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Alcovy football sees Senior Night success with win over Forest Park
Alcovy football
Alcovy's Bernard Johnson (12) eludes the grasp of a Forest Park tackler during the Tigers' senior night win over the Panthers Friday night at Sharp Stadium.

COVINGTON, Ga. — The Alcovy Tigers got a huge win on their senior night, besting the Forest Park Panthers 29-16 in a Region 3-AAAAAA matchup at Homer Sharp Stadium Friday night. It was Alcovy’s (2-6, 1-4) first win in region play. 

Alcovy started fast after taking the opening kickoff to the house courtesy of senior Tyjay Reid, giving the Tigers an immediate 7-0 lead. On the ensuing kickoff the Forest Park returner mishandled the ball at the Panthers’ 1-yard line leaving the Panthers offense in a tough spot to start their first offensive possession of the game. 

The Tigers’ defense forced a three-and-out on Forest Park’s opening drive, and on the punt the ball was snapped out of the Panthers’ end zone. That safety extended Alcovy’s lead to 9-0 before the Panthers could blink.

After that, Forest Park’s offense settled in and began to drive the ball against the Tigers’ defense, and quarterback Jacari Hardaway found fellow senior Shun Newton for a 10-yard touchdown pass to narrow the gap to 9-7.

The Tigers quickly responded, scoring from a yard out and making it a 15-7 ballgame early in the second quarter. 

During the second quarter, the Tigers defense stepped up with three sacks and an interception by Kaeden Booker to keep Forest Park at bay before halftime. 

Coming out of halftime the Tigers’ defense continued to swarm as it got another sack on the opening second half drive. That gave the ball back to Alcovy quarterback Ashton Evans who gave the Tigers another score when he kept the ball on a read option touchdown run that extended Alcovy’s lead to 22-9 midway through the third quarter.

Evans finished the game with a rushing and passing touchdown as he found Bernard Johnson for a 35-yard scoring strike. The Panthers didn’t quit as Hardaway found the end zone on a quarterback sneak to cut the lead. But Alcovy’s defense salted the game away by forcing two more Forest Park turnovers while sacking Hardaway a total of four times.. 

Alcovy will face another region foe from Clayton County next Friday as it travels to take on the Jonesboro Cardinals at 7:30 p.m.