be able to run the football, and we've got to establish the run. That's going to be a very big key for us."
Trinity graduated its entire offensive line. The Shamrocks have won nine state titles in the past 11 years and are No. 13 in the USA TODAY Super 25.
"I feel more confident this year," Brentwood Academy running back D'Montre Wade said. "We're putting in more work, and we don't have anything to lose. We're playing for Tennessee, not just for Brentwood Academy (but) to show how tough Tennessee is."
MBA lost 66-21 last season to Trinity in Louisville.
"MBA has always played some out-of-state people -- Bolles (Fla.), Byrnes (S.C.), Moeller (Ohio) and several other schools," Euverard said. "I think it's good to see what else is out there. Trinity is just as good, if not better, than last year."
Ensworth plays in Kentucky on Aug. 25 to face Lexington Catholic in the Bluegrass Bowl, which will be televised by ESPNU.
"We would much prefer to play schools within a three-mile radius of (us), like CPA," Ensworth coach Ricky Bowers said. "We had called the top 20 teams in the country just to see if anybody was available to play because we thought we would end up with an open date, but then we ended up with this one. We were seeking really strong competition to balance our schedule out."
Goodpasture played an out-of-state opponent for the first time in its 41-year history last season, when it lost to Louisville Central in the Bluegrass Classic. The Cougars return to the classic at Papa John's Stadium in Louisville on Aug. 25 to face Trinity Christian, Fla.
"Playing in a college stadium in that type of environment is a great experience for these young men," Goodpasture coach David Martin said. "Going overnight is kind of like a college experience for those guys."
Riverdale will join Goodpasture in the classic for the second straight year, facing Louisville Ballard on Aug. 25.
"It's not easy at all for us to find opponents," Riverdale coach Ron Aydelott said. "If we got approached by anybody, we were interested."
Trousdale County will play Greenwood, Ky., in the Rivals.com Bowl at Warren Central in Bowling Green, Ky., on Friday.
"We had trouble finding a Week Zero opponent, so the last couple schedules that we've made we had to go out of state," Trousdale County coach Kevin Creasy said.
"It's a cool challenge because it's a team that you're unfamiliar with. It's a good atmosphere, but it's also tough because Kentucky gets to use a football (in June practices, while Tennessee is restricted to conditioning), so they seem to be more prepared than we are."
