MEADVILLE — After two weeks on the road, the Franklin County football team is eager to get back home.

But Friday’s opponent will be no cakewalk for the Bulldogs, as they host Taylorsville High School, the No. 1-ranked team in 2A this season.

“No doubt they’re better than a lot of 3A teams. They’re extremely well-coached, and we have our work cut out for us,” Franklin County head coach Ricky O’Quinn said.

“They’re 4-0, and they like to spread the ball around and do whatever it takes to win.”

The Bulldogs (2-2) are coming off a 20-6 road win against South Pike, which O’Quinn said was a good win against a tough team.

“Anytime you win, it’s important, especially for a young team. We’re young and inexperienced, and everyone we play knows that, but our guys play hard, and we’re getting better every week,” he said.

“We put emphasis on getting better, and that’s been our deal from day one. South Pike was a pretty good ball club. They’ve played a tough schedule, and they’re 0-3, but they’ve played some quality teams. When you do, that’s going to happen from time to time.”

The Bulldogs have also dealt with a tough schedule so far this year, and O’Quinn said he’s happy with where his team is at this point in the year.

“We’re not where we want to be, but we’re getting there. We’re .500 with the schedule we’ve got, and there aren’t many teams in 3A that are playing with the schedule we have right now,” O’Quinn said.

And the growth is evidenced by the way his team cut down on penalties some last week against South Pike.

“We’ve been getting a bunch of penalties, and that goes with having an inexperienced team,” he said.

“Anytime you get penalties, it’s frustrating. We had some penalties early against McComb that canceled a touchdown and put us out of synch. Early in the year, we couldn’t sustain a drive because of that.

“In the last game, we got a little better, and we keep getting better with games and experience for the young guys.”

After a disappointing loss to Brookhaven High School the last time Franklin County was at home, O’Quinn said his players want to make up for it this week.

“It’s good to get back here. Our guys love to play at home, and we want to show that we have a home field advantage,” O’Quinn said.

Kickoff at Franklin County is at 7:30 p.m. Friday.