ROCKDALE COUNTY – After what was considered a less-than-stellar season in 2024, the Alcovy Tigers looked to build momentum toward a better season in its spring game against the Heritage Patriots on Friday.
With hundreds of Tiger fans in attendance, both teams competed in more of a dual practice setting rather than a traditional scrimmage. The contest included four-down drills, seven-on-seven matchups as well as a 20-minute game-time scenario.
Frontrunner emerges in QB1 battle
One of the biggest questions for the Tigers is at the quarterback position.
Last year, the Tigers rolled out three starting quarterbacks. But none seemed to click for the Tiger offense, leading to an offseason battle for the top job.
Ayden Goddard, the team’s primary starter for 2024, was not one of those names competing for the spot. This year, Goddard is set to play a gadget-like role, as he lined up at both running back and wide receiver throughout the contest.
Rather, it was incoming junior Trey Bryant who took the majority of the team’s first-team reps.
Bryant, who transferred from Eastside, looked sharp for the Tigers, completing most of his passes to a number of wideouts. The young quarterback also delivered on a number of down the field throws, including one to Kavion Sutton for a 40-yard touchdown.
On the last play of the 20-minute timed portion, Bryant delivered a 20-yard strike for the only score of the timed quarter.
After the game, Bryant told The Covington News that he’s excited for the opportunity he is receiving with the Tigers.
“It felt good,” Bryant said. “I love the team. I love how we’re growing and working.”
But while Bryant delivered a solid showing, the QB1 job is not officially his yet.
Head Coach Spencer Fortson said that the race is a three-way battle between Bryant, Sutton (who played several games at QB last year for the Tigers) and a third prospect who was unable to attend the spring game.
“We got three guys at quarterback right now and been battling the whole time, so we’re gonna still go at it this summer,” Fortson said.
Booker primed for breakout senior season
One of the major highlights from Friday’s contest was the standout performance of rising senior Kaeden Booker.
Booker, who was a second-team All Cov-News returner last season, saw time at both wide receiver and defensive back last season. Specifically, he is set to step into the WR1 spot with Ashton Hawkins departing the team.
The 5-foot-7 speedster showed his elusiveness at both positions, hauling in a handful of receptions – including one for a score – and breaking up several passes.
Booker said he’s excited to build off of his performance on Friday for his senior season.
“It felt great being back out there,” Booker said. “I wanted to be out here and play football again, man, I feel great. I love it.”
Fortson praises Tiger’s efforts in spring contest
With a strong showing against Heritage, Fortson had many great things to say about the Tigers’ performance.
“It’s good to see our offense clicking a little bit,” Fortson said. “We got a lot of guys playing both sides of the ball right now, so we see a lot of fatigue. So we definitely know what we need to do going into the summertime.”
The fourth-year head coach also expressed his excitement regarding the young talent, with many freshmen and sophomores seeing extended time on the field.
“We’re seeing some spurts from here and there for some of the guys that we expect to come on,” Fortson said.
With a successful spring outing and increased focus, Fortson hopes that his squad can improve on its 2-8 record and make a push into the postseason.
“We have grown a lot over these last three years,” Fortson said. “We’ve got a lot of guys in there that understand the work they need to put in. We’ve seen a big change in the offseason workouts. Guys that are committed to being there every single day since the offseason. So we’re seeing some good things. We just gotta continue to build on it.”
