Real-Life 2003 Tucker Tigers Dynasty

[Ben E Lou]

Alright boyz, I thought it would be fun to post a real-life dynasty, following the exploits of Thomas Brown (http://rivals100.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=16762), DT McDowell (http://rivals100.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=17816) and the rest of the 2003 Tucker Tigers. Tucker finished 12-1 last year, losing in the state quarterfinals to Shaw High School. Tucker is a perennial state power, and has compiled a 32-5 record over the past three seasons. However, the Tigers have never won a state championship. I'll be posting game recaps and newspaper articles as the season goes along, but the next two days will be devoted to previews. The season begins Saturday night on the road at Griffin. The Tigers play in tough Region 6AAAA.

[Ben E Lou]

REGION 6-AAAA PREVIEW
(From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution



Chamblee Bulldogs
Coach: Wade Beale
2002: 6-4

College prospects: LB Travis Chambers (6-1, 225, Sr.), QB/DB Rodney Ezzard (6-0, 175, Sr.), OL Mike Clayton (5-11, 235, Sr.), OT Christian Edwards (6-0, 265, Sr.), DL Arlance Jenkins (6-0, 215, Sr., TE Steven Jackson (6-0, 205, Sr.)

Other top players: RB Mike Hodo (5-10, 225, Sr.), WR Joey Barcus (6-0, 165, Sr.), LB Orzille Frazier (5-9, 160, Jr.), NG Nnamdi Okafor (6-0, 220, Jr.), K Joshua Williams (5-10, 165, So.), RB Jonathan Hodges (6-0, 235, Sr.), LB/RB Marvelous Strickland (6-0, 215, Jr.), OL Justin D. Smith (5-10, 265, Jr.), LB Charles Major (6-1, 200, Jr.), RB/DB Roddy Jones (5-9, 160, Fr.)

Outlook: Chamblee missed the playoffs by one game last year Ñ losing to St. Pius in a squeaker. Entering his fourth season, Beale has brought Chamblee back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 1983-84. Again, the Bulldogs will be talented, but with two of the state's best teams in 6-AAAA Ñ Marist and Tucker Ñ competition is stiff.

It will be a good season if: Chamblee can beat Dunwoody and St. Pius.

Chances of making the playoffs: Fair. Marist and Tucker are all but locks to earn two playoff berths. That leaves Chamblee, St. Pius, Dunwoody and South Forsyth to duke it out for the last two. Chamblee has a shot, but it needs to win some tough games.

SkyDog's Comments: Chamblee has some great athletes, but they've so far been unable to turn them into great football players. Until that happens, they'll continue to fight for a crumb (the final playoff spot), and get blown out by Tucker and Marist, just as they have the last several seasons.

Dunwoody Wildcats
Coach: James Teter
2002: 0-10

College prospects: FS/WR LaRobertson Tolen (6-1, 190, Sr.), WR/DB Dexter Jackson (5-10, 165, Sr.), RB/DB Ellington McCoy (5-10, 185, Sr.), RB Rashad Seymour (5-10, 185, Sr.), LB Ralph Hines (5-11, 215, Sr.), TE/OLB Jawara Mars (6-2, 225, Sr.)

Others to watch: NG Byron Walter (5-10, 205, Jr.), LB Matt Trice (5-10, 170, So.)

Outlook: Teter made an impressive showing last year in his first as Dunwoody's coach. Were it not for a clerical error, the Wildcats would have entered the playoffs with a 7-3 record, but they forfeited their wins on the day of their final regular season game for using an ineligible player. With another season under its belt, look for Dunwoody to make greater strides. The biggest difficulty will be replacing the tandem of QB Jonny Esther, who passed for 1,339 yards, and receiver Frank Clayton (Mississippi). The secondary is a strength.

It will be a good season if: The Wildcats can find an able quarterback and the defense holds them in games.

Chances of making the playoffs: Strong, although they have some very difficult games to win, particularly against St. Pius, South Forsyth and Chamblee.

