The Bremen High School football team beat Walker 42-6 in its Region 6-A opener a year ago, but don’t expect Blue Devil coach Ricky Tolleson to talk much about that game with his players this week as their 7:30 p.m. Friday homecoming contest against the Wolverines approaches.

That’s because Tolleson said Bremen (2-2) will be facing a team that looks much different when it kicks off region play against Walker (2-2) this year.

One major difference is the solid group of four guys that play along the offensive and defensive lines for the Wolverines.

“They’re bigger, faster and stronger,” Tolleson said. “I think they’re as good a front as we’ve seen.”

That means playing well along the lines, which Tolleson always emphasizes, could take on added significance.

“We’ve got to control the line of scrimmage. If we control the line of scrimmage on both sides, we’ll compete,” Tolleson said. “If we don’t, it’ll be a long night.”

Walker is coming off back-to-back losses, 28-7 to Athens Academy and 30-0 to Wesleyan, the No. 1 Class A team in the state, after back-to-back wins against Whitefield Academy and Cross Keys to start the season. The Wolverines have already matched their 2008 win total.

The Blue Devils beat Whitefield Academy 33-7 in a preseason scrimmage, while Walker’s victory against the same Wolfpack team was by a 26-21 score in its season opener.

Tolleson expects plenty of challenges on both sides of the ball, though.

“They run some double-slot, wishbone. They run some shotgun, and they run some I-(formation). So they’re kind of hard to prepare for. They get big line splits,” Tolleson said. “I think where they’ve improved a tremendous amount is their defensive play. Their line of scrimmage is a lot better than it was a year ago.”

Bremen is still working through injuries, as Tolleson said his starting center, guard, tackle and halfback will be out this week, an attrition level he attributed to a demanding non-region slate of Alexander, Central, Rockmart and Riverwood.

“We played a very, very tough non-region schedule, and it’s took its toll on us injury-wise,” Tolleson said. “We’re not crying, but we’ve got four or five starters out. And that hurts. But somebody else is getting an opportunity.”

Having guys step in for injured players is nothing new for the Blue Devils, though, as it happened often last season. And to Tolleson, such injuries prove why everyone on the team has to be ready at any time.

“We learned from it last year,” Tolleson said. “We have to learn from it even more this year, and that’s why you have a team.”

And after dropping the first two games of the year, having a two-game winning streak heading into Region 6-A competition has the team feeling more confident.

“It feels a lot better now,” Bremen senior kicker Josh Golden said. “I feel like we’re going to be doing a lot better.”

With homecoming set for Friday, Tolleson knows the school will have plenty of events happening, but he also knows everyone involved in those festivities will have a common desire: a Blue Devil victory.

“It’s just a big celebration here,” Tolleson said. “But they’re all coming to watch a football game.”

And though his team may be banged up, he’s looking to deliver the home crowd a victory that puts his team above .500 for the first time in 2009.

“Mentally, we’re OK. Physically, we’re in bad shape,” Tolleson said. “And we’ve got to find a way to overcome it.”