The year was 1988.

Ronald Reagan was in the White House.

The song topping the charts was Michael Jackson's Man in the Mirror.

The Cosby Show was the most popular show on TV.

An unknown actor named Bruce Willis was killing it at the box office with the movie, DIE HARD.

The Chicago Cubs played their first night game ever at Wrigley Field.

And the Pisgah Eagles beat the Plainview Bears.

Since 1988, the Bears have gone 19-0 against the Eagles. Could this be the year that Pisgah exercises the demons?

Heading in to Week 3, we still don't know who the Plainview Bears are. Are they the team that won the passing camp title at Jacksonville State University this summer? Are they the sloppy team that lost to the Section Lions in the jamboree? Are they the team that put it on cruise control to dominate the Crossville Lions in Week 1? Are they the team that was just abused by the Geraldine Bulldogs in the first game of region play? I still don't know.

You can watch the Bears game film and see that it isn't a cohesive unit. It isn't a brotherhood. It always appears as if there are six guys on the field willing to do whatever it takes for one another, and then five other players that are just going through the motions. To be honest, the Bears just look soft.

No matter how many leaders you have on a team, you'll never excel until the entire team buys in. The Bears are still waiting on this to happen. Is Payne Anderson the catalyst to jumpstart this talented roster?

Payne Anderson (JR)

Position: RB

Height: 5'9''

Weight: 186

40 Time: 4.5

Anderson is listed as QUESTIONABLE for Week 3, but when I spoke to him on Monday night he didn't sound like a player willing to watch another game from the sidelines.

"It was torture having to sit on the sidelines and watch that game last week. The trainers told me if I tried to sneak on to the field before I was ready that they would tie me to my locker in the field house. I feel good...I'm just dying to get back on the field."

- Payne Anderson

Plainview QB Jayse Pruitt is looking forward to getting his 1000 yard all-purpose RB from last season back on the field as well.

"Payne brings a dicey-ness to our offense. He has good speed, is a solid blocker,  has great vision, and can hit another gear when he breaks the line of scrimmage and gets to the second level."

- Jayse Pruitt

On the defensive side of the ball, the Bears are still licking their wounds as the Geraldine Bulldogs gashed the them for 30 points last week.

The Pisgah offense is the complete opposite of the physical ground and pound the Bears faced last week. The Eagles will look to stay in the air and orchestrate around 40 pass plays, which will include multiple screen looks and deep balls.

Can the Eagles and new Head Coach Shawn Peek rip off their first victory against the Bears since the Cold War?

Will the Bears continue to sink in to the abyss that is football mediocrity, or can they right the ship? If so, they'll need to listen to some advice Michael gave in 88'...and look at 'the man in the mirror'.

We'll have it all for you LIVE on Friday night for the Southern Torch Game of the Week!

The broadcast begins with the pregame show at 6:45 PM.