The more I talk to people about Pike County football the more I understand how differently the fan base feels about rebuilding the football program in Brundidge.

Some don’t understand (or maybe they don’t care) that this year’s seniors have had a different head coach every year they’ve played football for the school. That means a different offense, a different defense, a different emphasis on weight training, conditioning, and practice.

The more I’m around the team, the more I realize how much pride is in the eyes of the players when they put on the purple and silver.

There is no doubt this team is underachieving. No one will question that. The fact remains, however, this is a rebuilding process whether one wants to believe it or not.

Pike County football has a reputation for being one of victories and championships, as I wrote in an article yesterday. That reputation and tradition should not be expected to change and I don’t think it has.

I met Rodney Dollar at Pike County’s first practice, this was the first time we’d met and he looked at the banner under the scoreboard and noted the blank space to the right of Pike County’s five state championships and said “They left that space for a reason.”

The reason was because more numbers are expected to join the ones already affirmed.

Dollar has a proven record of improving teams and from experience, I can say things do not happen over night.

A system is required. A knowing that this is the way things are.

The players at Pike County have never been accused of providing anything less than maximum effort and that has been echoed by their coach.

A program is built with persistence and repetition. Two or three contests is not enough to immerse players in a culture that must be built from the ground floor.

The Bulldog coaching staff has a track record for making teams better.

Fans of Pike County rest assured, the Bulldogs of old will return under Dollar it will just take belief and patience. I heard several fans talk about being behind their football program no matter what and that’s the attitude it will take.

0-2 isn’t fun. Not for the players, coaches, or fans but the reward is much sweeter when you’ve believed in a seed and watched in grow into a budding flower.