The Liberty County Panthers will make a trip down Highway 84 to meet Pierce County on Friday in their final non-region game of the football season.

The Bears are 2-0 and ranked No. 2 in Class AA. They reached the Class AAA semifinals last season and were state AAA champs in 2020.

“They’re definitely a state championship contender,” Panthers coach Tony Glazer said of the Bears. “There is no doubt about it. They play physical football. They’re big, they’re strong, they’re a well-coached football team.”

D.J. Bell has rushed for 365 yards in the first two games for the Bears, who beat Jeff Davis and Metter by a combined 86-24.

Playing a team of Pierce County’s caliber will help the Panthers get ready for their region schedule, Glazer acknowledged.

“Each game has a different challenge,” he said. “We look at ways to get better – how we match up against certain offensive sets, can we be more of a complete team as we get ready for region?”

The Panthers, 2-0, are coming off an off week. For Liberty County, the off week may have come at a good time, since the Panthers had an emotional win in the season opener, their last-second victory on the road against Southeast Bulloch, and followed that a win over in-county rival Bradwell.

“The off week was good,” Glazer said, pointing out it was more beneficial from a mental standpoint rather than a physical one. It allowed us to take a step back and correct our mistakes from week one to week two, just get back on course and get ready for Pierce.”

The Panthers will visit the Bears Den on Friday at 7:30 p.m.

“Hopefully, we’re prepared for the challenge,” Glazer said.