“We are working very hard at practice. We all know we are going to have to play well week-by-week, so we are working hard and staying focused,” said senior quarterback Jacob Free.

“Losing to Goshen wasn’t a good feeling for us, but we know that it really didn’t matter. All that matters now is the playoffs.”

After suffering a loss of 26-12 to the Goshen Eagles last Friday night, the Brantley High School Bulldogs are ready now to head into their next big challenge.

This week, the Bulldogs have the home field advantage as they take on the Marengo Panthers in the Class 1A Region 2 battle Friday at 7 p.m.

“In a nutshell, we just did not play well. We came out flat and didn’t play with a lot of emotion,” said BHS Head Coach Ashley Kilcrease.

“We just have to put it behind us and move forward. I’m pleading with our folks to come out and please be there and be loud, because we’re going to need all of the support we can.”

Kicking off the first quarter, junior tight end Nathan Renfroe completed a 33-yard field goal, bringing the score up to 3-0.

The Bulldogs put no more points on the board in the first quarter, and fell behind the Eagles 3-7.

The Bulldogs pulled ahead once again at the start of the second with a 4-yard touchdown pass from Free to junior wide receiver D’Andre Sinclair.

Another Eagle touchdown put the Bulldogs behind, 13-9, but a 36-yard field goal by Renfroe brought the Bulldogs to an almost tie game at 13-12.

The third quarter brought no points for either team, and the Bulldogs saw no points in the final quarter of the game.

With this loss behind them, the Bulldogs now ready to take the field Friday, knowing that if they lose this game, the season is officially over.

“It’s do or die. It’s win or we’re done, so my mindset is we’ve got to be ready to play, and I want our fans to know that they are very important and we need them there,” Kilcrease said.

“This isn’t the typical first round game. Usually in the first round game you have a lesser opponent and it’s a blow out. I don’t foresee this being one of those.”