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Pleasant Home (1-6, 0-5 1A Region 2) will look to snap a five-game slide and pick up the first region win of the season at Kinston (2-6, 1-4) on Thursday, Oct. 17, at 7 p.m.

This will be the 25th meeting between the two teams as they have played every year since 2000. The Bulldogs lead the all-time series 13-11 against the Eagles.

“Kinston cannot be taken lightly. They are very well coached and will be coached up well for us. They are somewhat banged up, but that is no reason to slack,” Head Coach Kevin Bond said. “Their kids will play hard for four quarters. They have shown the ability to score a lot of points and have some wrinkles on offense that will keep us prepping all week.”

Last week, Pleasant Home fell at home against Elba, 56-8. Kinston dropped a road contest to McKenzie, 58-0.

Bond added that his team would continue to work hard despite facing difficult region opponents.

“We showed the ability to move the ball against Elba but continue to make mistakes that put us behind the sticks. Part of that is on me and us needing to grow and develop the players better. We have to grow in our mental toughness. That also comes with time and maturity. It’s also on our guys to execute and stay calm when they are behind the sticks.”

Bond said he was proud of his players who are showing growth in several areas of the game.

“I’m grateful for their buy in and resilient commitment even at this point of the season given our current record. All reports that I get are that this is a major win for the program as a whole. We will continue to move forward with the big vision in mind,” he said.

The Bulldogs collected a 52-7 road win at the Eagles in 2023.