The Long County High School football team opens its season tonight by taking on Lanier County at 7:30 in Lakeland.  
Last year, the Blue Tide had the best season in school history, going 5-5 overall with wins over Atkinson County, Bryan County, Jeff Davis, Metter and tonight’s opponent.
One of the big reasons for the progress was a much-improved defense that allowed 20 points a game after giving up 33.2 points per contest during the 2011 season, according to ga.prepcountry.com.
Long County head coach Ron Flott said he wants the team to build off of last year’s success, and winning the first game is crucial.
If the Blue Tide are going to continue their winning ways, senior Vanda Vereen Jr. will be leading the way.
Vereen is a talented athlete who can play just about any position on the field, but this year he will play quarterback.
Whereas the Blue Tide are coming off a year of success, the Bulldogs are coming off of a year of futility.  
After starting last season with a 2-1 record, they dropped their last seven games to finish at 2-8.  
During that losing streak, Lanier was outscored, 215-44.
When they faced Long County in week three, the Blue Tide won, 30-6.  However, the Bulldogs won their opener last week over an improved Atkinson County squad, 14-6, and will be playing in front of the hometown fans.