Teamwork is the key to the success of any sports team at any level.

Lets take coach Ed Pilcher’s Bainbridge High School Bearcats most recent game, a 35-15 Sept. 10 victory over Albany’s Westover High School Patriots at Centennial Field, for an example.

A number of young and veteran players in various team areas stepped up and got the job done.

Junior running back Aaron Hall had a strong night offensively, carrying the ball 16 times, picking up 103 yards and scoring two touchdowns while senior Shawn Samuels had a 93-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, two punt returns for 19 yards and two carries from scrimmage for 25 yards.

Junior quarterback Steven Bench and sophomore running backs Damian Bouie and Michael Stubbs had big nights running the football.

Bench had nine carries for 49 yards, Bouie had nine carries for 37 yards, and Stubbs had eight carries for 43 yards.

The defense also had a strong effort, holding the Patriots in various key situations.

The biggest defensive play of the night came when sophomore defensive back Cameron McDowell intercepted a pass and returned it 45 yards for a touchdown.

A major special teams contribution was also made by Bearcats freshman place kicker Daniel Provence.

Having to step up due to the unfortunate season-ending injury to senior All-State and All-Region 1AAAA kicker Keenan Adams, Provence drilled all five extra point attempts with a lot to spare.

This Friday night, the Bearcats will welcome the 3-0 Northside Warner Robins High School Eagles, the No. 1-ranked state Class AAAA team, to Centennial Field.

Kickoff will be at 7:30 p.m. and it will be the first Region 1AAAA game for both teams.

The Bearcats, who are 2-1 on the season, will again need strong contributions from their offense, their defense and their special teams to be successful.

While I’m not going to predict how the game will play out, I will guarantee Bearcats fans one thing.

Coach Pilcher and his fine staff will have your team ready and they will give a 100 percent effort in every phase of the game.

Our fans need to fill the Centennial Field home-side stands to capacity Friday night and let our young men know we appreciate their strong, early-season performances.

The Eagles have hard-working performers at all positions and so do the Bearcats. It should be an exciting game, and I am sure it won’t disappoint.

Each week the Bearcats bring a lot of positive publicity to the City of Bainbridge and Decatur County and they richly deserve our support.

I will see you at the game.