BEARVILLE — Class 2A topranked Pierce County faces its sternest test of the season Friday night when the Bears travel to Quitman.
The Bears (4-0) put their record-tying 13-game winning streak on the line against Class 1A Division II fourth-ranked Brooks County (2-2).
The meeting is the eighth alltime and first since 2017 with the Trojans holding a 6-1 series lead including a 4-0 mark at home. The Bears’ lone victory (35-14) came in 2002 after losing the first three matchups against Brooks County.
The Trojans are 5-7 against teams ranked No. 1 at game time and 3-3 at home with three straight wins. They have won three of their last four games in those matchups with two coming on the road and one in the Class A state championship game in 2021.
“What I have seen on film is they (Trojans) are athletic and will run and hit you,” said PCHS head coach Ryan Herring. “What scares you is catching them on the wrong night and they beat you. I know we haven’t had much luck in the past plus they are coming off a loss to Fitzgerald. We better be ready.”
Pierce County enters averaging 41.5 points per game against Alabama’s Class 1-A Private Coosa Christian School (417), Class A DI Brantley County (42-7) and Class 4A Region 1 members Wayne County (35-0) and New Hampstead (48-7).
The Bears will be matched up against a Brooks County defense allowing 19.8 points per game and 29 points per game in two home losses. The Trojans bounced back from a seasonopening 35-12 home loss to Class A DI Region 1 member Thomasville winning 45-14 at Region 3-AA member Cook and 26-7 at Class A DI Region 1 member Worth County. Brooks County dropped a 23-13 decision to visiting Class A DI Region 1 member Fitzgerald last week.
“They (Trojans) are showing an eight-man box with an even front. It’s a base 4-2 that’s pretty sound. We get a lot of different looks each game, but this scheme is nowhere near what New Hampstead ran last week. “With each week we are facing different schemes. We’re going to have hiccups like we did last week and that’s expected with our first-year starters. We (coaches) have to go in and clean up things.
“The key is doing a good job following our blocking rules. We’ve also got to continue to stay balanced.”
The Bears lead their classification in points allowed at 5.25 having surrendered just 21 points. The point total is the fewest through four games under Herring and secondfewest in school history behind the nine points allowed in 1982.
Brooks County enters averaging 24 points per game, but only 12.5 in two home games.
The Trojans operate out of the spread under first-year head coach Josh Mc Father. He replaced legendary coach Maurice Freeman, who left for a gig in Alabama, following his second stint in Quitman. Freeman won state titles in 1994 and 2021.
“They are going to run power and counters,” said Herring. “They try to be balanced, but tend to run more.”
Senior running back Chris Cole (5-foot-8, 175 lbs.), the son of former Class A Offensive Player of the Year in 1994 by the same name who had consecutive games of 100-plus rushing yards against PCHS in 1993, is the focal point of the ground game. The younger Cole rushed for 133 yards in the loss to Fitzgerald.
Brooks County also has a 6-4 wide receiver with George Lamons, Jr., who already has an offer from the University of Georgia. He scored three touchdowns against Cook on throws from quarterback Junior Burrus (So., 5-7, 140). Burrus was 15of-28 for 145 yards last week.
“We’ve got to fit up the run and not have a crease for the back to get through,” Herring said. “Also, we can’t give up the big play in the passing game because the quarterback likes throwing the deep ball to the big receiver.”
