A miracle fourth-quarter rally gave the Trinity Saints a 21-13 win over Pine Hills Academy last week.

That’s not likely to happen against the Tensas Chiefs, however, Trinity coach David King said of this week’s opponent.

&uot;We need to get out to a good start, which we haven’t been doing lately,&uot; he said. &uot;We’ve been starting slow. You can’t do that against Tensas.&uot;

King should know, as Tensas was a long-time district opponent before moving to MPSA District 7-A this year, where the Chiefs currently have a 4-1 record.

&uot;This is a typical, very good Tensas team,&uot; King said. &uot;I don’t really see any weaknesses. They’re just a hard-hitting, hard bunch of kids.&uot;

Tensas is led by junior quarterback David Crigler and junior running back Lee Hale.

&uot;They’ve got a really good quarterback who can throw the ball, and Lee Hale runs the ball extremely hard,&uot; King said. &uot;We’ve got our work cut out for us.&uot;

But, as with any non-district game, King’s eyes are on a greater prize.

&uot;I think this is another tune-up for bigger district games for both of us,&uot; King said. &uot;There’s just a lot of pride at stake.&uot;

Speaking of pride, the Saints are proud of their 3-2 record, and that will certainly help morale this week, King said.

&uot;We knew we’d be underdogs in nine out of the 10 games we play this season,&uot; he said. &uot;To already have three wins gives us a good shot at a winning season. The kids are excited, and they want to finish strong.

&uot;If we keep working harder and harder every week, and — knock on wood — don’t have any season-ending injuries, I think we can compete,&uot; King added.