The Pike County Bulldogs are one day away from renewing their fierce rivalry with the Charles Henderson Trojans on Friday night.

The game may not count in the record books, but for many of these players and fans, this game means more than any other.

“We are very excited about it,” said head coach Fred Holland. “We have had a long three weeks of practice and we are looking forward to the game. It’s big for our community and it’s big for the City of Troy. Even though it’s a jamboree, we all look forward to playing it.”

The Bulldogs fell to the Trojans a year ago, but Holland knows a good performance against their rival could catapult his squad to a fast start in 2017.

“It’s extremely big,” Holland said. “We are playing a very tough football team. We pride ourselves on being tough. It can set us up for our season. We are going to face some tough teams. This will be a good measuring stick for our guys to see where we are at.”

The Bulldogs welcome back a more experienced team heading into Friday night, one that knows what to expect when they kick off against their rival.

“That’s big because we made a lot of mistakes when we played them,” Holland said. “This year the guys are looking forward to it. With the experience we have I think it could really help us.”

The Bulldogs believe they have the skill players to be able to compete with the Trojans.

“That’s big because with one big play you can put points on the board,” Holland said. “It’s very positive to have playmakers. They do a good job for us; they not only lead the team but they make big plays. It’s really big just having leaders.”

Whether you are playing Charles Henderson or any other higher classification school, the key is limiting turnovers.

“You have to limit mistakes and big plays,” Holland said. “You have to play good on offense and defense as well as special teams. Getting off the field on third down is big.”

The excitement is being felt beyond the football field; people around town are also starting to feel the buzz about the Friday night’s game.

“There is a lot from the community, the players and the fans in general,” Holland said. “Everybody is excited about this game because it kicks off the season. Every year around this time, everyone is getting ready for football. It’s an exciting time, especially in Pike County.”