The semi-pro football team, the Mississippi Lions, is set to open their 2017 football season on the road Saturday when they take on the Outlaws in Cleveland.

Following the game against the Outlaws on Saturday, their next three games are all at home in Utica, where they’ll take on the Legacy, Maddogs and the Owls over the following three Saturdays.

The Mississippi Lions are a part of the Magnolia Football League, which is a semi-pro football league consisting of 10 teams within the state, including Brookhaven, Jackson, Hattiesburg and McComb. There are eight games in the regular season for all the teams in the league with playoffs and a championship game after the regular season.

The Magnolia Football League takes players ages 18 and up and gives them a second chance to play football at higher levels in the future.

Frank Collins is very optimistic about his Mississippi Lions this year and has great expectations for his players.

“This coming season might be our best season yet,” Collins said back in December. “We have really good players coming in that are dedicated to getting better. You really have to be dedicated to win and that’s what our guys strive for.”

After the three straight home games, the Lions will hit the road for two games against the Bengals on April 29 at Alexandria, LA and against the Titans in McComb on May 6.