MEADVILLE — Expectations are that Friday night’s Class 3A second round showdown between the Franklin County Bulldogs and the Morton Panthers will be a classic, something Bulldog coach Grady McCluskey knows all about when it comes to preparing for big games in November.

“Once you get this far into the season, every team you play is balanced and dangerous,” McCluskey said. “We’ve got to be ready. In games like this the team that makes the fewest mistakes and least amount of turnovers will win.”

Game time has been set for 7 p.m. in Meadville’s Louie Mullins Memorial Stadium.

The Bulldogs (9-2) will have their hands full Friday night with a Morton team that is finally clicking on all cylinders after a mid-season bout of injuries and suspensions that robbed them of a top two finish in Region 5-3A. The Panthers are 6-5 overall.

“We’ve been working hard all season, and improving as we go.” Morton coach David Parker said. “We like to spread the ball around a lot and try make things happen.”

Dedric McDonald, a 6-4, 210-pound senior, leads the Panthers on offense as a dual threat passer and runner at quarterback. Through the air, McDonald has thrown 16 touchdown passes, with blazing 6-2, 195-pound target Antonio Hughes being his go-to guy. Sophomore speedster Deonte Harper also is a playmaker at wide out.

“They have a lot of weapons,” McCluskey said after reviewing film on the Panthers.

On the ground, the Panthers use a tailback rotation consisting of sophomore Percy Lewis and senior Shareef Dixon.

“This is a good ball club, and quite possibly the best team we may see this season” continued McCluskey. “They are very similar to Jefferson County, especially on offense.”

As for the Bulldogs, who scored a 21-3 victory at Sumrall last week. The 3A defending champions have really opened the eyes of Parker on film as well, with their immense size and speed.

“They are big and strong and will be the best team we’ve seen all season,” said Parker. “They are the defending champions, and in order to be the champions you’ve got to beat the champions.”

Josh Tillman, Franklin County’s powerful 6-5, 250-pound defensive end leads the Bulldogs defensively. Tillman registered 10 tackles and forced a fumble in which he recovered against Sumrall last week. For the season, Tillman has 75 tackles and 15 sacks.

Last week he and his cousin Bo Tillman, a 6-6, 300-pound defensive lineman were named to the Mississippi All-Star roster as participants in the 2007 Mississippi/Alabama All-Star Classic on Dec. 15 in Mobile, Alabama. Both were pre-season All-State nominees.

“Defensively them two are hard to contain,” added Parker. “Franklin County is a very talented team.”