When the Bainbridge High School Bearcats defense lines up against the Upson-Lee High School Knights Friday night for their Region 1AAAA homecoming game at Centennial Field and looks across the line of scrimmage, they will be seeing a mirror image of the offense they go against each day in practice.

“Upson-Lee runs the same split back veer offense that we run,” Bearcats head coach Ed Pilcher said Monday morning. “They run it well behind a big offensive line.”

That line is anchored by senior center Taylor Thomka. He and senior right guard Dre’ Kendall are two of the top linemen in the Region.

“They are big and athletic, and our defense will have to play their assignments well to stop them,” Pilcher said. “Defensively, they use a 4-3 alignment and their players really get around the football. We will have to take care of the football and not turn it over.”

The Knights offense is run by quarterback Jairus Hollman. Their top rusher is running back Dare Coker who had a pair of touchdown runs in last Friday night’s 34-7 Region 1AAAA home win against the Lee County High School Trojans.

The Knights defense is also led by a pair of veterans, junior tackle Carson Rivers and senior defensive end Phillip Searcy. Searcy, who also sees duty at running back on offense, recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown against Lee County. The Knights special teams are led by place kicker Luke Paul.

The Knights have generated some long offensive drives in the split back veer this season. In the Lee County game, they drove 47 yards in eight plays to score on a two-yard run by Coker.

Joe Crine can be reached by e-mail at joe.crine@thepostsearchlight.com, or telephone at (229) 246-2827, Ext. 116.