Bulloch County schools begin classes Friday and it will be a long day for some of our area football players. Statesboro High will host Harlem for a scrimmage game Friday at 7 p.m. at Womack Field. And defending state champion Bulloch Academy plays Friday, as well. as they will host Jenkins County at 8 p.m. at Gator Alley.

For the Blue Devils, coach Matt Dobson is excited about seeing his team on the field in a game situation and take a closer look at his depth chart as they prepare for their season opener Aug. 15 at home against Southeast Bulloch.

“We are hoping to get a lot of guys reps and we got some guys back from some injuries from spring so we are excited to see them on the field,” Dobson said. “This will be our first time seeing our whole team together against someone else. We are also happy to get our younger players some playing time.”

The Blue Devils have played in plenty of 7-on-7 and padded camps, but Dobson believes Friday will be an even better indicator of what they can do.

“We will get into third downs and get some important red-zone work and more game-like experiences,” Dobson said. “This will force our guys to communicate better and there are still some guys who we know can play some, but they could elevate themselves into having even more playing time.”

For the Gators, head coach Aaron Phillips has a lot of new starters this year and he believes Friday is crucial to see what the Gators still have to work on.

"We have to practice after school or after preplanning, which is about 3 o'clock, but I don't know if we'll be outside just because of the heat index," Phillips said.

"A scrimmage is the best way to get acclimated to contact and hitting somebody in a different color jersey for the first time,” Phillips said. “We have a few guys starting for the first time and we need to see which ones are the best fit for us and we can get a pecking order of ones and twos. We also need to see how much they can handle as far as the playbook.”

The Gators are playing Jenkins County, who advanced to the state Elite 8 last season. Phillips knows they will dress quite a few more players than Bulloch Academy and believes any deficiencies they have will be exposed in time to prepare for their season opener Aug. 16 in the Erk Russell Classic against Portal.

"Jenkins had double digit wins last year and you know that they played for the region championship the last two years,” Phillips said. “Coach Charlie Waters was my defensive coordinator for a while when I was at Burke and we are very similar in what we do. His kids are tough and hard nosed and they have really good size and are athletic. We told our kids we're coming out of the gate possibly playing the best team we will play all year long. Replacing so many players this is a big measuring point for our team and we are excited to play Friday.”

Bulloch Academy will host Jenkins County at 8 Friday while Statesboro and Harlem get things underway Friday at 7 at Womack Field.