Football in Class 1A around the state is probably some of the best football you will see during the season. Region 4 is probably the toughest region to play in. It&8217;s been mentioned before that in this region anyone can be beaten on any giving night. Two of the regions teams are among the top four teams in the state.

On Friday night No. 2 ranked Sweet Water Bulldogs will get tested again. They head north within the county to Thomaston to face the up surging A.L. Johnson Eagles in a 1A regional contest.

A.L. Johnson, who is 3-1 for the season and 2-1 in the region, has upped their game since the start of the season. They are ranked in the top twenty.

On the other side, Sweet Water is coming off a 35-6 upset of the previously 2A No. 1 Leroy Bears, a game that was also played on the road. &8220;We&8217;re going to keep trying to get better,&8221; says Sweet Water coach Stacy Luker. &8220;We&8217;re not going to prepare any different than we&8217;ve always done. A.L. Johnson plays so hard. Coach Jones&8217; teams always play hard for 48 minutes. We&8217;ll need a great effort from our guys to beat them.&8221;

Sweet Water has a 4-1 record going into the game. They are unbeaten in the region and their only lost was the first game of the year against 4A No. 1 ranked Thomasville. The Bulldogs are very aware of the speed of the Eagles.

This game will be played pretty much on the ground. Both teams have offenses that run about 80% of the time. So, it will be a grueling match up. The play of the offensive line or the defensive line will decide the outcome of the game. Anthony Landrum and Dominick Holt will get plenty of touches for the Bulldogs. As will James Robinson and Cleophus Daniel for the Eagles.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. in Thomaston. May the best team of the night win.