The Pike County Bulldogs are looking to rebound after a heartbreaking 21-20 loss to Luverne against region rival Daleville this Friday night in Daleville. The loss dropped the Bulldogs to 2-3 (1-2) on the season.

It was more of the same for the Bulldogs against Luverne. They came from down 14-7 to take a 20-14 lead into the fourth quarter, but late game heroics from Luverne quarterback Kenterius Womack and a missed assignment on a punt by the Bulldogs allowed Luverne to squeak out a one point victory.

Despite the loss, coach Holland liked what he saw from his team. “We did a lot of things right against Luverne,” Holland said. “We just came up a little short at the end.”

“Our offense played better. Our defense played better,” Holland said. “And our special teams played better up until Marcus missed a block on a punt.”

The Bulldogs will need to figure things out quickly before traveling to Daleville in a key Class 3A Region 2 game. The Daleville Warhawks come into the match up tied for second in the region at 2-1 with wins over Montgomery Catholic and Geneva and a loss to Abbeville. A win would bring Pike County to 2-2 in region play put the Bulldogs in prime position to grab one of the four playoff spots up for grabs in the competitive Region 2.

The Warhawks come into the contest averaging just less than 30 points-per-game, and it will be up to the Bulldog front seven to slow down a potent Warhawk rushing attack. “I think we match up well with Daleville physically,” Holland said. “They are strong up front, and we are strong up front. They do a good job of running the ball, and our defense looks forward to the challenge of attacking their run offense.”

The Bulldogs’ offense has been equally impressive in the first five games of the season, averaging 28.6 points-per-game. Holland said that the offense still has not reached its peak, however, and that turnovers have killed multiple Bulldog drives. “”We try to stress taking care of the ball, but, in the past few games, we’ve made mistakes and coughed the ball up,” Holland said. “Turnovers are a part of the game. You just hope they’re on the other side.”

Holland acknowledged that Daleville has been a tough team recently for the Bulldogs. “It’s always a tough game at Daleville,” Holland said. “Our basic game plan is to just get down there and win. It’s going to be tough and physical. I wouldn’t expect it any other way.”

Daleville has beaten the Bulldogs the last the team’s last three meetings. Pike County has not beaten the Warhawks in Daleville since 2008. Last year, the Warhawks came up to Brundidge and beat Pike County 27-19.

However, Pike County still leads the all-time series 15-9.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Friday night in Daleville.