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The Pike County Bulldogs will be the final county team to hit the field on Friday night when they host the Dadeville Tigers at Bulldogs Stadium.

It’s been a long time since the Bulldogs hit the field for their last game of the 2019 season. Despite the long wait, the players and the coaches have remained patient for their chance to play under the Friday night lights.

“It’s been a while since we played,” head coach Fred Holland said. “The guys are eager to play and we are eager to see what they can do. They have been patient. They realize we put some work in and got better. We aren’t a large team so the guys are moving from position to position. They are eager but patient understanding their time will come.”

The excitement level all over Brundidge is high. Being able to play at home after a long delay is an added bonus for Holland’s Bulldogs.

“They’re ready for it,” Holland said. “Everybody understands the process that we’re going through. They are eager to come out and see us play. It will be limited as far as the number of people that can come, hopefully they understand that and continue to support us.”

There will be an added sense of urgency when the game kicks off. All of Pike County’s games this season will count towards the playoffs. The Bulldogs will only play region games in 2020.

“It’s very important,” Holland said. “Very seldom do you start your season with a region game. You usually have a few games to evaluate your players and make some adjustments. It makes things a little more urgent. Our guys understand that region games are very important.”

Holland believes that for the most part he has all the position battles sorted out, however  subtle adjustments may have to be made during Friday night’s game.

Dadeville comes into the game with a 1-1 record. After knocking off Elmore County in week one, they fell to Montgomery Catholic last Friday night, 30-0.

“They are going to be similar to us,” Holland said. “They are going to run the football. It’s almost like playing ourselves with some of the things they do. Our players know it and the coaches know it. We look for it to be a run attack on both sides.”