Demopolis hit the practice field Monday, three days removed from a 25-point road loss to Carver that could ultimately decide the region championship. For DHS players, who entered the season with high expectations, the 1-3 record and continued costly mistakes over the last two games act as a constant reminder of where the team could be.

“As we sat down and watched the film, we saw where our errors were,” senior linebacker Greg Irvin said. “(Carver) only earned three points. We gave them the rest of the points.”

Irvin, who recorded 15 tackles and forced a fumble in the loss, was adamant Monday about his belief that the cure for the Demopolis ailments in simple.

“Being consistent on every level,” Irvin said. “If (the defense) makes a stop, offense has to put the ball in the end zone. If we allow a score, offense still has to put the ball in the end zone.”

“That’s all we’ve talked about is being consistent with our assignments, being consistent with our effort and being consistent with our attitudes,” DHS head coach Tom Causey said.

A considerable portion of the Demopolis problems has come as the result of turnovers. DHS turned the ball over five times against Carver after surrendering the ball in key situations against Fayette a week earlier.

“I think it’s all about concentrating on where the ball is,” Causey said of Demopolis’ recent outbreak of turnovers. “I think a lot of it comes when we’re consistent up front.”

“We hate to see it,” Irvin said of the defensive unit’s take on the offense’s turnover issues. “It kind of gets us down in spirits. It kind of makes us feel bad a little bit, but we’ve got a job to do.”

Causey was clear, however, that the turnovers are not a result of the Demopolis offense.

“The turnovers we’ve had aren’t because of the option,” Causey said. “We’re still young at what we’re doing and we’re getting better at it.”