The lights are back on! It's the best day of the fall: Friday! And another year of previews from yours truly.
 
Quite a bit of new looks for the Hornets this year, on both sides of the ball. A couple things haven't changed. The first of which is Coach Leon Douglas. The stalwart defensive coach enters his 12th season with a 48-68 record.
 
The second of which is a defense that creates a matchup nightmare. Two of the country's top prospects line up, up front an Oklahoma commit, and 7th ranked prospect by ON3, PJ Adebawore, as well as recent Alabama commit, Edric Hill. Despite losing Dominique Orange, this unit still holds strong behind those two with Jaden Browning, Kaden Torres and Gerald Lewis.
 
The defense's lone "prove-it" point comes in the secondary, where the loss of veteran senior Keilan Powell is felt heavily. Tom Murgus, Herb Bass and a host of underclassmen try to fill the void left by the large graduating class.
 
Offensively, the Hornets are led by first year Offensive Coordinator Jeremy Hays, a 4-time state champion with a host of teams in the metro area. Junior Garin Walton  steps in at QB, filling a void left by JJ Johnson, and Walton shows prowess in some areas Johnson struggled. Walton looked good as a passer in the jamboree, in obviously limited reps. He seems confident and upbeat in the pocket, and has an above average presence against the rush.
 
Despite a pre-season injury, the revamped unit adds Staley transfer Ezra Peterson (who resembles a Hornet favorite Danny Joiner) as a utility man, they keep Chase Porter and now Terell Gicinto as receivers, as well as Jermaine House in the backfield.
 
The Hornets begin the year on the road in Columbia, taking on the Hickman Kewpies. They last saw Hickman 4 years ago, in a game separated by just 3 points. Since then, both teams have taken similar trajectories, seeming to launch rebuilds. It's almost inarguable to say the Hornets have an advantage on both sides, as the Kewpies finished 3-8 with wins over teams with a combined record of 4-26.
 
Expect an old-school Hornets look, that relies on the pass-rush, and a power run game from House and Peterson, coupled with speedy outside looks from Porter and Gicinto.