The Greenville Tigers’ next region game isn’t until October, but the remainder of the month could hardly be considered time off.

The Tigers will hit the road to face non-region opponents at both ends of the spectrum with the Class 7A Alma Bryant Hurricanes this Friday, and the Class 1A Georgiana Panthers next Thursday.

For Josh McLendon, Greenville’s head football coach, there are no off weeks for the Tigers.

“It’s just another chance for us to go out and improve ourselves,” McLendon said.

“We want to take advantage of every opportunity we have on Friday nights to play the game.  And no matter who we play—whether it’s Class 1A or Class 7A—we’re going to go out there compete, play hard and do what we do.”

And the Tigers have certainly done that over the course of three weeks.

Despite the small sample size, the team has quietly averaged 37 points per game despite the Tigers’ defense garnering the majority of attention for the team.

McLendon said that the journey to becoming a more balanced team is a long road, but the Tigers have made a great deal of headway.

“We’re doing what we need to do in all three phases, and we spend time in those three to make sure we’re ready,” McLendon said. “It’s a balance.  You have to be balanced in all three aspects of the games to be successful, and so far we’ve done that.”

One of the standout offensive talents for the Tigers, senior wide receiver Jonathan Powell, remains a gameday decision after suffering a game-ending injury Friday against Charles Henderson High School.

Despite the setback, McLendon is looking forward to facing a larger team, both in terms of size and personnel.

“They’re big and physical,” McLendon said.

“They definitely play against some very good competition down there, playing against teams like Foley, Fairhope and some of the bigger-name teams in the state.  They haven’t had the start to the season that they wanted to have, but they’re a big, physical team and we expect a team that is ready to play and ready to win, for sure.”

As the schedule enters a lull as far as region play is concerned, McLendon and the Tigers are aiming to ratchet up the intensity level as the team prepares to push for the postseason.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s a region game or not,” McLendon said.

“It’s a contest, so you’ve got to go out there and compete.  If you’re a competitor, it doesn’t matter who the opponent is or when you play.  The goal never changes.”

The Tigers will travel to Alma Bryant Friday.  Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.