Friday night is homecoming for the Andalusia High School. Andalusia Head Coach Tom Causey said homecoming is more for the fans and alumni than for the football players.

Causey said the players and coaching staff look at the game as an important region game against the Hillcrest Jaguars.

Andalusia is currently 2-4 on the season and 2-2 in Class 4A, Region 1.

Hillcrest is 3-3 overall and 2-2 in region play.

The Bulldogs and Jaguars are tied for third in the region along with Choctaw County.

Causey said the game against the Jags is big because of playoff implications and simply because it is the next game.

"They're all big," Causey said. "This game is important basically because it is the one we play Friday night.

"Every time we play a region game it's a big game," he added.

Causey said the Jags will be a tough opponent for the Bulldogs because of the talent level of the players.

"They are big and fast," Causey said during a telephone interview while watching film of a recent Hillcrest game.

The biggest Jag is lineman Brandon Montgomery. He is listed at 6'3", 340 and plays both offensive line and defensive line. He is a Division I prospect.

Homecoming can be a nightmare for football coaches, but Causey said the players have done a good job of avoiding distractions so far this week.

"For us, it's another region game and it just happens to be homecoming," he said. "Right now, the most important thing for us is to win the game."

The key to victory could be slowing down the Jags.

"We've got to stop their running game," Causey said. "They have a great offensive line and two good backs. We have to slow them down and we can't make mistakes.

"We can't give up big plays," he added. "We have to keep the ball and have long drives on offense. We've got to do a great job of keeping the football."

The playoffs are a possibility if the Bulldogs win, but Causey said the focus is on the Jags right now.

"We haven't really talked to our kids so much about the playoffs," Causey said. "We are just working on us and letingt the rest take care of itself.

"We're still trying to get a complete game from our kids," Causey continued. "We have to play four quarters."