When eight Screven County seniors departed after last season, a power vacuum was left at the top of the Region 3-AA girls soccer standings.
    Armed with a talented squad and postseason experience, Southeast Bulloch entered the 2012 season looking to challenge for the region championship, and solid play from Lady Yellow Jackets like Netanya Suarez is beginning to make that goal a reality.
    SEB dropped its first match of the season, but then — thrown right into region play — got things turned around in a hurry. The Jackets topped Screven County and Dodge County before a 2-0 Tuesday  night victory in which Suarez scored both goals.
    “This year, I’m trying to step up and help to lead the team,” the junior forward said. “It was nice to be able to get those goals and help get us a win.”
    Suarez and company are riding high going into Friday’s showdown with Dublin — which is also 3-0 in region play. The teams will meet again in April and both matchups will go a long way in deciding the region race.
    “Right now, we’re just looking at one game at a time,” Suarez said. “But I know that we can be good. We want to be at the top at the end of the season.”