It was off to the races early for the Greenville Tigers as the team finished a three-game tour on the road with a decisive 38-7 win over the Alabama Christian Eagles.

A short defensive series gave the Tigers the ball early, and a methodical eight-play drive earned Greenville a quick touchdown and the lead.

Greenville head football coach Josh McLendon said that the opening drive set the tone for the night, but the turning point in the contest might have began well before the first whistle sounded.

“Our attitude was really good pre-game, and we had a lot of good energy on the sideline,” McLendon said. “Everything was good this game.  The kids were ready to play, and it was just a good night.  I think it’s been our best pre-game as far as excitement and having a good attitude throughout the night.

“We really worked hard on that at practice this week—being involved and staying involved even if you’re not in the game.”

A dominant early performance put the game well out of reach for the Eagles, but McLendon said that the toughest challenges are presented when you continue to push yourself with the game already in the bag.

“There’s someone doing something wrong on every play,” McLendon said.

“You’ve just got to keep going and coaching your guys hard because every play is a learning opportunity.  There’s always a chance for those guys to learn, or somebody behind them to learn, and you can always be constantly improving.”

With a three-week stretch of road games in the books, Greenville returns to Tiger Stadium for the first home game since Sept. 11 against the Sidney Lanier Poets, an opponent McLendon considers the most difficult region opponent of the season thus far.

The added distractions of homecoming week are also a factor for the Tigers.

“Without a doubt, they’re very athletic,” McLendon said.  “They’re coming off a big win over Charles Henderson Thursday, so they’re obviously looking to take care of business on their end.

“We’ve got to block out all of the distractions and continue to try to get better.  It’s just another step on the road—we’ve just got to continue to improve and get become than we are this week.”

The Tigers face the Poets Friday night.  Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.