Following the 27-22 win against Peoria Notre Dame last Saturday, the Harrisburg High School (HHS) Bulldogs will face the Murphysboro Red Devils on Saturday, Nov. 11. 

Murphysboro was described as being a well-rounded and skilled team, according to the head coach of DuQuoin in an article for The Southern Illinoisan.

“Murphysboro is very strong and physical up front,” first-year Du Quoin coach Logan Spain told the Southern. “They are a very well-coached team. Coach (Gary) Carter and his staff have had that program on the upswing the last five years. And it helps that they have athletes all over the place.”

Bulldog head coach Matt Griffith seems to agree that Murphysboro can be heavy on the offensive front. 

“Our first match-up in the regular season, we didn’t execute on the offensive side of the ball,” Griffith said. “We have to control the time of possession and win the turnover battle.  Defensively, we held Murphysboro to 0 until midway through the second quarter. We are looking to continue the early success and continue that into the third and fourth quarters.” 

Junior football player Reed Rider believes the Bulldogs can combat Murphysboro’s heavy offense.

“Our coaching staff has put our defense in the best position possible to combat their offensive line,” Rider said. “Our defense is more than prepared to stop Murphysboro’s offense.”

The Bulldogs have faced Murphysboro before; the team knows what it is going up against.

“Head Coach Gary Carter [is a] familiar opponent since they are in our conference,” Griffith said. “We have plenty of film to prepare for Saturday.”

Rider feels confident to face off against a familiar opponent. 

“The bulldogs are very confident towards the game on Saturday,” Rider said. “Saturday’s game will be an accurate reflection of the success in practice we have had during this week while preparing for Murphysboro.”