SkyDog's Comments: Esther to Clayton made up a large part of their offense last year. They'll be VERY difficult to replace. However, Dunwoody was the only team in 6AAAA with speed comparable to Tucker's. That team speed will go a long way toward pushing them into a playoff spot.

Marist War Eagles
Coach: Alan Chadwick
2002: 12-2

College prospects: QB Sean McVay (5-10, 180, Sr.), WR/CB William Middleton (5-10, 175, Sr.)

Others to watch: OT Matt Rumsey (6-4, 260, Sr.), HB/SS Chris Davis (6-0, 184, Sr.), MLB Andrew Dete (6-0, 194, Jr.), NT Greg Van Volkenburg (5-11, 189, Sr.)

Outlook: Last year, when some thought the War Eagles might suffer one of their weaker seasons in Alan Chadwick's tenure, they advanced to the Class AAAA semifinals. With many core players back, expectations will be extremely high for the War Eagles. One source of concern is the offensive line, which had expected to be a strength. Kris Kollinger, expected to return, had to give up football because of chronic shoulder injuries, leaving only two returning linemen. With McVay, a superb option quarterback returning, look for the War Eagles to put in an even more dizzying array of variations in their already complex offense. Few defenses will have a chance to defend the War Eagles' attack.

It will be a good season if: Marist beats Tucker for the first time in three seasons and goes deep into the playoffs.

Chances of making the playoffs: Excellent. Marist has almost no chance of not making the playoffs. The War Eagles have made it every year since Chadwick took over in 1985.

SkyDog's Comments: Marist runs the wishbone to near-perfection with McVay at QB. They are well-coached and very disciplined. Georgia playoff brackets are done so that #1 and #2 from the same Region would not meet until the State Championship Game. Tucker and Marist could be good enough this year to make that happen.

St. Pius Golden Lions
Coach: Paul Standard
2002: 7-4

College prospects: LB Peter Anderson (6-0, 225, Sr.), DL Bryan Rodriguez (6-0, 265, Sr.), LB Stephen Wegner (6-0, 180, Sr.), SE Bo Zimmerman (5-11, 165, Sr.)

Others to watch: TE James Colantoni (6-1, 190, Sr.), OG Nick Haddad (6-0, 210, Sr.), OT James O'Connell (5-11, 240, Sr.), FS/TB Nick Hogan (5-11, 170, Jr.), DL Daniel Finnerty (6-2, 255, Jr.), QB Griffin Benedict (5-11, 180, Jr.)

Outlook: Since taking over at St. Pius, Standard has yet to have a losing season. He looks to put together back-to-back winning season This year's team should be similar to last year's: excellent defense and special teams with a ball-control offense. The Lions will need to replace QB Seba Cahill, one of their top athletes from last year. That task will fall to Benedict, a talented athlete who is the catcher on the baseball team and the son of former Brave Bruce Benedict. The defense has the potential to be one of the area's best.

It will be a good season if: The Lions post a winning season and make the playoffs. Of course, there is always the elusive goal of beating archrival Marist for the first time since 1981.

Chances of making the playoffs: Difficult, but possible. The Lions will have to win several difficult games to make it, namely against South Forsyth, Dunwoody and Chamblee.

SkyDog's Comments: Pius is another well-coached, well-disciplined team. They REALLY struggled last year against teams with lots speed, and there's plenty of speed in Georgia. Because of that, they won't be a serious threat to do any real damage should they make the playoffs.

Tucker Tigers
Coach: Bill Ballard
2002: 12-1

College prospects: RB/FS Thomas Brown (5-10, 190, Sr.), OLB/TE Brandon Lang (6-5, 220, Sr.), QB D.T. McDowell (6-1, 194, Sr.), FB Jimmy Coleman (6-1, 190, Sr.), WR James Swinton (6-1, 180, Sr.), OG/SLB Andrew McKain (6-1, 220, Sr.), OT Steven Roche (6-2, 274, Sr.), PK Blake Harr (5-6, 150, Sr.), OT Clay Muirhead (6-2, 247, Sr.)

