The McKenzie Tigers’ quest for a perfect season came to a screeching halt at the hands of the Brantley Bulldogs last week, but in losing that battle, head coach Josh McLendon might’ve found a new way to win the war.

But most importantly, McLendon was glad to see that the characteristics that make a good football team remained intact with his players.

“The one thing that I told my kids is that I was proud of how they played and how they fought to the end — they didn’t quit and they didn’t give up,” McLendon said. “It was a good test for us as far as seeing what we need to improve on and what we need to do to get better to be able to compete and beat a team like Brantley. But we just made too many mistakes on both sides of the ball to be able to win, and we’re going to correct those mistakes hopefully and get back on track this week.”

This week’s opponent, the Florala Wildcats, presents an altogether different challenge for the Tigers.

The Wildcats enter Friday night’s game at the proverbial crossroads as far as their playoff hopes are concerned, and only Butler County teams McKenzie and Georgiana stand in the way of Florala’s uncertain future.

McLendon is counting on that sense of urgency to make an impact in the game.

“They’re a team that’s in the playoff picture, they’re in the hunt and they’re hungry, and we can’t take them for granted,” McLendon said. “They are a well-coached team.  They’re well coached in what they do on offense and defense.  They’re not real flashy, but they do a good job of running their offense and defense.  It’s going to be a tough game for us, but we’ve got to get back focused and get back on track.”

The Tigers and Wildcats face off in McKenzie on Friday at 7 p.m.