The Pike County Bulldogs are on a two-game losing streak for the first time in a long time, but head coach Brad Waggoner is not worried.

“The football season is a long one and we still have every one of our main goals intact,” Waggoner said. “The next four games are region games for us and we can still win the region. We control our own path to the playoffs. But we have to take care of us and not worry about what the other teams are doing.”

The Bulldogs (2-3, 2-1 AHSAA Class 3A Region 2) head to Abbeville for a regional matchup with the Yellow Jackets Friday.

“We have struggled the last two weeks, but we have to keep working,” Waggoner said. “We have to believe in each other and everyone on this team must believe in the guy next to him. From my standpoint if we have someone not believing in the team then we will get rid of him.”

Waggoner said cutting players from the team is a hard thing to do, but he has no problem doing it if the move is warranted.

“That is the hardest thing to do as a coach, but I run a team with discipline and character,” Waggoner said. “We had some guys who didn’t buy into that and we are going to win or lose with character and discipline. When we get on that bus Friday, that bus will be filled with players that want to play by the standards we have set out for them.”

Waggoner does not believe in the philosophy behind labeling a game a “must-win.”

“We need to approach every game thinking we will win it,” Waggoner said. “There is no one specific game that is different. There are only four region games left for us and each one of them carries a lot of importance for this football team.”

Internal desire aside, the Abbeville Yellow Jackets will run an athletic quarterback and various other dangerous skill position players at the Bulldogs.

“They are as good at the skill positions as any team we have faced so far,” Waggoner said. “They have lost some close games and they have looked good in each one of them. They are a very dangerous football team.”

The key for PCHS tonight will be how well the Bulldogs control the line of scrimmage.

“We have to do a better job of controlling the line of scrimmage and on defense we must do a better job of tackling,” Waggoner said. “Abbeville likes to throw the ball a lot and they will test our secondary. And we will have some different guys out there in starting roles this week. We need to eliminate the silly mistakes.”

The Bulldogs and Yellow Jackets will kick things off at 7 p.m. from Memorial Stadium in Abbeville.