The Ariton Purple Cats return to region play on Friday night when they take on Abbeville with first place on the line.

The Purple Cats, Yellow jackets and G.W. Long all sit on top of Region with a 3-0 record. The Purple Cats and Yellow Jackets will battle for first place on Friday.

After starting the season 0-2, the Purple Cats have won four-straight games including last week’s game against Slocomb 41-29.

The Purple Cats offense put up 631 total yards against Slocomb. A total of 476 yards came on the ground, 361 of which came from Brian Smith and Blake Carroll.

The Purple Cats played two quarterbacks on Friday. Ian Senn and Maddox Herring both played the position and combined to throw for 155 yards.

Ariton has averaged 32 points per game during their four-game winning streak.

Abbeville lost their first game of the season last Friday night when they hosted the 3A Pike County Bulldogs. They fell to their rivals 18-12 thanks to a late goal line stand by the Bulldogs defense.

The Yellow Jackets come into the game with a 4-1 record. They are outscoring their opponents 190-80 and are averaging 38 points per game.

Following their game against Abbeville, the Purple Cats will have three region games remaining. Friday night’s result will have region championship ramifications.

The Purple Cats were shutout against Abbeville 30-0 last season.

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