Others to watch: WR Reajon Alexander (5-9, 155, Sr.), CB Brandyn Young (6-0, 190, Jr.), SS Tavares Kearney (6-1, 220, Jr.), WLB Hamilton Sims (5-6, 185, Jr.), NG Siraj Meah (5-9, 190, Sr.)

Outlook: Tucker is the most talented team in DeKalb County. Brown, a playmaker who rushed for 1,600 yards last year, has committed to Georgia; McDowell has committed to Nebraska to play quarterback and Lang, another major-college prospect, is uncommitted but heavily recruited. The offensive line returns three senior starters while the defense returns just four and must replace the entire front. A third straight unbeaten season for the Tigers would not be a surprise, but they have to get past Marist early. Weaknesses could be size on the defensive line and depth. But those might only be a factor if injuries strike or the Tigers reach a very late round of the postseason.

It will be a good season if: Tucker makes the quarterfinals again and possibly the semifinals.

Chances of making the playoffs: Expect the Tigers to be there for the 17th time in 18 seasons.

SkyDog's Comments: The winner of the Tucker-Marist game September 12th will undoubtedly win the Region Championship, as has happened each of the past 4 or 5 seasons. Coach Ballard has higher aspirations for his Tigers though. He has made it very clear that the goal is nothing less than Tucker's first State Championship.

North Springs Spartans
Coach: Gary McCoy
2002: 5-5.

Players to watch: QB-DB Dee Melton (5-10, 200, Sr.), WR-DB Vincent Hill (5-11, 185, Sr.), OL-DL Jeff Balsam (6-0, 230, Sr.), RB-LB Quint Beasley (5-8, 175, Sr.), K Matt Manning (5-9, 165, Sr.), OL-DE Spencer Edmonston (6-0, 230, Sr.), OL-DL Matt Whiteside (6-0, 240, Sr.)

Outlook: McCoy was promoted from assistant to head coach after Keith Whitley left for Creekside. McCoy retained the rest of the staff, but there will be some new wrinkles in team philosophy. The Spartans, with three seniors on the 76-man roster, will play more of an attacking style on defense. North Springs has three seniors on an offensive line that hopes to give Melton enough time to throw to Hill, who is one of the top players in the area. Hill is being recruited by Georgia, Nebraska, Kentucky, Auburn and Georgia Tech.

Chances of making the playoffs: Fair. North Springs will have a respectable team, but they play in the state's toughest Class AAAA region.

SkyDog’s Comments: North Springs is well-coached, and they always seem to play Tucker pretty tough, but they simply don’t match up with the big boys of the region talent-wise.

Riverwood Raiders
Coach: Harris Rainbow
2002:1-9

Players to watch: OG-DE Nate Frazier (6-2, 285, Sr.), SS Phillip Vincent (5-9, 160, So.), C Julian Hicks (5-8, 155, So.), LB Michael Stockton (5-10, 180, Sr.)

Outlook: These are trying times for the once-proud Raiders. The program has only a handful of veterans returning and is coming off a winless season (actually the Raiders were credited with one win after Dunwoody had to forfeit its games for using an ineligible player). Give credit to Rainbow, the first-year coach who was previously an assistant at Wheeler and Oconee County. He has brought enthusiasm and vision to the program, along with a revamped staff with seven new assistants. Circumstances won't change overnight, but they will change. Riverwood has only eight seniors on the 75-man roster. At least 15 sophomores are expected to see significant playing time as the program undergoes a youth movement. Riverwood will employ the wing-T formation and surprise teams with its passing.

Chances of making the playoffs: Not good, as Riverwood plays in the toughest Class AAAA region in the state.

SkyDog’s Comments: The AJC is being kind. This team was really, really bad last year, to the point where the coaches agreed to run the clock continuously starting in the second quarter against both Tucker and Marist. Their coach inexplicably kept their QB in for almost the entire game against Tucker last year. The Tucker JV players, all of whom were in the game by the 2nd quarter, even took it easy on him, electing to just wrap him up and hold on rather than taking him to the ground again and again. I don’t know who their non-region opponent is, but they have no hope of winning a game in 6AAAA this year.

