BEARVILLE — Pierce County will enjoy its only Friday night off this week before playing the final three games of the 2025 season.
The second-ranked Bears sit at 7-0 and 1-0 in Region 3-AA play after beating Cook 34-13 last week.
“Every win is big, but this one is real big,” said seventh-year head coach Ryan Herring, who is 79-9 overall and 28-2 in region games. “We’ve got a lot of first-year starters out there, so this is a work in progress.”
PCHS returns to action Friday, October 17 with Crisp County visiting. The Bears travel October 24 to Tattnall County and finish the regular season hosting Appling County October 31.
A young, offensive unit is led by the exploits of junior running back Jae’Veon Williams (132 carries) and senior quarterback Drake Dowling (96 attempts) who have combined for 1,685 yards and 23 touchdowns.
Williams surpassed the 1,000-yard mark with a 19-yard run on his 129th rushing attempt of the season in the victory last week. His season total is 1,030 yards on 132 carries with seven straight games of scoring at least twice.
Dowling, who has started six of the seven games, has 655 yards and scored three times. He is 21-of-39 passing for 368 yards with five touchdowns, three at Cook, and four interceptions.
“We want to pound the ball at defenses,” said Herring of the PCHS rushing attack. “You keep pounding and pounding and chipping away and finally you’ll start getting big chunks.
“Defensively, the Bears have pitched three shutouts. Brooks County’s 16 points are a season-high for a unit allowing just over seven points per game.
“We’re having too many missed tackles and that’s something we’ve (coaches) got to get fixed during this open week. There will be a lot of fundamental drills.
“We’re not going to worry about anything but trying to get us better. It’s going to be the fundamentals of blocking and tackling.”
