For tonight's homecoming game against Independence, Hiram Atwater promises something special.

In his unit's pre-game dance routine, that is, not the game.

When it comes to football itself, it's all business for Atwater and his fellow Garden City Community College defensive backs.

But, before the game, they like to get a little hyped up, and Atwater's creation is the reason.

"We start off with me in the middle, then everybody forms a circle around me and starts hopping around," said Atwater, a freshman safety. "And then when I think it's just right, I say 'Since we're the DBs, and since we're so SMOOTH, can I get a slide to the right and a right arm flex?'"

And, always, the group obliges. With a slide to the right and a right arm flex, of course.

And then it's time to hit the field.

"It's our little way to get hyped," Atwater said. "Because it's homecoming, we might do something special, though, put a twist on it."

Saturday, waiting for them at the end of their routine will be arguably the most dangerous 1-2 receiving punch in the entire Jayhawk Conference in Independence's Adrian Holiday and Andre Simmons.

Simmons, a 6-foot-3, 200-pound freshman, leads the league in receiving yards per game and total receiving yards. Simmons has caught 41 passes for 668 yards and five touchdowns for the Pirates (3-2 overall, 2-2 league).

Holiday, a preseason All-American, has 30 catches for 379 yards and one touchdown and is third in the conference in receiving yards per game and fourth in total receiving yards.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. tonight at Memorial Stadium.

"It's been our normal approach this week, but our guys know that they're getting ready to go up against two of the best," said Garden City defensive coordinator Jacob Cox. "We're not going to do much different, but I've been trying to get it across to them that their footwork has got to be perfect this week, because if they take the wrong step, then it's six (points)."

Garden City (4-1, 3-1) boasts a pass defense ranked third in the conference, giving up exactly 150 yards per game through the air.

Leading the way for the Broncbuster defensive backfield is 6-foot-4, 210-pound redshirt freshman Daniel Sheffield, a free safety who leads the team with 46 tackles, two interceptions, and two pass break-ups.

"We just got to stay focused, play mistake-free," Sheffield said. "We're going against two of the top receivers in the conference, but we think we're one of the top secondaries in the conference. It should be an interesting match up, to say the least."

Topeka product Travon Carr, who starts at one of the cornerback spots opposite University of Massachusetts transfer Demarcus Robertson, says that their position group gets closer with every week.

"This week is going to be harder for the simple fact that we know what Independence can do, we've seen it on film," Carr said. "But our whole secondary, our whole defense, we're like brothers. You feel that chemistry getting better every week and we know that we have each other's back."

Sophomore R.J. Suttles also rotates in at one of the cornerback spots.

"It's just a matter of getting used to working together," Cox said. "Demarcus was the only one that wasn't here in the spring, so it was just a matter of figuring out who could do what and then going from there."

Now, though, the group has a bond that seems to be getting stronger by the day. At practices, the defensive backs are always in the vicinity of each other, even when it's not their turn on the field. Conversations range from girls to music to life in general.

"We've all bought in," Sheffield said. "It's a great feeling. I really think we can do some great things together."

And what, exactly, does Cox think of the now-famous pre-game routine?

"To be honest, I've never really watched the whole thing," Cox said with a smile. "I really just want them to keep it under two minutes so we can get on to the next part of pre-game."