Newton Citizen

COVINGTON - Stockbridge could be 3-0 as far as Alcovy head coach Kirk Hoffmann is concerned as his Tigers prepare to take on their next Region 4-AAAA opponent today at 7:30 at Homer Sharp Stadium.

"They're 0-3, but they've played well in all three games," Hoffmann said. "They were beating Fayette County going into the fourth quarter. They were tied with Union Grove at the half. And they were even with Dutchtown and fumbled twice in the end zone. They're kind of snake-bit a little bit.

"The thing about Stockbridge is that they're hungry right now. They feel like they should have won at least two games out of that stretch. Coach (Kevin) Whitley, who's their new coach, has come in and done an excellent job getting those kids ready in all those three games. They're a scary football team. They have the ability to make big plays. They're still trying to learn his system and they get better every week."

Under the direction of first-year head coach Whitley, Stockbridge is running a double-wing veer formation, similar to that used by Paul Johnson at Georgia Tech.

Alcovy's defense is going to have to play the gaps and play assignment football to prevent quarterback Antonio Anthony from pitching the ball.

When Stockbridge throws, Alcovy's secondary has to make sure that Steven Palmer is covered.

"We have to be disciplined and get somebody on the quarterback, on the fullback and the pitch. They're both real good players," Hoffmann said. "In all three games they've made some real good plays."

Alcovy has to find a way to get its offense playing well and scoring some touchdowns. The Tigers haven't scored an offensive touchdown since crossing the goal line twice in the opener against Newton.

Against Eastside, they had a field goal that was set up by the special teams.

Last week against North Clayton, the Tigers' touchdown came after a blocked punt.

"One of things we've got to do is get our offense clicking," Hoffmann said. "One of the things that has to do with is that we haven't had a consistent 11 yet because of the flu and injuries. We haven't started the same 11 in three weeks. Just getting Devon Edwards in the game is big. He has the ability to make you miss. To me, he's an exciting player to watch."

Alcovy is coming off a disappointing 13-10 loss to Class AAAA No. 7-ranked North Clayton.

Even though Alcovy fell short of the win, it held the Eagles to the fewest points scored in their first two games while putting more points on the board than their previous opponents.

"That loss hurt. I thought we had our chance to win," Hoffmann said. "But our seniors have had a great week of practice and we've bounced back from it. One thing I can tell you about this senior class is that they understand that the next game is the most important game."

SideBar: At a glance

· Who: Stockbridge Tigers (0-3, 0-1) at Alcovy Tigers (2-1, 0-1)

· Where: Homer Sharp Stadium

· When: 7:30 p.m. today

· Last week: Stockbridge lost to Dutchtown 13-0; Alcovy lost to North Clayton 13-10

· Series: Alcovy leads 1-0

· Last year: Alcovy won 27-6