VALDOSTA —
The Lowndes Vikings don’t begin the regular season for two more weeks, but tonight they get an opportunity to hit somebody different.
The Vikings will host the Thomasville Bulldogs tonight at Martin Stadium in a preseason game. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m.
Although tonight won’t count towards either team’s record, the format of tonight’s game will be similar to the regular season.
Both coaches have agreed to play the varsity starters for the first half and start rotating players into the game in the second half, according to Lowndes coach Randy McPherson.
As for who will be the starting quarterback for Lowndes, McPherson would not tip his hat and name a starter for the scrimmage, saying both senior Alex Stephenson and junior Seth Carlo will play an equal amount.
“I don’t even know yet, I haven’t talked with Coach (Will) Davis,” McPherson said. “We certainly haven’t made that call. That really is not that big of a deal right now. Both of them are going to play a lot (tonight).”
Since the Vikings opened camp on July 25, both Stephenson and Carlo have shared equal reps throughout practice.
Although tonight’s environment will feel like a regular season game and the game will look like a regular season game, the Vikings haven’t prepared for the game like they normally would. McPherson said Lowndes hasn’t done much game planning for the Bulldogs.
“We haven’t done any normal game preparations,” McPherson said. “It is too early. We’ve been working on us and trying to get us better. We’ve traded one game (with Thomasville), and we’ve looked at it, but we really haven’t prepared and I am sure they haven’t either. We are too busy fixing what we have going on.”
Last season at this time, the Vikings were heading north for a regular season contest with the South Gwinnett Comets. This season, the Vikings still have two weeks until their regular season opener against Luella. McPherson said the extra time to prepare for this year’s season opener is important because of the Vikings’ youth.
“It is nice, especially because we are a young team,” said McPherson. “That is going to help us.”
Whether or not the Vikings have prepared for the Bulldogs, the players are looking forward to hitting someone new after two-plus weeks of pounding against teammates in camp.
“They are going to be ready for that,” McPherson said. “To compete against somebody besides yourself, that will be a lot better.”
“It has been a long time, we’ve been practicing against each other every day,” running back Nick Burgman said. “To play against someone else in a game, you will really see what kind of team we are. I think we have a pretty good team, though.
“Every time we get on this field we are known for going hard and giving it our all,” Burgman continued.
Like always, the Viking coaching staff will use this preseason game to gauge where they are as a team and what needs to be improved on before the season opener in two weeks.
“It will let us know what we have,” McPherson said. “It will tell a little bit of what we need to get better.
“We’ve got a bunch of new faces, on both sides of the ball, but I’ve really liked the way they have handled it in practice. It is going to be interesting to see how they do in a game situation. There is at least five on both sides of the ball.”
“We’ve had a really grueling preseason, physically,” McPherson continued. “And they haven’t backed down one bit. I am looking forward to getting started.”
Lowndes is looking to rebound from an 8-4 record last season, while Thomasville is looking to build an a 6-5 finish in 2011. The Bulldogs are a young team and feature a deep group of sophomores, including at quarterback.
Primarily a top-contender in Region 1-AA, the Bulldogs are once again expected to compete with the likes of reigning region champion Fitzgerald and top-tier teams like Brooks County and Cook this season.
The Bulldogs open their regular season next Saturday when they host Thomas County Central.
Tonight’s game will be carried live on 99.5 The Eagle. The pregame broadcast will begin at 7 p.m.
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Vikings host Bulldogs tonight
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