The Eagles will compete against 5A high school Denison Yellow Jackets in the Southwest Showcase at AT&T Stadium this Friday, Sept. 5 at 2:00 P.M.  Though Denison is almost twice as large as Argyle, the Eagles are well prepared and up to the challenge.

Both teams will be playing in an environment much bigger than their own home field stadiums, but the coaches think that they can use this as a learning experience.

“Every opportunity we can get to expose the kids to different environments can only help us in the long run,” head coach Todd Rodgers said. “It’s a learning experience and all we want to do is provide as many learning experiences as possible so that we can benefit from it.”

Argyle has become an increasingly media covered and state renowned team, and the coaches feel that this is a huge positive for the players.

“Obviously it’s a plus for us to get over there and get extra time not only for the kids, but for the fans,” Rodgers said. “Anytime we can get exposure and opportunities for our team will benefit our players and educate them so if we get back into another state championship game this year, we will have the experience of playing there.”

Denison is a much larger school than Argyle with over 1,200 students. Luckily, Argyle is used to finding ways to win against larger opponents.

“We’ve faced those challenges over the last 3-5 years,” Rodgers  said.  “We have always been a smaller school in our classification; It’s not an insurmountable mountain that we have to climb, but they are a good opponent and they will have their own challenges preparing for the Eagles.”

The players are aware and ready for the atmosphere of AT&T Stadium, and they seem motivated by the enhanced playing stage.

“It feels pretty good,” safety Dane Ledford said. “It’s a bigger crowd, a bigger stadium, and it’ll make us play better.”

The last time the Eagles played at AT&T Stadium was in last year’s state championship game against Fairfield, when Argyle emerged victorious in a close 38-33 contest. The coaches are hopeful that the energy and memories from that game can fuel the team to a victory tonight.

“I think the essence of playing there again after a state championship victory is a very positive experience to get to come back again,” Rodgers said. “The exposure to a big game is what we want to have, and a big game means that it’s loud, chaotic, intense, and hopefully, they will raise their game on an individual basis and learn how to play in an environment like that.”