Our Bainbridge High School Bearcats must quickly put Friday night’s 35-14 Region 1AAAA home loss to the Northside Warner High School Eagles behind them and get ready for the invasion of another Region 1AAAA team, the Hardaway of Columbus High School Golden Hawks this Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Centennial Field.

The game between the Bearcats and Eagles was much closer than the final score would indicate.

The offensive statistics were almost even. The Bearcats gained 192 yards on the ground and held the Eagles to just 180. The Eagles had 80 yards through the air and the Bearcats had 36.

Junior running back Aaron Hall’s 62-yard touchdown run with just 3:08 remaining until halftime, coupled with Daniel Provence’s extra point kick, tied the game 14-14.

Junior quarterback Steven Bench completed a 10-yard pass to Hall  with 10:04 left in the first quarter, and Provence kicked the extra point to give the Bearcats an early 7-0 lead.

Just before halftime, junior tight end Stephen Cross caught a 5-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Briar Van Brunt, and junior kicker Dillon Mixon added the extra point to put the visitors up 21-14 at halftime.

Although Van Brunt added touchdown runs of 10 yards in the third quarter and 15 yards in the fourth quarter, the Bearcats were still able to move the ball well in the second half.

Friday night’s loss left the Bearcats with a 2-2 overall record and an 0-1 Region 1AAAA mark.

The top four teams in eight-team Region 1AAAA will make it to the Class AAAA playoff round.

I’m not going to make any firm prediction because I don’t want to put undo pressure on anyone, but if the Bearcats play as hard and with as much intensity as they did Friday night against a strong Northside Warner Robins team, they should be fine,

The Bearcats are young, but they are growing up and getting better and better as a team each week.

We also had another outstanding performance Friday night by the award-winning Pride of Decatur County Bainbridge High School Marching Bearcat Band.

The team, the band and the award-winning cheerleading squad make Centennial Field the place to be on fall football Friday nights in Decatur County.

They are all our kids and they all make our city and our county proud.

Participation in extra curricular activities like sports, band and cheerleading build character in young people and our Bainbridge and Decatur County young people are as fine as you will find anywhere, and that has been the case throughout the years.

Come on out Friday night, fill the home stands to capacity, and let our young people know how proud we are of them.