OTHER TEAMS
(The AJC didn’t report in such detail on the Forsyth County schools, as they aren’t as close to town as the Fulton and DeKalb County Schools)

South Forsyth
South finished 8-2 in the regular season, losing only to Tucker and Marist, both of whom they gave tough games. However, they lost their starting QB and best WR to graduation, and their passing attack was the most dangerous part of their game. Word is that they didn’t lose much else, however. I look for them to finish #3 in the region once again.

Forsyth Central
This is the group of thugs that hurled racial slurs all game long and took late-game cheap shots in a Tucker blowout. They are a decent team, but they lack much speed and are not very disciplined. I don’t see them doing much. It could get ugly against Tucker this year, as we have to go there.

North Forsyth
Word is that this program is in some major disarray, with kids moving across the county line (or giving fake addresses) to play in Hall County. They were middle-of-the-road last year, with not much team speed. If what I’ve heard is true, the only team they’ll beat is Riverwood.

Projected Standing (by AJC)
1. Marist
2. Tucker
3. South Forsyth
4. Dunwoody
5. St. Pius
6. Chamblee
7. North Forsyth
8. Forsyth Central
9. North Springs
10. Riverwood

SkyDog’s Comment: Things look pretty good with AJC predictions, except of course they picked the wrong team to win on September 12th. :D Here's my prediction:
1. Tucker
2. Marist
3. South Forsyth
4. Dunwoody
5. Chamblee
6. St. Pius
7. North Springs
8. Forsyth Central
9. North Forsyth
10. Riverwood

[The Afoci]

Do they play tonight?

[Ben E Lou]

Originally posted by The Afoci
Do they play tonight? Nope. Tomorrow night. Tonight I'll be posting a schedule, and profiles of the key players.

[FBPro]

Nice.....wife went to Chamblee, "back in the day". :)

[tucker342]

Good luck to Tucker during their season! How many students does Tucker have?

[Ben E Lou]

Originally posted by tucker342
Good luck to Tucker during their season! How many students does Tucker have? Between 1200 and 1300.

[Ben E Lou]

2003 Schedule
08/30/2003 @ Griffin (2-AAAA)
09/05/2003 St Pius X-Atlanta (6-AAAA)
09/12/2003 @ Marist (6-AAAA)
09/19/2003 Dunwoody (6-AAAA)
09/26/2003 North Springs (6-AAAA)
10/10/2003 @ Forsyth Central (6-AAAA)
10/17/2003 South Forsyth (6-AAAA)
10/24/2003 @ Chamblee (6-AAAA)
10/31/2003 North Forsyth (6-AAAA)
11/07/2003 @ Riverwood (6-AAAA)

[Ben E Lou]

<center>MEET THE OFFENSE</center>


QUARTERBACKS

http://rivals100.rivals.com/IMAGES/PROSPECT/PHOTO/DT-MCDOWELL200.JPG
Senior DT McDowell will start for the 3rd year at QB. He's got all the physical tools in the world, and has committed to Nebraska. He threw for over 1500 yards with 12 TD's, and ran for another 13 TD's last year. He's 6'1", and over 190 pounds, with an arm strong enough to throw a 90+ mph fastball. His combination of size, speed and arm strength creates serious problems for high school defenses. He's as fast as many HS running backs, as big as most HS LB's and can throw like a MLB pitcher. Rivals has him ranked as the #13 Dual-Threat QB in his class, and The Insiders has him as the #23 QB overall. Emfinger rates him the #9 athletic QB. DT’s only drawback is that, apart from the little swing pass to Thomas, he doesn’t seem to know what it means to take something off of the ball. A decent number of his incomplete passes have been on fairly short passes that he simply threw too hard for the receivers to hold on to.

http://media2.rivals.com/images/PROSPECT/PHOTO/REAJON-ALEXANDER1.JPG
Senior Raejon Alexander will serve as the backup QB. Rae-Rae is smaller (170ish) and faster (4.5ish) than DT and has a solid arm (the 2nd-best pitcher on the baseball team) but nothing like the cannon that is DT's. Rae-Rae will start at WR, and rivals is listing him as a D1 prospect at that position.

