Extra Point Previews: Elba Tigers

ELBA, Ala ( WDHN ) — With the kickoff of high school football in the Wiregrass under a month away, we continue our Extra Point team previews. Today, we focus on the Elba Tigers, a team that has solidified itself as a powerhouse in Southeast Alabama.

The Tigers were a well-oiled machine last year, storming through the regular season to a perfect 10-0 record, with their smallest margin of victory being 27 points.

Elba maintained their dominance through the first three rounds of the playoffs, but their season ended just three points shy of a state championship appearance after a tough trip to Leroy.

Needless to say, making it over that hump is this team’s ultimate goal.

“There’s a lot of things that have to go right in order for that to happen,” said head coach Marc Sieving. “We were so close last year, making it to the semi-finals. Our kids expect to win in everything they do; they’re competitors, and that’s what you want. But we’ve got a lot of work to do before we can start thinking about that. We’re just trying to get better every day. If we can do that every time we step on the practice field, every time we go out and compete, give our best and improve, then ultimately, we’ll have those opportunities in the end.”

On the surface, it’s easy to say this team goes as far as All-State Auburn-committed running back Alvin Henderson takes them, but there is a lot of talent that goes under the radar for the Tigers.

One standout is two-way star Cayden Adkins, who played wing back and linebacker for the Tigers last year, earning First Team All-State. Now committed to Georgia State as a linebacker, Adkins will make the switch to quarterback offensively this fall.

“I’m excited,” said Adkins. “Our team has been working hard. These kids have been grinding like crazy. As seniors, we try to encourage them—’Hey, let’s go to the field today, let’s go work out today.’ And they always say yes. So, we’re really excited to see what we’ve got.”

The Tigers had a lot of spots to fill, graduating four All-State players, but Coach Sieving thinks they have the manpower to fill those losses.

“We’re really happy with the guys we’ve got coming in. Of course, we hated to lose the ones we had, but we feel like the guys we got are capable. Our kids are just hungry and looking forward to this season so much.”

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