The No. 9 Andalusia Bulldogs (2-2, 1-1) are prepared for a Class 4A, Region 2 battle with the No. 3-ranked Hillcrest-Evergreen Jaguars (3-1, 2-0) on Friday in Evergreen.

“Like every week, we want to be better than we were the week before,”  Andalusia head coach Trent Taylor said. “Sometimes that’s not easy to tell when you go up a good team, but we can tell.”

Taylor said the Bulldogs have their hands full this week against Hillcrest.

“This is a great opportunity to play a team like Evergreen,” Taylor said. “This is a team that had a lot of success last year and they have won three in a row so far this year. They are just a fantastic football team.”

The Jaguars have dealt with some injuries, but Taylor said they are still a dangerous team.

“Their starting quarterback that led them to a state championship last year got hurt in the first game of the season,” Taylor said. “The guy that came in for him is a 10th grader, but he doesn’t play like a 10th grader. He has done a great job.”

Taylor said that Hillcrest is a well rounded football team.

“The thing that jumps out on film is how much they score on special teams and defense,” Taylor said. “They’ve scored probably as many touchdowns on special teams and defense as they have on offense. That’s not saying that their offense has been stagnant because it hasn’t been. They are just a very good football team.”

Taylor said that Andalusia is still working the Bulldogs.

“We are still working on us,” Taylor said. “Right now we are still working on getting better up front. It’s been a really good week of practice. The kids have been focused on making improvements and I feel like we have made improvements. This group understands what they are up against and they are focused on improving.”

Last week the Bulldogs made a change at quarterback and Taylor said that they will continue using both John Harper Dubose and Jake Wilson at quarterback.

“We are going to continue to play both guys,” Taylor said. “They both did a good job last week. They both made some good throws and some bad throws. There may be a point in the season where we give one the upper hand, but for now they are going to split time.”

Andalusia’s season didn’t start the way they wanted as they went down to Class 6A Saraland 41-3.

The Bulldogs got in the win column in week two as they knocked off Trinity 23-7.

In week three, Andalusia went up the top-ranked UMS-Wright Bulldogs and fell 17-0.

Andalusia evened up their record in week four with a huge 48-0 win over Monroe County.

Andalusia and Hillcrest are scheduled for a 7 p.m., kickoff tonight in Evergreen.