Bainbridge has a little extra pep in their step at practice, coach Jeff Littleton said.

Coming off a 43-0 shutout over Early County to bump up to 3-1, the Bearcats are practicing hard in preparation for a strong Sarasota (Florida AAAAAAA) team.

“We had a good practice yesterday,” Littleton said. “Probably one of our crisper practices. We didn’t have many re-dos. It was hot, but we got through it good and had a good practice. Anytime you’re winning, you usually practice good.”

Littleton is making sure Bainbridge doesn’t get complacent with their upcoming schedule, though. The Bearcats aren’t showing any signs of that, Littleton said, mainly because they know Sarasota is one of the biggest programs in Florida.

The Sailors (3-2, 1-0 District 11) played a rescheduled game on Monday against North Port, coming away with a 27-6 win. Despite only having three days to practice for Bainbridge on Friday, they won’t hold anything back.

On offense, brothers Tommie and Brian Battie are a force that have put up a lot of yards so far this season. Tommie, a senior quarterback, is a dual-threat. Brian is a sophomore running back that is quick and can make defenders miss. Two weeks ago against Booker High, the brothers combined for 285 total offensive yards.

“We definitely are going to have to stop the run with a dual threat quarterback and the running back,” Littleton said. “We are going to have to do that first, and not give up big plays. You got to play assignment defense. Disciplined, focused, assignment football.”

Sophomore quarterback Vincent Parisi might also see play.

On defense, the Sailors run a 4-4 defense, with a pair of inside and outside linebackers that patrol the middle well. Against Bookers High, the Sailor defense had two interceptions, a threat Bainbridge quarterback Mark Loeffler will need to keep a sharp eye out for.

Bainbridge kicks off against Sarasota at Centennial Field on Friday at 7:30 p.m.