ATHENS, Ga. — Alcovy was met with an explosive offense on Friday as they fell to region foe Clarke Central in a 48-3 loss.

The Gladiators stopped the Tigers inaugural drive in a three and out, and quickly answered with a 60-yard rush to take the lead.

The scores kept coming for Clarke Central, as Alcovy found themselves in a 21-0 hole at the end of the first quarter thanks to quick strikes of over 40 yards for touchdowns.

When Alcovy got the ball back to start the second quarter, explosive plays from the Tiger offense put them within striking distance. However, quarterback Ayden Goddard’s pass slipped through the receivers hands in the end zone to create a turnover on downs.

As the Tigers struggled to find a score, the Gladiators continued to push the ball downfield, building up a 48-0 lead to start the fourth quarter.

Despite scoring on nearly all their drives in the first three quarters of the game, the Tiger defense held the Gladiators scoreless in the fourth quarter. Alcovy found the games lone turnover on a late punt by Clarke Central, which was muffed and recovered to set Alcovy up for a Destin Cohran field goal to avoid the shutout.

Head Coach Spencer Fortson acknowledged that the fight his team displayed late in the game can be used to get better to close out the season.

“It’s really a learning lesson for our guys,” Fortson said. “Right now we’re going to go home and evaluate this game, to get ready for next week and finish out the season strong.”

The Tigers (2-7) will close the year out on their home turf this Friday for their Senior Night game against the Loganville Red Devils.

Clarke Central will play county neighbor Winder Barrow next week in a matchup that will likely decide the AAAAA Region 8 Championship.