Pike County aims to right ship against Abbeville

Published 10:10 pm Monday, September 12, 2011

Pike County is in uncharted waters. But that isn’t keeping head coach Rodney Dollar from being optimistic.

Obviously, we have to get better,” said the coach. “But these guys are giving everything they have and so are we as a coaching staff.”

The Bulldogs are 0-3 for the first time since 1998 and things are only going to get tougher as the team head into a difficult stretch of road games.

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Pike County travels to Abbeville, Goshen, Opp, and Daleville, who have a combined record of 3-2 on their home turf.

While the Bulldogs look for their first victory, Dollar knows long term success comes in inches.

“We’ve got to learn to win the small battles,” he said. “If you win the small battles you can win the war.”

Dollar was absent from Friday night’s 7-6 loss to Dale County due to what he said is a ‘personal medical reason’.

“It’s something that I would like to handle myself,” Dollar said. “I’ve talked to the players and they are aware of it. My family and I would just like to keep it personal.”

The coach did say he plans to coach this week’s game in Abbeville.

The Bulldogs have worked hard this week on improving mental mistakes. Pike County has been debited 100 yards per contest in penalties. Combined with 13 fumbles in the three games, one can understand the Bulldogs offensive woes. The team has scored only 13 points on the season.

“We’ve hurt ourselves,” said Dollar. “All we can do is make ourselves better. If we do that we can win.”

Dollar has also emphasized the importance of team unity and chemistry.

“These guys are sticking together they know we’re here for them no matter what. We’ve talked about looking at the bigger picture (in life) and they know my door is always open.”

The Bulldogs matchup with Abbeville is scheduled for 7 p.m.

The Yellow Jackets are 2-1 on the season falling only toa 3-0 Eufaula team in their season opener.