[9/26/03]Alonzo Stevens refuses to think of this season in the negative. He refuses to let a 1-3 start hamper his team’s thoughts of winning the region championship.

He’s again piping music into the locker room. The song, “Ain’t no stoppin’ us now” plays over and over. The same song played on repeat in Vicksburg’s amazing run to the North State championship game two years ago.

On Friday, while watching his Gators get blistered by South Pike, he stayed upbeat on the sidelines, never letting a 29-point defeat turn into a reason to become sour on his players.

“I saw the gleam in their eyes,” Stevens said with a hint of a gleam in his own eye. “I didn’t see it in Brookhaven, I saw the effort, but not the gleam. Friday, I saw the gleam. These guys came out and said, we’re gonna fight.'”

The Gators played about even in the second half against South Pike, scoring two touchdowns, but trailing by 29 points at the break ended any thoughts of a comeback.

Tonight, things change a bit as the Gators (1-3) and No. 8 Grenada (4-0) start the season 0-0. The first week of region play will lead up to four teams from Region 2-5A entering the state playoffs. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 at Memorial Stadium.

The Chargers are coming off a 6-3 win over Olive Branch in a game ruled by the defenses. Neither team gained more than 200 yards of total offense, and the Chargers needed a 30-yard field goal from senior Matthew Powell in the closing seconds to win the game.

Quarterback Jeremy Watson, a senior, and wide receiver Marcus Wiggins pose the biggest challenge to a Gators’ defense that has been susceptible all season. In four games, the Gators are allowing an average of 35 points.

Stevens said it’s not as much Grenada, but how his team will handle such a struggle through the first four games of the season.

“I’ve been coaching for more than 30 years,” Stevens said, “and I know there will be up beats and down beats. I’ve seen the great coaches Joe Paterno, Eddie Robinson at their zeniths and at their lows and what made them great was the way they handled the lows.

“If you can’t handle the bad, you don’t belong in this business.”