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The Pike County Bulldogs kick off the 2023 regular season this Friday, Sept. 1, at home against the Straughn Tigers in a Class 3A, Region 2 matchup.

Pike County struggled to a 48-7 loss to Charles Henderson in the preseason jamboree last Friday.

“I just think we got outmanned in that game,” PCHS Coach Mark Hurt said. “There was no way we could simulate the speed of Charles Henderson and I think when we possibly could have had a chance in the game they went to their playmaker, Jywon Boyd, and he snatched the momentum back and that had a lot to do with it.”

Pike County still got plenty of production out from junior running back Nemo Williams, however, as he rushed for 176 yards on 20 carries. Meanwhile, Straughn dominated Red Level in its own preseason jamboree. Hurt said there wasn’t much the Dawgs could learn from that preseason game either.

“They didn’t show a whole lot in that game,” Hurt said. “They did the same thing last year. We prepared for what we saw (against Red Level), and I really didn’t know much about them, and then we played them and they had a totally different game plan. I expect the same thing this year.

“They didn’t look like they were that strong or fast last year (against Red Level), but they were a lot bigger, faster, stronger and well coached when we played them. They have a lot of seniors on this team and they have good size up front and a veteran quarterback. This will be another tough game for us.”

Last season, Straughn squeaked out a 20-19 win over Pike County to break a five-game losing streak to the Bulldogs. Still, Pike County holds a 7-2 edge in the all-time series between the two schools with the first matchup having taken place in 2002; a 14-6 PCHS win.

“Obviously, last week was a let down for us,” Hurt said. “We started out flat but my main thing is to let our guys know that this starts region play and football is a week-by-week type of thing.

“You have a game coming every week, so you have to be prepared and get ready every single week. We slowed things down this week to try and get very good at some things. I expect our guys to play a lot better. I just think we need to go out there and play well and get things back on track.”