A strong second-half performance by Alcovy Friday night helped the Tigers defeat Meadowcreek 28-15 and start the season 2-0 on the road.

“We faced a lot of adversity, a different type of adversity than we faced in the first game,” Alcovy coach Chris Edgar said. “My guys never stopped believing and never stopped fighting.”

The Tigers (2-0) started the game 8-0 as Koby Perry picked off a Meadowcreek (0-1) pass and returned it for an 83-yard touchdown, followed a two-point conversion by sophomore Cam Anderson.

While both teams stalling on offense for most of the second quarter, Alcovy’s Demetrius Tuggle grabbed another interception for the Tigers, running it 95 yards to the end zone as the clock expired. But an illegal blocking penalty on the Tigers negated the touchdown, and Alcovy went into halftime up 8-0.

A lightning delay pushed the start of the second half back to 10 p.m., but the extra break proved to be beneficial for Alcovy. After having just 39 rushing yards against the Meadowcreek defense in the first half, the Tigers ended the contest with 298.

“The extended halftime was actually a good thing for us,” Edgar said. “We were able to regroup and refocus. My coaches on both sides of the ball did a great job of correcting mistakes that we made in the first half. We really broke their will in the second half with our run game.”

After throwing an interception at the start of the third, Alcovy quarterback Quindrelin Hammonds rebounded on the next possession with a 11-yard touchdown run to put the Tigers up 14-0. Meadowcreek’s Quell Calhoun ran a 6-yard touchdown on the next drive, cutting Alcovy’s lead back to eight. On the next kickoff, Perry ran the ball back for a 99-yard touchdown for Alcovy, but yet another penalty recalled the score.

The Tigers were able to put the game in the fourth quarter when freshman running back Adrian Robinson ran for 49 yards on a third-and-12 play to get the ball to the 6-yard line, then finishing the drive with a touchdown for the 28-15 victory.

Penalties were a tough issue for the Tigers, as three Alcovy touchdowns were called back due to flags.

“I disagree with some of the calls, but I’m not going to talk bad about the refs,” Edgar said. “If it was a penalty, it was a penalty.”

Hammonds ended the game with four touchdowns, two of which were of scored on a keeper, while Robinson came away with 72 rushing yards and a touchdown. Andre Thomas, who returned this week from injury, had 57 rushing yards, while Koby Perry and Andrae Robinson had 47 and 34 rushing yards, respectively.

On defense, the Tigers had three interceptions, including one by Hammonds, and 12 tackles for a loss. The Alcovy defense gave up just 121 yards in the game.

According to Edgar, the Tigers were nominated as the High 5 Sports team of the week and the 11Alive game of the week.

“Our guys faced adversity, and they fought and fought and fought,” Edgar said. “They showed the character that this team has, and they believe in each other. They are a confident team, so we believe going forward that we can play competitive all the time.”

The Tigers will play at home for the first time this season on Friday, Sept. 2 against the Eastside Eagles.