Five first-half fumbles foundered the McKenzie offense Friday night as the Tigers lost 63-7 on the road to Brantley in a battle for the No. 2 seed in Class 2A Region 2.

“We’ve got to take care of the football,” said McKenzie head football coach Tony Norris.

“We gave them a short field all five times, so we’ve got to take care of the football. You create problems for yourself when you don’t take care of the football.”

With the playoff situation set in stone, the Tigers have secured a No. 3 seed, meaning McKenzie will travel to face the Sweet Water Bulldogs.

“Sweet Water is a very well-coached and physical football team. The tradition of winning in the past is there. It’s one thing that we’re going to have to look at, is how to prepare our kids the best we can. The good thing is that we have an off week to heal up a little bit and get ready for the playoffs.”

The bye week couldn’t come at a better time for the Tigers, as a small roster has seen its share of bumps and bruises throughout the past nine weeks.

“It’s very important. The biggest thing is that we get a chance to recuperate and get our feet back up under us, and be able to try to do something in the playoffs. We’ve got a tough test ahead of us, but we’ve got to figure out a way to bounce back and secure the football.”