The message to the surging A&M Consolidated football team is to focus on the next hurdle in hopes of going a long way. The coach whose team represents the next obstacle for the Tigers considers Consol capable of going far.

Killeen Ellison's Buddy McBryde will bring his Eagles (1-3, 0-1) to Tigerland Stadium for Consol's homecoming game at 7:30 p.m. Friday. Consol (3-1, 1-0) will arrive with palpable momentum after three consecutive victories, including a 56-17 thumping of Temple last week to open District 12-5A play.

McBryde puts more stock in the Tigers' recent wins over Temple and Austin Westlake (26-21) than in Consol's season-opening loss at Klein Oak (38-34).

"I think they're the best they've looked, going back to when I was coaching against them at Georgetown," said McBryde, who is in his sixth year at Ellison. "I think they're the best offensive team for sure in the district.

"If you look back at coach [Jim] Slaughter's teams at A&M, they tend to start out slow and boy, they end up really strong. They're hitting stride right now."

An improving defense to partner with a dynamic running game has Slaughter thinking this could be the year the Tigers post their first playoff victory since 2005. Consol won a share of the 12-5A title last season, but lost in bi-district for the fourth consecutive year.

"I hope [the recent stretch of good play] means that not only are we going to do well in district play, but we're going to do well after we get out of district play, that we're going to be able to make a good strong run in the state playoffs," Slaughter said. "It's a cautious goal because we've got a lot of games left, but if we keep getting better and better every week, [winning in the playoffs] is what we're working towards."

Ravaged by injuries and illness, Consol's defense took a beating early in the season. The Tigers allowed 411 yards and 27 points per game in three nondistrict contests, but limited winless Temple to 218 yards and a couple of fourth-quarter touchdowns.

The Tigers have begun to reap the rewards of playing backups early in the year, with outside linebacker Ben Kennedy and safeties Josue Ordonez and Brett Mahnke developing into reliable contributors. Consol also has gotten a boost from sophomore defensive end Jimmie Gilbert, who joined the starting lineup after missing the first two games while recovering from a broken hand.

"The opportunity is there to really feel good about ourselves," Slaughter said, "but we better not forget where we came from and what we've gotta do to continue to be the type of football club we want to be."

Consol's defense should get a test from Ellison running back David Cobb, a senior in his third season on the varsity. The 205-pounder is fourth in the district with 529 yards. Cobb was forced to switch to fullback after 250-pound Texas Tech signee Devon Hocutt suffered a season-ending knee injury. Last week in a 21-19 loss to Bryan, Cobb rushed for 97 yards on 19 carries.

The Eagles have lost a couple of close games, including a 28-25 decision against Killeen to open the season. In that game, Ellison scored 19 consecutive points in the second half to take the lead before allowing a late touchdown.

Against Bryan, the Eagles trailed 21-6 in the fourth quarter, then charged back into the game with a kickoff return for a touchdown and a fumble return for another score.

"Ever since I've been at Ellison, I don't think there's ever been a time that we've quit," McBryde said. "There's been some things that blew up on us and snowballed, but the kids never quit."

Ellison faces a difficult task coming off the district-opening loss. After visiting Consol, the Eagles will host unbeaten Copperas Cove on Thursday.

"We're not where we want to be, but we're not in a bad spot yet," McBryde said.