Meadville — After hitting the road for three consecutive weeks to start the 2011 season, Franklin County will finally get to host a game at its own house Friday when the Bulldogs face Clarksdale High School.

The Bulldogs (2-1) faired pretty well as visitors to open the season, head coach Rickey O’Quinn said, but they are glad to finally get the chance to play a home game in 2011.

“It’s great to play a home game,” he said. “It’s great for the kids and great for the fans. With a 2-1 start nobody’s morale is down, even with the loss Friday the kids are still positive and determined.”

Franklin County opened up its season with two wins over North Pike and Loyd Star. But last week the Bulldogs lost big to Tylertown, 47-0.

But O’Quinn said that loss has not dampened his team’s confidence.

“It’s the coaches job to get the kids back up,” he said. “It’s just like a win, you can’t reflect on it too much, you have to get ready for the next game. We are disappointed with the way we lost and especially the way we played. But we have to keep positive and play hard.”

O’Quinn said his team gave away entirely too many turnovers in the loss to Tylertown.

“We were especially (disappointed) with the turnovers,” he said. “We had six turnovers that killed us and killed drives. We have to not turn the football over (this week). It’s just like quicksand once you start getting in it, especially against a good team, you can’t fight your way out. We fell behind 21-0, and it’s hard to get back. It wasn’t a great ball game, but I told them, ‘the good thing about it is that’s why we play a season.’”

O’Quinn said his team did not have problems with turnovers in its two wins, and he was surprised the turnover-bug bit his team at Tylertown.

“In the second half of the Loyd Star (game) we fumbled with the reserves but not with the starters,” he said. “That’s why it was surprising, maybe it was the weather.”

After facing a familiar foe in Tylertown last week, Franklin County will host a team they know little about in Clarksdale (1-2) this week.

“This is the first time (we’ve played Clarksdale),” O’Quinn said. “We know they are extremely athletic and big, and they played two or three pretty good teams.

They are kind of balanced and do it all. They pass it and run it out of a bunch of formations, and our kids will have to play assignment football, be disciplined and recognize different formations.”

O’Quinn said his team has done film-work on Clarksdale this week, and they are starting to get familiar with what Clarksdale will try to do.

O’Quinn said reducing turnovers and having success in the running game with quarterback Jadarius Davis and running backs Jimmy Barnes and Chris Robinson will be key to his team’s success Friday.

Franklin County rushed for just 118 yards in its loss to Tylertown.

Getting back on track this week is very important for the Bulldogs, O’Quinn said.

“(A win) is very important, especially coming off a loss of that magnitude against a rival and getting blown out,” he said. “(The players) want to meet their goal and win out.”

Franklin County will open its home schedule at 7:30 p.m. Friday.