Sports

Stingley: Time to shape up, or ship out

• Coach Derek Stingley increased the pressure this week and put all jobs up for grabs for this Saturday vs. Corpus Christi.

Paul Dehner Jr.

ALBANY — The time for complacency has left.

That vacated town along with the Tennessee Valley Vipers after Saturday night’s 65-51 loss.

The South Georgia Wildcats players felt that from the opening moments of Tuesday’s practice.

Coach Derek Stingley vowed to “turn up the heat,” on his team and officially put every job up for grabs.

Losing in convincing fashion last Saturday didn’t help, but it wasn’t just the last loss that had him raising the intensity.

“It’s not just a loss like that, just the number of losses so far,” he said. “I didn’t come here to coach these boys to lose. At this point, it is all about winning. We still need to have fun and win, but they need to be accountable for their own actions.”

Stingley’s sense of urgency created what he and his coaches called “the best practice this year,” and have the team very aware of the repercussions of lackluster practice effort.

Either play well or be replaced.

“Oh yeah, of course,” quarterback Andrico Hines said. “But that is the sign of a good program. That, if you have someone that — if you are not on your game — can step in and play. Coach says every position is open. We have to just come out and continue to work hard.”

While they work, Stingley evaluates. As for the starting lineup of Saturday’s game against Corpus Christi, just call that yet to be determined.

“I am going to make sure for that week I have the best player out there on the field,” Stingley said. “Every week you are auditioning to play the following week.”

COACHING CHANGES

A realignment in philosophy with players has spilled over into a realignment of the coaching staff as well.

Former assistant head coach, Randy Leindecker has taken over sole leadership of the offensive line.

That was previously under the supervision of line coach Webbie Burnett, who has moved to focusing on the defensive line.

It was not a demotion of Burnett, says Stingley, but rather a reallocation of resources. Personal reasons at the beginning of the season left Leindecker’s availability in question and brought on the hiring of an extra coach. With him secure now, Stingley felt moving around was the proper move.

“That is a position I know I no longer have to be concerned about,” Stingley said of his OL. “I know the guys will work hard and I will have the best guys suited up to play.”

After last Saturday night when the Wildcats gave up three sacks and saw Hines hurried much more, Leindecker is focused on tightening up the front.

Though, he doesn’t see it as a matter of talent or technique.

“Right now, we think it is about them just playing as hard as they possibly can,” he said. “I think they got the talent, they don’t seem like they got the hunger right now. That’s what I am trying to get across, to just be hungry on every play and play hard on every play. I think if we do that, we will be fine.”

COLA OK

The initial thought early in the week was that middle safety Roland Cola, currently the third leading tackler in the af2, had broken his thumb during Saturday night’s game.

Coaches found out Wednesday it was only a sprain and he will play against Corpus Christi.

KICKS AND SHANKS

The word is out about the return abilities of the Wildcats’ P.J. Berry. During Saturday’s game with Tennessee Valley, the Vipers attempted an onside kick, a squib kick and even booted one off the speaker.

The most effective move was kicking just short of the rebound net and bouncing the ball off the concrete wall — and out of the reach of Berry for a touchback.

So the question becomes: Will teams attempt to kick away from South Georgia’s electric returner?

“There is nowhere to hide,” Stingley said of Berry, who has three kickoff returns for TDs this season. “You are not giving yourself a chance of the ball hitting the iron and you recovering it if you kick away. You take a chance of hitting a wall or kicking the ball in the stands. All they can do is just kick. The more you try to kick away from him the worse it’s going to get.”

DAYTONA TURNS TWO

The Daytona Beach ThunderBirds, which appeared to be the weak link of the South Division after starting 0-5, have seemingly turned their season around with back-to-back wins.

Suddenly, they are only two games back of the Wildcats in the South Division and come to South Georgia on June 7.

SOMEBODY’S GOT TO LOSE

Tennessee Valley, fresh off its fourth consecutive win will host the undefeated Florida Firecats on Saturday.

Florida won the first meeting between the two teams, 62-47, but that victory also sparked the beginning of the Vipers’ win streak.

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