MEADVILLE – In 15 seconds, the Franklin County Bulldogs got a glimpse of why the Hazlehurst Indians are one of the best teams in the land with a game opening 67-yard touchdown run that put the brakes on a Bulldog upset bid.

The rest of the game, the Indians showed the Bulldogs why they are the defending 3A champions with a 42-15 win that improved Hazlehurst to 7-1 on the season and 2-0 inside the division.

Franklin County (3-4, 0-2) saw Indians tailback Alex Rockingham sprint 67-yards to start the game, quickly giving Hazlehurst a 7-0 lead in the first quarter.

The Indians added more points and yards for that matter in bunches by amassing 19 first downs and 414 yards rushing.

Dycelious Reece and Jarvis Warner each added touchdown runs to give Hazlehurst a 21-7 edge heading into halftime.

Both Reece and Rockingham added more big plays in the second half as the Indians flexed their muscles.

For the Bulldogs, the pre-game hype quickly dissolved into a momentum turner for Hazlehurst.

Senior running back Chris Robinson provided the only spark for the Bulldogs with 112 yards rushing on 20 carries, and scoring both of the teams’ touchdowns.

The Bulldogs play host to Crystal Springs Friday night for Homecoming 2013, while Hazlehurst travels to Wilkinson County for a showdown of the top two teams in Region 7-3A.