TIFTON — The Fitzgerald Purple Hurricane have had some close calls lately.

The team is 3-1 heading into tonight’s 7:30 p.m. road game at Dodge County. With any luck, Fitzgerald could be 4-0. With none, they might be 1-3.

Head coach Tucker Pruitt said his group is “barely surviving.”

Considering the gauntlet the Hurricane have faced, that’s pretty good, but how so is probably not so good for everyone’s heart health. Fitzgerald lost to Irwin County by six points. They have bounced back with two straight wins, but one was by a single point over Dooly County. The other, 28-24 over Upson-Lee last week, was only in hand after a first down pick up late in the fourth quarter.

It won’t be any easier tonight.

Dodge County is probably not on the tips of many tongues when talking about excellence in South Georgia football. Pruitt thinks it’s because the Indians haven’t won a state title. Only three times since the program started in 1957 has Dodge been as far as the quarterfinals, the last being in 1999.

Even with the lack of notoriety, the Indians have been successful, with a better all-time winning percentage than such well-regarded programs as Bainbridge and Cook.

Fitzgerald has not seen Dodge on the football field since 2007, but Pruitt recalls facing the Indians when he was in high school. The program, he said, is a good one.

The Indians enter tonight’s game at 3-0 and ranked fourth in the most recent Georgia Sports Writers Association poll. All three wins have come against larger schools, the biggest being Class AAAAAA Bradwell Institute.

A major reason for this success is quarterback R.J. Carr. Carr does not do much in the way of passing — he is credited for only 69 yards on three completions — but he can run, averaging eight yards per carry on 335 yards and five touchdowns.

Carr, said Pruitt, has “a rocket for a leg” and while the passing numbers do not look pretty, watch out when he tries. Pruitt said he was capable when he took shots down the field.

“He’s a weapon,” said Pruitt.

Dodge rotates its running backs, he said. Erin Pitts is the second leading rusher at 173 yards.

Perhaps most troubling of all for the Purple Hurricane is the Dodge defense. Travon Walker excelled for Upson-Lee a week ago, but the Indians are solid all the way across, proving that with a 14-7 win over Appling County a week ago. In a rarity in today’s most offense-minded games, the Indians relied on their punter, Peyton Bush. Bush is averaging 48 yards per boot, with a long of 59.

Justin Reliford clinched the win over Upson-Lee with a run for first down in the last two minutes of last Friday’s game. He’s increasingly becoming key to Fitzgerald’s offense. “He’s really running the ball hard,” Pruitt said.

Reliford ran for a touchdown and passed to Ozzie Hampton for another. Ethan Gordon also broke a long scoring run.

After the five straight grueling weeks, the Hurricane gets to stay home next week. It should come at a good time for Fitzgerald, whom Pruitt said was “pretty beat up” right now. Their return will be at Jaycee Stadium against Worth County. Worth (0-4) hosts Rutland (0-3) tonight.