For most, Thanksgiving is a time of rest, relaxation, food and football. For members of the Maplesville Red Devils, there will be plenty of football to be had over the break.

Following their 41-21 win over St. Lukes, the 11-1 and fourth-ranked Devils will travel to McIntosh to take on the 7-5 Demons on Nov. 23.

There’s no doubt a road trip in the playoffs is a tough task—especially the first away game of the postseason—and one following an extended break can derail a team’s focus. While distraction can be tough to avoid, head coach Brent Hubbert is doing all he can to make sure his team stays on track.

“The kids will have more down time than usual,” he said. “But we’ll continue to practice at our usual time.”

As if the distraction of the break wasn’t enough, avoiding a potential sleeper just adds to what could be a trap game. While McIntosh barely managed to make it to the playoffs with a .500 win-loss record, the Demons have become a potent force as of late, winning their first two playoff games over Notasulga and Geneva County by a combined score of 60-23.

Hubbert said his philosophy for avoiding an upset is simple: focus on the game on the field.

“It doesn’t really matter,” he said. “It’s the third round of the playoffs. If we’re not focused, we won’t be in the fourth round.”

With that in mind, Hubbert said he felt the key to advancing to the next round would come down to which team could come out of the holiday break without a hitch.

“The most disciplined team,” he said about who will win. “Who can handle the downtime, who can execute on offense and limit turnovers (will win the game).”

Kickoff will be at 7 p.m. at McIntosh’s H.H. Wiggins Field.