For the past few days, the sound of a wet football landing with a thud on muddy turf has been akin to fingernails on a chalkboard for the St. Aloysius Flashes.

They committed six turnovers in a season-opening loss to Cathedral. Three of those came in the last 15 minutes and killed potential go-ahead scoring drives.

The turnovers all had different causes, whether it was a slippery football, bad passes, or just a good defensive play. They were all symptoms of sloppy play, however, and that’s something coach BJ Smithhart said needs to be corrected in a hurry.

“We played hard. We’ve just got to play smarter,” Smithhart said. “I don’t think (Cathedral) had one (turnover). The sloppy field isn’t an excuse when they weren’t sloppy.”

The Flashes go on the road to Pisgah this Friday for their second game of the season. It’s another tough game in a string of them to start the season. Four of the first six teams the Flashes will face won their openers, and all of them are coming off playoff appearances in 2015.

“We don’t have any cake walks for sure,” Smithhart said. “We’ve got a tough schedule, and I’ll put (Pisgah) up there as one of the more physical teams we’re going to see.”

Smithhart knows from experience just how good Pisgah can be. The Dragons beat St. Al 52-26 last season by rushing for 479 yards and seven touchdowns.

Pisgah started off this season by beating Mize 23-6. Junior running back Don Ragsdale rushed for 145 yards and three second-half touchdowns in that win, and Smithhart called him “one of the better players in the state.”

Ragsdale had 61 yards and two touchdowns on only three carries in last year’s win over St. Al.

“He’ll stand out. He’s really, really good. I don’t know how else to say it,” Smithhart said. “I think he’s one of the better players in the state as a junior.”

While Ragsdale is a star, and Pisgah is a quality opponent, Smithhart was far from gloomy about his team’s chances.

In spite of their mistakes against Cathedral, the Flashes were still in a position to win late in the fourth quarter. The defense held Cathedral to 18 points — none in the second half — and the special teams scored eight of its own on a kickoff return touchdown and a safety.

That bright spot on a rainy night has Smithhart confident the Flashes aren’t a bad team, just a good one that had a bad night and might have a few fixable flaws.

“We had a great chance to win Friday, and the offense just didn’t get it done,” Smithhart said. “I don’t think there’s any game on our schedule where we can’t go after them. There’s no David vs. Goliath games. We just have to go out and play good football.”

FRIDAY’S GAMES

All games start at 7 p.m.

St. Aloysius at Pisgah (Radio: 101.3 FM)

Warren Central at Pearl (Radio: 105.5 FM)

Terry at Vicksburg (Radio: 1490 AM/107.7 FM)

Glenbrook at Porters Chapel (Radio: 104.5 FM)