The Bainbridge Bearcats will head to Lowndes County (1-AAAAAAA) to scrimmage against the Vikings for the third year in a row this Friday.

The final score isn’t the priority to head coach Jeff Littleton. What he’s looking for is his players to show a hunger for competition.

“Right now, the main thing you want to see your kids do is compete,” said Littleton. “We have a saying with our kids. We can’t win the state championship Friday night, but we can lose it by not getting better and not competing and not making the most of our opportunities.”

Last season, the Vikings went 11-1 (3-0 Region 1-7A), losing in the second round of the state playoffs to McEachern. This year, they return six starters, four on defense and two on offense.

Senior running back Travis Tisdale and wide receiver Ghetti Brown are the two experienced starters on offense. Tisdale, a 3-star Kentucky commit, rushed for 1,029 yards and 16 touch-downs his sophomore year and 550 yards and nine touchdowns his junior year.

Among those competing for the starting offensive linemen spots are four 300-pound players: Parker Brogdon, Chandler Nelson, Bryer Touchton and Jacquaveun Robinson.

On defense, junior linebacker Gary Osby, senior Jamari Hill, junior cornerback Josh Brown and linebacker Tiberius Drocea return to a unit they helped lead last season.

“We’re really excited about the opportunity to go to Lowndes and play a top level 7A team that is competitive every year,” said Littleton. “This is our third year playing them. It’s always a test for us, and it tells us where we are at the beginning of the season.”

Bainbridge has had five full-pad practices so far this season, but has a long winter and summer of workouts under its belt. Littleton and the team feel good about where they stand right now, but look at Friday’s scrimmage as a way to test the players.

The entire senior class is standing out as leaders on the team, and Littleton is proud of how every player is paying attention to the details. On a white board in his office, he has written “Process/Me”, symbolizing the process of improving and putting the team before yourself.

“In January in the weight room, we adopted ‘Process over me’,” said Littleton. “We kind of rallied around that. They worked hard to be unselfish and team players. That’s what we need.”

Bainbridge kicks off against Lowndes County at Martin Stadium this Friday at 7:30 p.m.