Fort Valley State hopes to keep momentum going

First-year Fort Valley State head coach Kevin Porter understands his players have been through some tough times this season.

That’s why he was so pleased to the see the Wildcats’ hard work pay off last week with a win over Central State. The victory was just the Wildcats’ second of the season — in eight games — as they improved to 2-3 in SIAC play.

Fort Valley State will try to keep the momentum going at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Morehouse.

“It’s a confidence boost for us in that we didn’t get down on each other,” Porter said. “When you’re not winning ballgames, there tends to be some finger pointing, but our guys didn’t do that. They stuck together, and everyone’s pulling for each other, and good things can happen when you do that.

“I’m really proud of all of our guys. They’ve been through a lot. It’s really tough when you play hard and you’re not able to get a payoff, but it’s good for us to be able to come out and play hard and get a win at home.”

Morehouse has had its own struggles this season. After winning their first two games, the Maroon Tigers have lost six straight, but five of those have been by single digits: a five-point loss to Elizabeth City State, a one-point loss to Clark Atlanta, a nine-point loss to Tuskegee, a five-point loss to Albany State and a three-point loss to Benedict.

“They’re a lot better than their record indicates, obviously,” Porter said. “They’re very good on defense, one of the better defensive teams in our conference, and they’ve got some explosive players on offense. So we’re going to have to continue to grow this week and see if we can go up there and get a win.”

This story was originally published October 28, 2016 at 9:11 AM with the headline "Fort Valley State hopes to keep momentum going."