BOTTOM LINE: DT is a big-time prospect in both football and baseball. He's big, fast, rifle-armed and experienced, and Raejon is a capable backup.

RUNNING BACKS

http://rivals100.rivals.com/IMAGES/PROSPECT/PHOTO/THOMAS-BROWN2.JPG

No secret here. The Golden Boy of this team is Thomas Brown (Sr.), and he deserves every bit of accolade. He works harder than anyone in the weight room and on the practice field, and is truly a leader on and off the field. He is a legit 4.35 guy, fast enough to have gotten several offers from major-conference schools at CB. One of the “experts” on Georgia HS football (the guy who runs The Insiders for our state), says that he is both the best RB and the best CB in Georgia this year. Rivals rates him the #31 player in the nation, and the #3 RB overall. He has committed to the Dawgs. He’s in outstanding condition, and in tough games will play every snap on both sides of the ball. For a back with his speed at his young age, he has an uncanny ability to wait on the play to develop before committing.

Below Thomas on the depth chart is Brandyn Young (Jr.) B.Y. would be a recognized star on just about any other team. To give you an idea of his speed, as a sophomore last year, he ran the first leg of the 4X100 relay for Tucker (Thomas is the anchor). I haven’t heard an official 40 time for him, but I’m almost certain he’s sub-4.5. B.Y. will start at CB this year, and I’m guessing that next year he’ll be recruited as a D-1 RB or CB. He’s around 6 feet tall, and probably weighs 185 or so. In some passing situations, Thomas will become the single back, with B.Y. in the tight slot as a WB/H-Back.

At fullback, Jimmy Coleman (Sr.) and Hamilton Sims (Jr.), both starters on defense, will basically split time, with Jimmy being the starter.

Jimmy has tailback speed (4.5), and was the Region 300M hurdling champion as a Junior. He is right at 6 feet tall, and weighs 195 pounds, and is a “grit” player. He likes to hit, and doesn’t mind blocking. With his speed, on most high school teams he’d play tailback, but he’s not needed there with Thomas and B.Y. Jimmy plays some DE and LB on defense. My guess is that he’ll end up getting a scholarship to play football at a smaller school. Jimmy is also a good safety valve receiver.

Ham is a little freak of nature, standing only 5’6”, but he’s listed at 185 pounds, and my guess is that he weighs every bit of that, if not more, and it is nearly all muscle. This guy was benching over 300 pounds by the end of his Sophomore year, and was up to 340 by the end of this summer. :eek: Obviously he has a HUGE leverage advantage when blocking, and that low center of gravity makes him very difficult to bring down. He isn’t overly speedy for this team, but he’s lightning-quick. He played nose tackle last year and created much havoc. This year he’ll start at LB.

(A side note, Jimmy is quite the drummer, and Ham is EXCELLENT on the piano. Before every game the team goes across the street to First Baptist Church of Tucker and has a pre-game devotional. Different youth workers from the community speak to them. When I speak, we start things out with a little group gospel singing, with Jimmy, Ham and myself providing the band.)

BOTTOM LINE: The backfield is over-the-top outstanding, with even the #2 guys being college prospects. When Tucker runs the option, with these QB's and these backs, it can be absolutely lethal.

RECEIVERS
WR: As you’ve probably picked up by now, Tucker has an abundance of speed, and therefore never is rarely lacking talent at WR. This year is no different. The top two guys are Raejon (mentioned above at backup QB) and James Swinton (Sr, pictured below)
http://rivals100.rivals.com/IMAGES/PROSPECT/PHOTO/JAMES-SWINTON1.JPG
Swinton is the fastest player on the squad, even slightly faster than Thomas. Suffice to say that no team wants to kick it deep against Tucker, with Thomas and Swinton back there. Swinton is a track guy turned football player. Auburn has offered a football scholarship, and he has accepted. He’s got pretty good hands as well. He’ll be the deep threat, and the more experienced and polished Raejon will be the possession receiver. Raejon is considered a potential D1 kid at WR.

