Saturday afternoon’s Region 1-AAAA football game between the  Bainbridge High School Bearcats and Northside Warner High School Eagles had something for everyone.

While Northside is one of the top teams in the state and and were very deserving of the victory, the Bearcats also had their moments.

One of those moments came in the second quarter when defensive back Rodney Gleen, who has played extremely well in all four Bearcats games this season, returned a second quarter interception 92 yards for an apparent touchdown.

Unfortunately the Bearcats were called for a blocking-in-the-back penalty, negating the touchdown.

The Bearcats’ kicking game, led by sophomore place kicker Daniel Provence and junior punter Paul Soden, has been strong all season. While Provence did not get any extra point or field goal opportunities Friday night, Soden averaged a strong 43.7 yards on six punts.

Players like Rodney Glenn, who had the big interception Saturday. and senior tackle Shammai Wilburn, have been strong leaders for the Bearcats all season.

The Bearcats, who are 3-1 for the season, will return home this week after being on the road for a while.

There have been three road games and an open date since the Bearcats’ season opening home victory over Early County.

I urge all loyal Bearcats fans to come out Friday night, enjoy the outstanding performancs of our award-winning band and cheerleaders, and let the Bearcats know how proud we are of them and their early-season performances.

This week’s opponent, the Hardaway High School Golden Hawks from Columbus, are yet to win a game but they have been able to stay in games with some strong teams.

There are no weak teams in Region 1-AAAA, and if you are not prepared, you can be burned.

Bearcats head coach Ed Pilcher and his fine staff do an outstanding job of preparing the Bearcats week in and week out. You can’t take anyone for granted. Hardaway has its share of good athletes, and the Hawks defeated Bainbridge last season.

I look for Bearcats junior runnng back Terry Lewis, who has had some big rushing efforts, to have a big night against Hardaway. He runs hard and possesses breakaway speed.

Senior running back Aaron Hall, a leading groud gainer and All-Region 1-AAAA selection a year ago, has been out for the season with a knee injury, and Lewis has taken up the slack.

I conclusion, I would just like to congratulate the Bearcats on their early season success and wish them well Friday night against Hardaway and for the rest of the season.

I’ll see you Friday night at Centennial Field.