COVINGTON, Ga. - Coming off of an exciting first win of the season, the Alcovy Tigers failed to capitalize on their momentum as they continued region play against the Clarke Central Gladiators at Sharp Stadium on Friday.

The Tigers started the game off on offense, quickly crossing midfield as quarterback Trey Bryant threw a screen pass to wide receiver Kendrick Henderson.

The drive stalled shortly after, and Alcovy punter Brian Tapia pinned the Gladiators inside their own 20 with a booming punt.

Despite the poor field position, it didn’t take long for the Gladiator offense to get going. On second down, running back Nushi Valenti escaped a tackle in the secondary, reaching the five-yard line before being brought down by the Tigers. 

Gladiator quarterback Hudson Welter found tight end John Hensley-Williams in the back of the endzone on the very next play, giving the Glads a 7-0 lead with 9:07 left in the first quarter.

Back on offense, the Tigers attacked the Gladiators’ perimeter defense with a series of screens and jet-touch passes, crossing midfield and eating away at the clock. A false start set the Tigers' offense back, and the drive stalled again, forcing another punting situation.

Penalties continued to haunt the Tigers on defense, allowing the Gladiators to swiftly reach midfield. Following an offside penalty, Welter delivered a strike to a wide-open Valenti, putting the Gladiators back inside the five-yard line. Valenti capped the drive off for the Glads shortly after, extending the Gladiators’ lead to 14 with 2:16 left in the first quarter. 

The Tigers reached the 47-yard line on their next drive, and with 39 seconds left in the first quarter, Bryant kept the ball on an option run, prancing 53 yards to the endzone for an apparent touchdown. 

Unfortunately, Bryant’s effort was negated due to a dead-ball penalty before the snap, returning the ball to midfield. The Gladiators sacked Bryant on the following play, and the drive faltered, with Tapia punting the ball back to Clarke Central to start the second quarter.

Welter and the Clarke Central offense began to pick apart the Alcovy secondary, utilizing wheel routes to drive downfield. After wide receiver Lagracion Little caught a pass inside the 30-yard line, the Glads returned to the ground with Valenti, who barreled through the Tigers' defense, eventually brought down at the 13-yard line.

The first down set up Welter’s second passing touchdown of the night, finding wide receiver Jackson Brooks, giving the Gladiators a 21-0 lead with 7:15 left in the second quarter.

A good kick return gave the Tigers good field position on the ensuing drive. With 5:44 left in the second quarter, Bryant found Henderson for 15 yards, only for the ball to come loose. The Gladiators picked up the fumble on their own 39-yard line, and the offense returned to the field.

Strong runs from Valenti pushed the Gladiators back into Tiger territory, and Welter found tight end Triston Thomas (80) on another wheel route for a 32-yard passing touchdown. Gladiator kicker Spencer Trotter missed the extra point, leaving the score at 27-0 with 2:19 left in the half.

The Tigers refused to leave the half empty-handed, however. Bryant found Ayden Goddard (8), who tip-toed down the sideline for a 28-yard pick up, pushing the Tigers into Gladiator territory. 

Bryant then threw a 35-yard pass to a returning Jalen Randon, putting the Tigers on the board with 47 seconds left in the half.

A defensive stop prevented the Glads from stealing points before the half. 

After a Tapia touchback, Clarke Central backup quarterback Kamron Lawrence fumbled the ball on the Clarke Central 19-yard line. Alcovy defensive lineman Justin Heywood recovered the ball, handing the keys back to Bryant and the offense.

The Tigers went right back to Goddard, who picked up 13 yards on first down, putting Alcovy on the six-yard line. Bryant scored on a designed-quarterback run on the next play, bringing the score to 27-14. With 0:41 left in the third quarter, the touchdown marked the end of scoring for the Tigers.

A quick but run-heavy Gladiator drive saw Valenti his second touchdown of the night from 22 yards, extending the lead to 34-14 with 10:01 left in the game. 

Alcovy’s offense could not answer, punting the ball back to the Glads, who drove down the field again, this time through the air. Lawrence found wide receiver Troy Rucker for 26 yards, putting the Glads on the Alcovy four-yard line. 

Lawrence scored on a quarterback draw on the next play, his first of two rushing touchdowns on the night. 

Now down by 27, the Tigers failed to find an answer to the overpowering Gladiator defense, punting the ball back to the Gladiators, who drove down the field again. Lawrence scored his second touchdown of the night from 11 yards out, bringing the score to 48-14 with 0:41 left in the third quarter.

The fourth quarter went scoreless, with both teams running down the clock. The Tigers lost Bryant early in the fourth quarter, forcing Goddard to take over behind center for the remainder of the game. 

The loss drops Alcovy to a disappointing 1-8 record as the Tigers head to Loganville next week to close out the season against the 0-9 Red Devils.