The Tigers (2-4, 2-1) went through their normal rituals this week in preparation for tonight’s game at region opponent Monroe County (1-5, 0-4).

“It’s been a good week, real physical. Our kids have been real physical all week long,” DHS head coach Tom Causey said. “We’ve had a lot of competition in practice.”

Causey said his team has spent the week reiterating fundamentals following last Friday’s 55-20 win over Selma.

“Fundamental football, the same things we’ve been working the last nine weeks,” Causey said. “The coaches have done a good job of coaching their positions. Assignment at this point in the season should not be a problem.”

The team has also continued its efforts to identify players who can provide depth at certain key positions on both sides of the ball.

“We’re still looking for a lot of backups in a lot of positions,” Causey said. “But we’ve had a lot step up too. There’s been a lot of surprises this year.”

The team, which has seen key players like such as DaMarcus James and Greg Irvin miss time due to injury already this year, is reportedly dealing with a different kind of ailment this week.

“We’ll have everybody playing,” Causey said. “The biggest thing right now ain’t our injuries. It’s the flu bug going around. We talked to the kids at the beginning of the week about eating right and sleeping right.”

The Tigers’ second-year head man said the match-up tonight could pose a danger if his team is unfocused.

“It’s senior night for them. They need a region win just like we need a region win,” Causey said. “They’ve got some dang good players.”

While the records of the two teams are similar, the numbers would seem to indicate an advantage for Demopolis. Monroe County has been outscored 187-82 through the first six games of the season. Conversely, the Tigers have bested foes 176-140 thus far. The teams’ common opponents are Selma and Chilton County. Demopolis won those two contests by a combined score of 105-20 while Monroe County lost both by a 58-14 margin.

Still, Causey is confident in Monroe County head coach Maurice Woody and his ability to have his players primed and ready.

“I know Maurice Woody extremely well,” Causey said. “We played ball together at Livingston and he’ll turn that thing around.”