meadville — Franklin County hopes that stage one of the turnaround is about to take place.

After two upset losses by a combined four points, the Franklin County Bulldogs look to regroup against bitter rival North Pike Friday night in Summitt beginning at 7.

The Bulldogs, coached by Grady McCluskey and assisted by Jeremy Loy, David Tadlock, Tony Gibbs, Brent Calcote and Ricky O’Quinn have been preparing for the Jaguars all week by going full gear in practice.

Franklin County stands 4-2 overall and a surprising 0-2 in Region 7-3A. The Bulldogs suffered a 24-21 setback at the hands of Jefferson County last week.

“We’ve just got to go there ready to play and not turn the ball over,” McCluskey said. “We’ve got to play our game.”

The Jaguars (1-5, 1-1) are coached by first-year head man Chris Smith.

There is no love lost between the Jaguars and Bulldogs. Both consider each rivals and usually contests between the two bring a lot of drama.

“This is a big game for us,” McCluskey said.

The winner of the contest will be back in the thick of the Region 7-3A race. Tylertown (6-0, 3-0) currently leads the division over South Pike and Jefferson County. The top four teams out of each region receive playoff invitations.

Last week, the Bulldogs got 109 yards rushing and a touchdown from junior fullback Jordan Hunt on 15 carries.

On defense, senior linebacker Carlos Johnson made 12 tackles, while seniors defensive end Josh Tillman added to his state lead in sacks with his 11th.

Franklin County is 9-1 against the Jags over the last 10 years.