The Ashville Bulldogs got its season off to a great start by outlasting rival St Clair County 26-21 in a game that came down to the last seconds. Ashville has won two straight in that series. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs have lost three straight since that opening night victory, including two region losses.

Ashville plays in Class 4A, Region 6. The Bulldogs’ regional opponents include Cherokee County, Etowah, Fultondale, Good Hope, Hanceville and Oneonta. Oneonta and Etowah are undefeated in the region so far and seem to be the teams to beat.

Ashville’s record is 1-3 (0-2) with two losses in region play to Etowah, 42-0, and a close one to Hanceville, 22-13. The Bulldogs still have remaining region games with Fultondale, Good Hope, Oneonta and Cherokee County.

Ashville steps out of region play Friday night against a team in Hayden (2-2) the Bulldogs have not played since Oct. 21, 1960. The first meeting was in 1953 with Hayden winning 27-0. In fact, the Wildcats won three straight to start the series between these two schools. Ashville got its first win in the series in 1956 with a hard fought 7-6 win. Ashville has won the last five straight in this series, including the last meeting in 1960, 46-28. This will be the ninth meeting between the two with Ashville leading the all time series 5-3.

Kickoff will be at 7 p.m. at Ken Logan Stadium.