HOMECOMING: Bulldogs look to lock down region title at home

Published 3:00 am Friday, October 18, 2019

The Pike County Bulldogs celebrate homecoming on Friday night when they host Opp at Bulldogs Stadium in Brundidge.

The Bulldogs continue their pursuit of their second-straight region championship this Friday night. They enter the game with an unblemished 7-0 record and they sit alone on top of the region with a 5-0 record.

This week’s opponent, Opp, enters the game with a 3-2 record and the Bulldogs hope to push them back to the .500 mark and get a win on homecoming.

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“Our guys have been playing well for the last couple of weeks and we are trying to continue on with that,” head coach Fred Holland said. “It’s homecoming and there is a lot going on, more than you normally have. We are trying to stay focused. Opp is getting a lot better and we are going to have our hands full.”

Last Friday night, the Bulldogs picked up a decisive home win over Slocomb 60-0. It was the second time they reached or passed the 50 point mark in a game, and they shut out their opponent for the second time this season.

“The guys understood that Slocomb runs the ball a lot,” Holland said. “We knew we had to attack the run. They understand they have to make plays. Each week, somebody is always doing something to help the team gain momentum.”

The Bulldogs have two region games remaining on the schedule including Friday night’s game against the Bobcats. The Bulldogs closest pursuer is Providence Christian who sits at 4-1. The Bulldogs knocked off Providence Christian earlier this month, so a win on Friday night would all but lock up a region championship.

“As you try and end the regular season, you always want to end on a high note even though we have a couple games remaining,” Holland said. “We need to stay focused and fix the mistakes we made earlier in the year. We are taking it day by day and we are always trying to improve.”

Opp comes into the game having lost three out of their last four games. They fell to Providence Christian last week 13-0. Holland expects a heavy dose of the run game on Friday night led by running back Ashton Patel and quarterback Robert Smithart.

“They have a lot of size and we have to try and do our job,” Holland said. “They are going to spread you out and run the ball. They use their line, who do a good job at blocking. They have a good running back and quarterback who does a good job at running a lot of run-pass options. We have to do our job and limit some of those plays that they do.”

The Bulldogs knocked off the Bobcats 51-6 last season. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.