THOMASVILLE — Thomasville’s 10th game on the schedule is no different than its fifth or seventh.

That’s the message coach Richie Marsh is preaching this week despite the fact his team will play Friday night against the undefeated, No. 2-ranked Fitzgerald Purple Hurricanes for the Region 1-AA title.

“It’s a great atmosphere. There’s no doubt about it,” Marsh said. “Our goal at the beginning of the year is we want to place. We want to place in one of those four (playoff spots). If we get in one of those spots, we want to try to be the best we can going in there. This is a game we must go out and get better. We’ve just got to do that to accomplish the goals and dreams that we have. It just so happens it’s a really good team.”

Thomasville last won a region championship in 2007 when it posted an unblemished 8-0 mark. Fitzgerald’s last region title came in 2006 when it sported an 8-0 1-AA record.

The two squads finished behind Brooks County last year when the Trojans captured the region crown. With both teams dispatching Brooks County this season, the region championship game was destined to be decided in Fitzgerald on the final Friday of the regular season. Both coaches discussed the challenges their teams faced in not looking ahead.

“I’m not going to say it wasn’t hard to look ahead, as far as preparation, because you know they’re a team that takes a lot of preparation to get ready for,” Marsh said. “The hype on this game, is it any more than (Thomas County) Central or Moultrie or Cairo? It’s not. The hype is really not anything we’re really concerned with, to be honest.

“We always talk about that next region game being the most important. This is our next region football game.”

Fitzgerald Robby Pruitt added, “It hasn’t been that hard for us. We’re the kind of team that we’ve got to do everything right in order to have a chance. We haven’t been able to look past anybody. I really think our kids have done a pretty good job of taking it one game at a time.”

This is the third season since 2004 that Fitzgerald has won its first nine games. It won its 10th game in both seasons. Thomasville is trying to tally an undefeated region record for the fifth time since 2002. The key for the Bulldogs is improving every day.

“The way we need to look at it is: Is Thomasville getting better on Monday? Is Thomasville getting better on Tuesday?” offensive coordinator Matt VerSluis said. “If we can do that Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, then Friday’s going to take care of itself.”