The young Pike County Bulldogs picked up their first region win of the year last Friday and they hope to carry over that momentum into this evening’s contest with Montgomery Academy.

After the win Pike County (1-1) head coach Fred Holland as seen a spark in his players.

“It felt really good,” Holland said. “These kids have worked so hard. The hard work paid off. I am proud of the kids for working and getting a region win, which is extremely important.

“We tried to enjoy the win over the weekend and then we got back to work working on our next opponent. Our guys understand the importance of separating the games.”

Montgomery Academy, who won a region championship last year, comes into the game with a 2-1 record after defeating Beulah and St. James.

“I know they have been really good over the last four years,” Holland said. “They went deep into the playoffs. They are a very smart team that does a lot offensively and defensively. They play hard and they get after you. We both understand the importance of the game, so we feel like it’s going to be a tough contest.”

Going to 2-0 in the region would be a big boost to the team heading into the meat of the region schedule.

“It would be very important for us,” Holland said. “Montgomery Academy is going to be one of the tougher teams in the region. It will be very big because anytime you can get a region win and someone else gets a loss it pushes you that much more ahead of them.”

The two teams will kick off at 7 p.m. from McLemore Field in Montgomery.