The Bulldogs will try to stop a five-game losing skid Friday when they welcome Lincoln County to Davenport Field. The Red Devils will be trying to end a four-game losing streak of its own in the contest slated to kick off at 7:30 p.m.

MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. — It’s getting to be crunch time in high school football.

Only two or three regular season games remain for programs across the state, and those wanting a spot in the postseason need some positive results in what little precious time remains. The GMC Prep Bulldogs need some help if they are going to get into the GHSA A-Public state playoffs their first year back playing a region schedule. They are currently 42nd in the latest GHSA power rankings, and only the top 24 are awarded a berth into the postseason. GMC Prep will try to get closer to the power rankings’ good graces this week when the Bulldogs take on visiting Lincoln County for Homecoming 2018. 

GMC Prep football is coming off a rough performance at Washington-Wilkes, not helped by the fact that last week Hurricane Michael basically cut prep time in half. The Bulldogs (3-5 overall, 0-5 region) are getting back on the proverbial horse this week to get ready for the incoming Red Devils (2-5 overall, 0-4 region) who currently sit just one spot away from that coveted 24th ranking. 

“Despite our record and some of the struggles we’ve had, our kids are continuing to battle and try to do the right things,” GMC Prep head coach Steven Simpson said of his team. “They’re working hard and they keep coming back, so I can’t complain about that.” 

The Bulldogs are prepping to take on an offense similar in style to their own for a third time this season as Lincoln also lines up in a wing T offense, but with a slightly different philosophy.

“They’re a little more power-oriented as far as running off tackle rather than being like us who tries to run the sweeps around the outside,” said Simpson. “They’re big up front and they’ve got some physical running backs.” 

The head coach believes his guys will match up well in terms of speed, but Lincoln looks to have the upper hand in terms of size. 

The Red Devils are a winless 0-4 in region play, but very easily could have been 3-1 entering this week. Their losses to Aquinas, Warren County, and Washington-Wilkes were all by one score or fewer while the defeat at the hands of Greene was pretty well one-sided. Aquinas and Greene both sit tied atop the sub-region entering play this week, but it will not be that way after Friday night as the two are set to do battle in Greensboro.

“They’re playing some good football,” Simpson said of Lincoln. “There’s a lot of parity on our side of the sub-region this year. Teams are a lot closer to one another than they have been in the past. They’ve had some things that have happened that jumped up and bit them at the wrong time, but they’re a solid ball team.”

Defensively Simpson expects to see Lincoln play an odd-man front that has shown to be aggressive on the edges. Both the Bulldogs and Red Devils figure to play multiple guys on both sides of the football, so conditioning will likely play a role in determining the victor. 

GMC Prep was without its starting quarterback in Friday’s lopsided loss at Washington-Wilkes as Grayson Hopkins sat out with a concussion. Simpson provided an update on his signal-caller for this week saying, “He is on track to be back. We will not know for sure until Thursday. He’s still in the concussion protocol, and that’s a day-by-day process. If everything continues to progress as it should then yes he could potentially play Friday.”

The Bulldogs will take to Davenport Field Friday, with or without their starting quarterback, versus the Red Devils. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m.