Andalusia looks to rebound at Hillcrest-Evergreen

Andalusia (0-1) will look to bounce back after last week’s season opener and hit the road for the first time in 2024 at Hillcrest-Evergreen (1-0) on Friday, August 30, at 7 p.m.

This will be the 28th matchup between the two teams dating back to their first meeting in 1988. The Bulldogs lead the all-time series 15-12 over the Jaguars.

“We may be stepping down to face a Class 3A opponent but are not stepping down as far as talent is concerned,” Head Coach Trent Taylor said. “Coach (Justin) Nared is a hometown guy who was a very successful athlete there several years ago. He coached under (Enterprise head coach) Ben Blackmon, and I’m sure they have exchanged notes. Hillcrest looks to be big up front on both the offensive and defensive lines. They have a quarterback who can throw it from one goal line to another. It will be a challenge, and we will have to see how this young team handles going on the road.”

Last week, Andalusia opened the season with a 35-7 home loss to Enterprise. Hillcrest hosted B.C. Rain and earned a 16-14 win.

Despite the loss last week, Taylor said he felt there were some bright spots for the Bulldogs.

“This is an old cliché but certainly true. There are no such things as moral victories, but any time you play an opponent with the caliber of Enterprise, you find out a lot about your football team whether that is good or bad,” he said. “We certainly felt there was a lot of good that came out of that game. Our kids competed their tails off in the first half, especially on the defensive side of the ball. We did a really good job against the run with the exception of maybe three or four plays. I was also proud of our special teams from that standpoint. We had opportunities on offense I wish we could have taken advantage of.”

He added that Andalusia is staying positive going into this week’s game at Hillcrest.

“Our guys are staying upbeat after last Friday night. I watched kids go up to each other in the locker room and interact, hug each other’s neck, and talk to one another. These players have their minds where they need to be, which is encouraging to see. They were upset about losing last week but are ready to get back to it this week. There is no group eager to get back to practice on Monday than Andalusia. We will go to work and be ready for Hillcrest,” Taylor said.

Andalusia fell short to Hillcrest, 32-28, at home in the previous matchup between the two schools during the 2019 season.