TWIN CITY — Over at Emanuel County Institute, many things have been shaken around. Some coaches are in new positions and some familiar last names are joined by some new first names.
    All of the changes aside, the one constant remains — the Bulldogs are a force to be reckoned with.
    Newly promoted to head coach after the departure of Milan Turner, Chris Kearson has the ECI train rolling once again as his squad is 4-0 overall,1-0 in Region 3W-A play and boasting a No. 3 ranking in the Class A state poll.
    “Most things really haven’t changed too much,” said Kearson. “Lots of the same coaches are still here. We’ve got a good group of kids, so we’re just doing what we’ve always done and moving ahead.”
    What the Bulldogs have been doing the last few years is providing a headache for any team that finds them on the schedule.
    In its last 57 regular season games, ECI has racked up 54 wins, including a state championship in 2007 and a state runner up in 2008.
    Leading the charge for those squads were Washaun Ealey and Dexter Moody. Those two are long gone from the program, but their younger brothers — Wezley and Darion, respectively — now make up the Bulldogs’ offensive backfield and form a rushing attack that is as dominating as ever.
    Also heading up the new class of Bulldogs is Caleb Pressey, who succeeded state title winner Michael Robertson as quarterback last season and has gone 14-3 as a starter so far.
    “We have a lot of good leadership coming from our players,” said Kearson. “Wezley and Darion have been getting playing time for us since they were freshmen. Now they’re both seniors and really help to push some of the other guys.
    “Caleb is another guy like that. He got 13 starts for us last season and now he’s becoming a leader out there.”
    With the shadows of the not-so-distant Bulldog teams of the past looming large in the form of the many region and state banners circling ECI’s field, it would be easy to get caught up in living up to lofty expectations. But even with the legacies of older brothers and former head coaches looming, the Bulldogs are focused only on what can be accomplished this season, and not in comparing themselves to previous squads.
    “We’re focused on winning, just like every other team we’ve had,” said Kearson. “We know that we’ve had success and that we’ve had a target painted on us for awhile. I think that our guys have done a great job of realizing that and playing up to that pressure each week.”
    Added Wezley Ealey, “It’s not really about what the guys before us did. They helped us out a lot in becoming better players, but now we’re the ones who are being counted on. We don’t think about what we’ve won before or that we want to win it all again. We just take each week as it comes.”
    The Bulldogs were certainly prepared for last week as they opened up sub-region play with a 44-0 win over Treutlen. This week, ECI looks to take the next step toward yet another playoff run as it welcomes defending sub-region champion Johnson County Friday night.

    Mike Anthony can be reached at (912) 489-9404.