The Skipstone Academy football team will embark on its first trip outside of the friendly confines of Warriors Field Friday evening and the Warriors’ coaching staff hopes the team is prepared to make this a “business” trip. Skipstone will square off against the Colonial Hills Rams of the ICSGA Friday at 7:30 p.m. in Lithia Springs, Ga.

“We hope the guys are pumped up for the road trip and ready to take care of business,” said Skipstone offensive coordinator Jeff Eure. “After an embarrassing home loss last week, we need to be fired up this week.”

Skipstone (3-3) is coming off a truly embarrassing 64-8 loss to the Fountain Inn Falcons of South Carolina last Friday, its worst defeat since a 70-0 drubbing courtesy of Covenant Christian in 2009. Eure said the Falcons scored at least 3 or 4 touchdowns off Skipstone’s special teams mistakes alone.

“We’ve been making some adjustments this week and hopefully they will make a difference when we face Colonial Hills,” Eure said.

Eure noted the biggest adjustment the Warriors need to make is more mental than physical.

“We’ve got to play with heart from the first snap on. I told the guys we need to be the aggressor instead of waiting around,” he said.

“We’ve got to go out there and hit somebody right from the start.”

Aggressive play may help Skipstone against a Colonial Hills team that is 7-1 this season, its first in the ICSGA after years in GISA 11-man football.

The Rams, which lost their last 19 games in the GISA (Colonial Hills’ last GISA win was a 33-6 victory over North Cobb Christian in Oct. 2007), seem to have found their niche in eight-man football.

Colonial Hills has won four straight games, including last week’s 54-20 thrashing of perennial playoff team Grace Baptist on the road. Skipstone will be the Rams’ homecoming game opponent, so they should be ready to play in front of the home crowd Friday night.

“It’s going to be a challenge for us to face a team that’s 7-1 and playing good football,” Eure said. “We’ve got to step it up.”

GAME BOX

GAME: Skipstone Academy Warriors (3-3) at Colonial Hills Rams (7-1)

TIME: 7:30 p.m. Friday, at Colonial Hills

LAST MEETING: First meeting

LAST WEEK: Robert Pearson ran 55 yards for a TD and Stephen Eure made the 2-pt. conversion for Skipstone's only points in a 64-8 loss to Fountain Inn.