Nation Ford kicked off its second season of existence in impressive fashion Friday, defeating Forestview at home 21-14. For the Falcons, the win marks what should be a much different season than a year ago.

"It is a tribute to all of the hard work that the players and coaches have done this offseason," said head coach Rusty Jester. "We have worked very hard in the weight room and in practice in the offseason."

Quarterback Joe White looked sharp, connecting on 10 of 16 passes and a touchdown before a third quarter knee injury took him out of the game. Jester said an MRI will be performed this week to determine the severity of White's injury.

Wide receiver Dee Truesdale hauled in seven catches for 156 yards and a touchdown. Jester and his staff will look for Truesdale to continue that trend all season because they see him as one of the very best receivers in the region.

Linebacker Daniel Davis also was impressive, racking up a slew of tackles for the Falcons. Defenders Justen Lane and Mario McIlwain preserved the win with two late interceptions.

"Our defense played well all night," Jester said. "Those turnovers in the fourth quarter were huge."

The victory leaves Jester hopeful that this season will be much more successful than last year.

"Last year we didn't have any seniors," Jester said. "We were basically a JV team playing at the varsity level."

Nation Ford has 14 seniors on this year's roster, including White and Davis. In addition, every starter from the offensive line returns from last season's team.

The line is big and experienced and should be able to control the trenches. Although they played well Friday, there is much more work ahead for them in the coming weeks.

"We got good push at times," Jester said. "We didn't really control the line of scrimmage as well as we would have liked to. We still have some improvement to make there."

The Falcons hope White can return immediately from his knee injury, but if not, the season is not lost. Mitchell Starnes and Tom Condron relieved White Friday, and both have game experience from last year, a luxury many high school teams do not have.

"I don't usually advocate multiple quarterbacks, but I thought our situation last year dictated it," Jester said.

While moving Starnes to quarterback may be any easy short-term fix, he will be missed on defense and changes will have to be made to the unit if he must be the long-term quarterback.

The quarterback situation aside, the Falcons are ready to prove they are a team to reckon with.

"We have a lot more confidence," Jester said. "We are bigger and stronger and have more team unity than last year."

Next up for the Falcons is a trip to Great Falls on Aug. 29. Jester knows that the game will be a big test for his team, and is hopeful they can pass it.

"Great Falls lost last night and that is probably not good for them," Jester said on Saturday. "They were much bigger and faster than we were last year when we played them. We definitely want to redeem ourselves; we took a pretty good beating last year."

Hopefully for Nation Ford, White will be able to return sooner rather than later. Either way, the Falcons appear to be headed in the right direction entering their matchup with the Red Devils.

The key for the Falcons is to carry the momentum they gained. While winning their first game is a great start, they are hoping to set the foundation of Nation Ford football this year.

"Right now we don't have any respect," Jester said. "We did not play well enough last year to earn any respect. We have to gain it back."