In order for Andalusia to be successful a third week in a row, stopping W.S. Neal versatile player Jeremy Nicholson is a top priority, coach Brian Seymore said Thursday.

The Bulldogs will travel to East Brewton tonight to take on the Eagles in their second region game of the season.

Andalusia defeated B.C. Rain 22-6 last week in a wet contest after a 1 hour, 31 minute rain delay. Last season, the Bulldogs got their first 2008 win against the Eagles in a 26-0 victory.

Seymore said stopping Nicholson is a must.

“He’s kind of their go-to guy,” Seymore said. “He plays tailback, receiver and he’s a return guy. He’s by far the best athlete they have and they move him around.

“Whether they throw the ball to him or hand it to him on offense or special teams, he’s their big play guy,” he said. “We’ve got to make sure we know where (Nicholson) is at all times.”

Seymore said W.S. Neal likes to change formations on offense, frequently making it difficult for the defense to line up correctly.

“They go from the ‘I’ to the spread offense to a bunch of different formations through different looks,” he said. “Our defense has got to line up correctly and make sure we get the right calls.”

To make sure the Bulldogs (2-1, 1-0 in Class 4A, Region 1) are lined up correctly, they will rely on help from junior linebacker Johnny Jones and senior strong safety Shane Dorsey.

On offense for the Bulldogs, third string quarterback Deion Akins will start for his team.

Seymore said Akins is capable of doing well, after having a good week at practice.

“He’s going to go out there and stay within our offense,” Seymore said. “He’s not going to do too much, but just let it come to him and just relax and play.”

In the last two weeks, Andalusia’s special teams have suffered. Seymore said that area has been a top priority at practice this week.

“We definitely have got to get better in special teams, especially in the extra point area,” he said. “We’ve working hard at that this week. It’s not the kickers, it’s a protection problem.

“I hope to see some improvement in that area this week,” he said. “I saw some improvement (Wednesday) at practice. We’ve got to get better because that extra point in a ball game can make all the difference in a game down the road.”

Seymore said his team will be relying again on defense to help carry out another win against W.S. Neal (1-1, 0-1)

“We’ll definitely be relying on the defense,” Seymore said. “There’s no doubt about it. If Deion is in there, we’re not going to put the game on his shoulders. We will definitely rely on our defense again and I hope they play a good game this week.”

Kick off in East Brewton is at 7 p.m.