Regular season football kicks off Friday night in Bulloch County and it features a pair of teams that have a heated rivalry but are used to playing in much cooler temperatures.

Friday at 7:30, the Bulloch Academy Gators host their long-time rivals Pinewood at Gator Alley. BA head coach Aaron Phillips got a chance to see his team in action last week in a scrimmage against Jenkins County, where they came out on top, 14-10, and believes they are ready to start the season.

“We were very familiar with Jenkins County going into the scrimmage,” Phillips said. “We saw them at some OTA’s over the summer so there weren’t a lot of secrets. I thought our guys played really hard and we did some good things. We played very physically and we were a lot farther ahead than we were at this time last year.

"Offensively we both want to run the ball and we had a little success there and got a big touchdown pass from Sam Hubbard to Billy Crider. Our defense tackled and played a lot more aggressively than they did last year so that’s a big step in the right direction.”

The Gators and the Patriots usually meet at the end of the season. This year it is the season opener, but Phillips knows there will still be a lot of hype around the game and expects a battle from Pinewood.

“We respect those guys over there and what they do,” Phillips said. “It’s a big rival so we are both pretty familiar with each other. Instead of having the whole season to look forward to this one, they have had the whole summer to get ready for it. In one way it’s a good thing to get it out of the way and get ready for the rest of our season.”

Last year, Bulloch Academy knocked off Pinewood 42-28 and haven’t lost to the Pats since 2022. Phillips knows they are going to have to have success on the ground, limit turnovers and find a way to slow down Patriot quarterback Sam Wasson, who led the team in passing yards, rushing yards, touchdowns and tackles.

“He’s a talented kid,” Phillips said. “Last year we were able to hold him to just over 60 yards which no other team was able to do. We are going to use our strength and that is up front on both sides of the football.

"We can run the football and we have a lot of guys who can carry the ball for us. I also think our defense is a lot better this year than we were last year so I am excited to see what they can do.”

Bulloch Academy and Pinewood are set for a 7:30 start Friday at Gator Alley.