“It is tough. It is a murderers’ row,” Foley head coach Todd Watson said of his team's 2009 schedule. He wasn't kidding.

Foley's schedule includes games against 2008 playoff teams Murphy, Fairhope, Daphne and McGill-Toolen, three of which are important Class 6A, Region 2 match-ups. The Lions travel to Bay Minette to face Baldwin County and they play their biggest rival, Robertsdale, on the road. And they do all of that before hosting three-time defending 6A state champ Prattville on October 23. Prattville, which has won 43 of its last 44 games, has not lost a game to an in-state team since the 2005 playoffs.

“This is probably the toughest schedule we have had since I came to Foley,” Watson said.

The Lions will have to face that tough schedule with a young team, replacing nine starters on defense and several on offense, including three of five offensive linemen.

“We are going to start four juniors and one senior on the offensive line,” Watson said. “We are replacing three seniors from last year. They are a good group. They have made some mistakes, but that is part of it right now. We are just trying to continue to get better there.”

Watson said that guard Steven Jones and Dale Watts both played on the line in 2008 and will start this season.

Foley also has to replace its entire defensive line.

“We lost all four of our starters on the defensive line to graduation,” Watson said. “We have a lot of guys who are fighting for those spots right now.”

The Lions have returning starters at two key offensive positions: running back and quarterback. Senior running back Marcus Washington is back, and Darius Powell returns for his junior season at quarterback.

“He is just a junior, but last year's experience was big for Darius,” Watson said of his quarterback. “He did a very good job last year, and now he has all those games under his belt.”

Washington is a versatile back. He is a solid runner who can line up and catch a pass as a receiver and can take snaps at quarterback if Powell goes down with an injury.

“We are going to lean on Marcus from a leadership stand point,” Watson said. “We are expecting a lot out of him this season. We expect him to be a great leader who can help us teach the younger guys. We can also use him at three different positions, which will be great. We are going to be asking a lot from him.”

The Lions will play a preseason jamboree game at Davidson on Thursday. They open the season at Ladd-Peebles Stadium against Murphy next Thursday.