CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- An attitude adjustment has made all of the difference for the Poca Dots' defense.

Displaying a more aggressive approach, Poca limited Nitro to six first downs and 114 total yards (87 on the ground and 27 through the air) in its 34-6 season-opening football victory against its neighboring rival.

"They know they have to be able to play good defense if they want to win games," said Poca Coach Bob Lemley, whose team was 3-7 last year. "Their enthusiasm and spirit were good.

"They hadn't been in a game like that in a while. They had beaten on each other for a while. We have been doing a lot of tackling drills and hitting just about every day. I think that has paid off for us. (Assistant coaches Ryan Bailey, Charlie Hartley and Kerry Casto) have been working hard with them to get them to tackle."

However, putting an emphasis on tackling can be a high-reward, high-risk prospect. Teams get much-needed practice in the most important aspect of defense, but they also can lose players to injuries as a result of it.

"You don't want to lose the game on Wednesday," Lemley said, "but you want to push it as far as you can to make sure they can do what they need to do on Friday."

In a matchup of Class AA playoff contenders, Poca (1-0) will visit Ravenswood (1-0) at 7:30 tonight in the rivals' annual "Battle for the Anvil."

Although he has only one game on which to base his opinion, Red Devils Coach Dick Sturm noticed a drastic difference in the Dots while watching those 48 minutes of film.

"They attack the offensive formations very effectively," said Sturm, whose team defeated Lemley's 37-19 last year. "They are very mobile on defense. I saw a lot of jerseys around the ball. Their pursuit was excellent. Their linebackers are very active, and they have two good tackles who dominate the interior."

Senior tackles Dustin Burkhammer and Colton Whittington anchored the Dots' defensive line in their season opener, with junior Clinton Parsons and freshman Jake Payne on the ends.

Senior Jake Skeens led the linebacker corps, with help from senior Jeremiah Asbury and juniors Daulton Tyler and Jacob Whittington.

Seniors Tray Davis and Tyler Moore manned the cornerback spots in the Dots' veteran secondary. Seniors Jason Cuffee and Travor Dunlap split time at free safety, while senior Jordan Brandon provided a surprising effort at strong safety.

"Jordan Brandon played well," Lemley said. "He made three or four open-field tackles that kept those plays to 5- or 6-yard gains, which we didn't do a lot last year."

The Red Devils are dealing with a handful of injuries heading into the game.

"We look like a walking polio ward out there," said Sturm, whose team opened the season with a 23-8 victory over Herbert Hoover. "We got beat up pretty bad last week."

The list includes the Red Devils' top two tailbacks, senior Luke Corley (hamstring) and junior Jeremy Lawrence (ankle).

Incidentally, Lawrence is the player whom Sturm inserted after Corley injured himself against the Huskies.

Senior fullback/linebacker Jonas Jelich (hip pointer) and junior lineman Anthony Crow (lower back strain) also are less than 100 percent.

"We will have at least four who may see limited action," Sturm said of Corley, Lawrence, Jelich and Crow. "There is a difference between a bump or a bruise and an injury. They will probably play with some discomfort. We will try to tape them up and pad them up, so they can go."

Lemley faces a challenge in preparing for Ravenswood because he doesn't know what to expect from Sturm's offense.

Senior quarterback Cole Starcher could miss his second consecutive start under center for disciplinary reasons, but Sturm said he might play on defense and special teams.

"We know what they are going to do one way or the other," Lemley said. "We just prepare for both ways.

"If they are in the spread (with Starcher), we do what we have to do against that. If they go to the Stack I (without Starcher), we do what we have to do against that. It's just a matter of adjusting to what they do. We will be ready either way."