It’s tough to think of a better overall performance than Mount Airy put together last week, but the Granite Bears will certainly try to duplicate that success as they host Bishop McGuinness Friday.

After whooping up on North Surry 66-0 on the road a week ago, Mount Airy will host a Bishop squad which enters Wallace Shelton Stadium off a tight 22-13 win over Surry Central.

After scoring near 50 points per game in its first five games of the season, Bishop has been limited to just 29 total points in its last two games, including a 9-7 loss at East Surry two weeks ago.

Bishop’s strength is speed, with running back Marty DeFrancesco doing much of the damage for a Villains run heavy offense which utilizes a lot of misdirection.

Mount Airy defensive coordinator Chris Johnson said the Villains style of play forces their opponents to stay focused and disciplined.

“The key is reading your keys, but I don’t want to say exactly what we are keying,” Johnson said. “But we are playing assignments and you have to be a disciplined football team and emphasize the basics of staying square and staying at home. It’s just fundamental defensive football.”

Johnson added that the Bears must neutralize DeFrancesco to keep Bishop at bay.

“He’s an athlete,” Johnson said. “He’s a phenomenal jumper and a fast kid. He is someone we are going to have to keep in check to have a chance to win.”

While Bishop likes to run, Johnson said it’s important the Bears keep things in front of them.

“They run it so much, if you’re not a disciplined team you’ll come up and they will put one over your head when you least expect it.”

Mount Airy coach Kelly Holder said he and his staff know the pitfalls of playing a team like Bishop. In 2005, the Bears eked out a 28-27 win in a game that saw the Villains all but own the ball the majority of the game.

“About four years ago we played them and we only had the six possessions the whole game,” Holder said. “We scored four touchdowns, punted once and fumbled the ball once and we won 28-27. They had the ball 34 minutes and we had it for 14. They converted a lot of third and fourth downs. We’ve just got to make sure we are efficient on offense, score when we have the opportunity and take care of the football. It’s tough on a team when they have 12 to 14 play drives and the defense stays out on the field a lot. In that game in particular it would take them eight to 10 minutes to score and it would take us two. That’s a lot of time for our defense to be out on the field.”