Reading Football Seeks Improvement in Friday Tilt

The Reading High School football team had high expectations coming into the season. Though things didn't get off to a fast start in the team's opener, they enter Friday's game with a 1-0 record.

Here are five things you should know heading into the contest versus Arlington High School.

1. Who, What, When, Where: The Rockets open the home portion of their schedule on Friday night with a 7 p.m. kick off against Arlington High School when they play on their home turf. Reading narrowly escaped Dracut with a last second win, and hopes to make it 2-0 on the year.

2. Spy Ponders: Arlington enters the showdown with a bit more game experience. The Spy Ponders opened on September 13 with a 28-7 win over Somerville before improving their record to 2-0 with a 47-12 pounding of Medford last week.

3. What to Watch For: Reading quarterback Drew Belcher is the leader of this year's Rocket team, but he isn't the only player that makes the locals tick. Head coach John Fiore said after last week's win he was impressed with his squad's offensive line, and special teams play. He also praised his defense's bounce back in the second half. Still, he looks for improvement in all three phases this week.

4. Coverage: Reading Patch will be at the game, so look for updates on our Facebook and Twitter pages. We'll have a short recap immediately following the game and will add complete coverage on the site Monday morning.

5. Next Up: Following Friday's contest, Reading gets back on the road for three straight games. Two Saturday games are scheduled against Winchester and Lexington on October 5 and 12, respectively, followed by a showdown in Belmont on Friday, Oct. 18.