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As the only non-Pitt County school in the Pitt County Middle School Athletic Conference, the P.S. Jones Demons have their work cut out for them every year. Add in the fact that head coach John Scott Cutler is revamping his offense to mimic what new Washington High School coach Matt Taylor runs, the learning curve is a bit steeper this fall.

With 20 of the approximately 30 players on the roster being seventh-graders, the Demons are younger than they were last year.

8^th-grade quarterback Draken returns along with running back Shamar Blow and middle linebacker Wyatt Johnson.

“Wyatt is the heartbeat of our defense,” Cutler said. “He’s reliable, tough and has a great football IQ for an eighth-grader. I know he will be in the right spot and do the right thing every day, whether it’s practice or in a game.”

P.S. Jones dropped the season-opener, 14-0, at Ayden-Grifton, but Cutler was pleased with the way his defense kept them in the game.

“We started with two penalties and a fumble and they scored,” he said. “It stayed 8-0 until the final moments, so we had our chances. Plenty of things to clean up offensively, but a brand new offense takes time to learn under game conditions. We’ll figure it out.”

Cutler expects seventh-graders Jacere Parker, Zach Gorham and Jahcere Collins to help on both sides of the ball as the season progresses. All of them will get a glimpse of their future October 11, when the Demons host Farmville Central at Washington High School’s Wagner Stadium.

“We try to do it every year, but haven’t in a while,” Cutler said. “Now than the WHS soccer team has its own facility, it’s made it a lot easier to schedule a game over there. It gives the kids, especially the 8^th-graders, a taste of the high school atmosphere. Wagner Stadium is definitely different than our home field and we’re playing a little later than normal so the community can come out and watch.”

Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.