Tucker shuttles in the plays primarily with receivers (although sometimes with the two fullbacks), and therefore Asher Allen (So.) will get his share of playing time.

Asher sat out most of his freshman year with a broken leg, and I didn’t get to see him play. According to one long-time Tucker fan, Asher dominated the Tucker Youth Football League as only Thomas Brown had done in the past though, and he supposedly hasn’t lost any speed from his injury. He looked good in both scrimmages, and has shown in practice that he can play with the big boys. No JV for him this year. He’ll get significant PT as a WR/CB this year.

BOTTOM LINE: At a school with one of the better track programs around, WR’s aren’t that difficult to come by. Rae-Rae, Swinton and Asher will be as good as any receiving corps around.

OFFENSIVE LINE
OK, I can’t give you as detailed a report on all the linemen, but I can tell you about the key guys. We’ll start with the tackles, Steven Roche (pictured) and Clay Muirhead.
http://rivals100.rivals.com/IMAGES/PROSPECT/PHOTO/STEVENROCHE200.JPG

Both are Seniors, go 250-260 pounds, and have the potential to play at small colleges next year. Rivals lists Steven, but not Clay, and I’m assuming that is because Clay did not play last year due to a torn ACL. Clay is a little taller, standing at around 6’3” to Steven’s 6’2”.

I’m only sure of one of the starting guards, and he is the best of the linemen, Senior Andrew McKain (the one on the right in the pic below, with his best friend, FB/LB/DE Jimmy Coleman at the Young Life Halloween Hoedown last year)
http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/My%20Pictures0104.jpg
“Insane McKain” passed the 300-pound bench press mark early this summer. This will be his third year as a starter. He’s 6’1” tall, and weighs 215-220 pounds. Andrew will likely play at a smaller D-1 school next year. He’s in GREAT condition, and will play nearly every play at LB and at G. Insane is an all-around athlete, starting at 3B on the baseball team, and a varsity basketball player as well.

At center, Tucker will use Junior Will Stewart.
http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/castaway2k3/aurand0127.jpg
Will’s father and older brother are both tall and slender, but Will has continued to fill out since starting in the weight room as an 8th grader. He was a QB an RB in the TYFL, but moved to TE/FB last year, and the coaches asked him to try to bulk up over the summer for a move to C. He did so nicely, growing to 6’1”, 220 pounds with some heavy eating and hard work in the weight room.

Will had two solid preseason games blocking-wise. He and DT did have a few mishandled snaps in the 2nd preseason game last Saturday, which is a concern considering it is his first year, and that the coaches had DT sit out a week and a half of practice to rest a minor injury. The two of them spent some extra time on snaps this week though, and hopefully things will be fine there. Will is also a basketball player.

At tight end, the Tigers will start 6’4”, 225-pound Senior Brandon Lang.

http://rivals100.rivals.com/IMAGES/PROSPECT/PHOTO/BRANDON-LAING4.GIF

Brandon is also a kid in great shape who’ll play every snap on both sides of the ball. Brandon is a big-time D1 player as a DE, which we’ll discuss in the next post, but he’s also a very good tight end. He’s got great speed for a guy his size (4.5), and is another all-around athlete, the starting RF on the baseball team.

BOTTOM LINE: If there is a “weak spot” to the offense, it is the o-line, but that is only by comparison to having BCS Conference players starting at QB, RB and WR. The offense was able to run the ball pretty well in both of the preseason scrimmages, which were against playoff teams from a larger classification.

OFFENSIVE SETS: The Tigers will primarily run out of the "I." However, with all this talent at the skill positions, they will at times come at you with multiple formations. They'll use an H-Back set and Double Wing quite a bit, and every now and then throw in the Pro Set and Single Back/3WR set.

[Ben E Lou]

<center>MEET THE DEFENSE</center>

First off, I had some problems with some of the pictures in the above post, so I won’t be posting any in this one.

