Friday Night Football Fever Preview: Holtville Bulldogs

HOLTVILLE, Ala. (WSFA) - The Bulldogs are back!

Holtville High returns to the gridiron after a successful 2020 season; the team jumped out to a hot start after rattling off four straight wins to start the season. The Bulldogs finished the year at 8-4.

“The expectation level has been set and for us to make a run in the region and to get to the playoffs, let’s see if we can’t get a little bit further than we got last year,” said head coach Jason Franklin. “We were able to host in the first round, and we got a tough draw with UMS-Wright, so this year, we want to make sure we surpass what we did last year.”

Holtville finished as the 5A Region 4 runner ups, and while he’s happy with the team’s progress, Franklin knows his guys are capable of improvement and is hopeful the Dawgs will continue to turn heads in 2021.

“It’s just another step we’ve taken in the right direction, and it’s been a long time coming for that community to get back to hosting a playoff game on a Friday night in November, so I think it was a real special time, but we can’t be content with that,” said Franklin. “We’ve got to do it again and be able to take it a little bit further.”

Thankfully, the team is already feeling confident ahead of the first game.

“I feel like we’re gelling better as a team and really bonding well,” said senior tight end and linebacker Mikey Fortney. “I feel like our offense has picked it up a little bit, and it’s really starting to come along.”

Holtville will open the season against Goshen on August 20.

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