The Pike County Bulldogs are riding high after a big home win last week against Goshen. Bulldogs head coach Fred Holland task this week is to make sure the Bulldogs put last week’s success behind them.

“We are looking pretty good. They guys have really been learning on what we have been teaching them this week,” Holland said. “We have had a good week of practice and the kids are hungry.”

The Bulldogs will host Abbeville in Brundidge tonight, relying on senior leadership to keep the team on course Friday evening.

“We have a number of seniors that have been playing for a while. They realize what you have to do each week to prepare,” Holland said. “I always tell them to enjoy the win, but come back the next week. The guys have done a great job at that. It’s not that hard to explain to them to be ready for the next week.”

The Bulldog seniors have lead by example both on and off the field during practice and in the weight room this week.

“When you can accept a role on the field during practice and in the weight room during conditioning, that will tell everything,” Holland said. “It’s not so much of what we are saying, it’s about their performance.”

The Yellow Jackets are coming off a 46-7 loss to Randolph-Clay a week ago. They will feature a heavy running attack.

“They have a lot of size and speed. Some of the things they have done on film haven’t really shown,” Holland said. “They are really improving. I think it’s going to be a great region game. They run a form of the wing-T offense and that can cause you some problems because of the backs that they have.”

The Bulldog offense, which was a force a week ago, will be challenged by a defense that does a really good job of getting to the football.

Every win is important for the Bulldogs this season but Friday night gives them the opportunity to start their region schedule with a 1-0 record.

“It is very important to start the season at 1-0.” Holland said. “We don’t look beyond this game. We only look at Abbeville. Our biggest opponent right now is a Abbeville and our number one job right now is to come out victorious in that game.”

The Bulldogs who feature a heavy running attack themselves will hope to hold on to the football Friday night and avoid costly penalties and turnovers. “We can’t have any turnovers and we have to play good defense. We also have to play good offensively and do well on special teams,” Holland said.

Kick off between the Yellow Jackets and Bulldogs will be at 7 p.m. at Pike County High School.