COVINGTON, Ga. — At long last, the Alcovy football team will be competing on a Friday once again.
When the Tigers walked off the field following a 39-7 loss to South Forsyth on Oct. 9, they knew they’d made it through the first half of the season. What they didn’t know at the time, however, was that their next two opponents, Lowndes and Colquitt County, would have COVID-19 outbreaks that would force them to cancel their games.
Consequently, Alcovy found itself on a two-week hiatus.
The extended break will come to an end this Friday night when the Tigers (0-5, 0-0) hit the road to open Region 3-AAAAAA play at Grovetown (1-5, 0-1).
“It’s really important for us to get back into it this this week, especially when we have region play,” Alcovy head coach Jason Dukes said. “We were looking forward to the competition of going down and playing against Lowndes and Colquitt County, but unfortunately they had an outbreak that prevented us from doing that. Now, it’s really important for us to get back in competitive football mode.”
Alcovy used the last two weeks to get players healthy while also hammering down the fundamentals.
The club found success with the ground attack in each of its last two games, but struggled to sustain it for four quarters. That’s one of the areas the Tigers have sought to improve entering region play.
“Against Eastside we ran the ball really well. We ran the ball, at times, really well against South Forsyth as well. But consistency and efficiency are important,” Dukes said.
Still in search of their first victory of the year, the Tigers remain encouraged. Non-region games are crucial for development, but Alcovy understands its chances of earning a playoff spot will be determined solely by what unfolds in the weeks ahead.
“We never minimize the importance of a game, regardless of if it’s a region game or not. They’re all important,” Dukes said. “But with the goals of being competitive and winning our region, those goals are still in front of us.”
Grovetown has had issues putting the ball on the ground throughout this season. Look for the Tigers to be opportunistic and try to turn the table early in the turnover department to set themselves up for run-happy situations.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Follow @CovNewsSports on Twitter for live updates.
