Fort Valley State has plenty to play for in final three games

Kevin Porter’s first Fort Valley State team is 1-6 overall and 1-3 in the SIAC.

But Porter’s Wildcats still have plenty to play for with three games left. That begins at 2 p.m. on Saturday with homecoming against Central State.

“That’s always been our goal since we got here, to be playing our best football at the end of the season when it counts the most, and it still counts for us, and we’ve still got a lot to play for,” Porter said. “We just want to try to finish this season strong, and we’re 1-1 in our division, so we’ve still got a lot to play for.”

The Wildcats finish their season at Morehouse and then in Columbus against Albany State. But first up is Central State, which is 1-6 overall and 1-4 in the conference.

The Marauders got their first win of the season last week, beating Lane 27-10.

“The attitude has been great. The kids are working hard,” Porter said. “Obviously, it’s a tough situation, but we’re just focused on putting one foot in front of the other one and controlling the things that we can control.”

That includes trying to ignore all the distractions that go along with homecoming week.

“They’re really looking forward to it. There’s a lot of excitement on campus with all the festivities that are going on this week,” Porter said. “We’re just trying to not get distracted and trying to focus on winning a game. Our guys know that we’ve got to first and foremost get out here and worry about taking care of business and see if we can go out here and get our ship righted.”

This story was originally published October 21, 2016 at 2:37 PM with the headline "Fort Valley State has plenty to play for in final three games."