Kody Krause prepares to pass in Fitzgerald’s 2018 spring game. Krause and fellow quarterback Justin Reliford played a big part in Fitzgerald’s win over Berrien last week.

TIFTON — Region 1-AA’s football hierarchy will become a bit clearer after this weekend. The Fitzgerald Purple Hurricane and Thomasville Bulldogs, normally two of the conference’s strongest schools, meet head-to-head.

Like many other area teams in Hurricane Michael’s path, Fitzgerald is waiting a day to play. They head to Thomasville Saturday night for a 7 p.m. start.

Both teams will likely be, as Fitzgerald head coach Tucker Pruitt put it, “off-schedule.” Not just the change in dates, or the hurricane itself, but the lack of practice time. Fitzgerald was not being permitted to practice Wednesday or Thursday.

For Thomasville, the feeling might run a little deeper. The Bulldogs are looking to break a two-game losing streak. It started with a shootout loss to Crisp County (42-38) and continued last Friday Brooks County dominating to the tune of 27-11.

Pruitt said he told his players that Thomasville was a wounded animal. Judging by past history, the Bulldogs are most dangerous when against a wall. Earlier this season, a 50-3 loss to Colquitt County saw them bounce back with consecutive wins over Everglades (Fla.) and Cook, the latter a 39-0 blowout. More dramatically, they followed a 1-8 season in 2015 with a break-even record a year later and a 12-1 mark last in 2017.

Thomasville trailed 21-3 to Brooks, something Pruitt said teams can’t do. Some of the Bulldogs’ wounds were self-inflicted. Two interceptions were returned for touchdowns. A bad punt snap set Brooks up with first down at Thomasville’s 10.

“They helped Brooks a lot,” said Pruitt. Saturday, “They’re going to be hungry.”

The loss means Thomasville starts the Region 1-AA schedule 0-1. Fitzgerald is 1-0, having stifled a red hot Berrien by a 50-20 margin.

Fitzgerald had merely a one-touchdown lead in the first half, but started pulling away. Pruitt did not think his squad played great defense, but is liking what he is seeing from his offense. “We started to spread the ball around,” he said.

Ozzie Hampton scored twice as did Damien Devine. Quarterbacks Kody Krause and Justin Reliford both threw for touchdowns. One of Devine’s scores was particularly impressive as Fitzgerald made big blocks on an underneath route to spring him to the sidelines. Blocking, said Pruitt, especially on the perimeter, is beginning to shape up.

The Purple Hurricane are beginning to gel. Pruitt said they are playing more for each other.

“The game is slowing down for them,” he said.

Fitzgerald will have only two games left on its regular season schedule following this weekend. They host Early County next Friday and close out the regular season at Brooks County Oct. 26. A surprise at 5-1, Early is to host Brooks. No announcement has been made when that contest will be played. Both counties sustained damage in the storm.