DEFENSIVE LINE
Siraj Meah, who is around 5’8”, 180 pounds, is the starting middle guard. He’s not that big, but is VERY quick off of the ball, and should create plenty of havoc in the middle of the line. In short yardage situations, Tucker will use a kid who moved to Tucker over the summer who is 6’4”, 280 pounds. I can’t recall his name at the moment, but he wears #79. Steven Roche and Clay Muirhead(starting offensive tackles) will see some time in a rotation at defensive tackle, among others, depending on how their endurance holds up.

At defensive ends, Jimmy Coleman (FB) will come from the left side, and Brandon Young (TE) will come from the right. Brandon is a major prospect as a DE, listed as the #21 DE in the land by The Insiders, and #18 by Rivals. He is a true speed rusher, running a 4.55 40-yard dash. Florida State is the front-runner right now for his services next year. They’ve offered a scholarship, but he hasn’t accepted yet. He’s hoping that the Dawgs will offer, which they haven’t yet.

BOTTOM LINE: The DL will have solid size and outstanding quickness.

LINEBACKERS
The linebackers are very, very good. Andrew McKain (mentioned at G above) led the team in tackles last year as a Junior. Hamilton Sims (backup FB above) will also start. Both of these guys LOVE to hit. Sims will go to the D-line some, with Jimmy Coleman playing LB.

BOTTOM LINE: Having both starting linebackers benching 300+ pounds is a nice luxury to have. Andrew and Hamilton are going to punish some ball carriers.

SECONDARY
Again, having SO much speed, not many people are going to have much success passing against the Tigers. A Sophomore named Mike Compton will split time at one corner with Junior Trey Buice. Mike moved to Tucker from Oklahoma over the summer. He’s a sophomore. I saw him play a couple of summer baseball games, and I know he’s fast, and he’s got HUGE Earl Campbell-type thighs. Both have speed, but lack a ton of experience. However, the rest of the secondary is very experienced. B.Y. will hold down the other corner. As I mentioned above, I think B.Y. is a D-1 kid in the making. If all goes well with the youngsters at one corner, Tucker will have the luxury of using Thomas as the free safety this year, rather than confining him to one side of the field at CB. His speed and amazing football savvy for his age make this a very good fit for him.

BOTTOM LINE: The secondary is very fast. If the Sophomores can do a good job at one corner, it is lights-out in the secondary.

[Ben E Lou]

Results from 6AAAA Teams' Games, Friday, August 29th

This is the only week of non-region action.

First off, Marist destroyed Southwest DeKalb, a solid AAAAA school, 35-3. That 'bone was in full effect, as Sr. QB Sean McVay ran for 124 yards and 2 TD's in the first half alone, before leaving prior to halftime due to leg cramps. Read the full story here (http://www.ajc.com/highschool/content/sports/highschool/0803/30hsmarist.html). Marist is ranked #4 in AAAA in the state. (Tucker is #3.)

In what would have to be considered an upset, Dunwoody fell 19-7 to Lakeside, a AAAAA team that went 1-9 last year.

South Forsyth crushed Region 7-AAAA's Woodland, 48-6. South spanked them 57-20 last year, so no surprise there at all.

North Springs had a relatively easy time with another AAAAA school, Cedar Grove, winning 32-10. Cedar Grove went 4-6 in a tough AAAAA region last year. Last year's game was much closer, N. Springs winning 17-16.

St. Pius X only won 22-6 over Blessed Trinity, another, MUCH smaller (AA), Catholic school. Pius spanked them 33-2 last year.

AAAAA Sequoyah handed North Forsyth a 14-0 loss in the opener. Sequoyah went 8-2 in AAAAA's weakest region last year, and only beat North (3-7 last year) 14-7 last year.

Forsyth Central fell 24-19 to AA Dawson County. Central beat 'em 24-10 last year.

Hapless Riverwood fell 40-7 to Creekside, a school from Region 5-AAAA. Looks like more of the same for the Raiders this year.


Chamblee plays AAA Avondale tonight, and of course the Tigers open at Griffin tonight. Griffin is inexplicably unranked. They advanced to the quarterfinals last year, and I'm told that they return most of their horses from that team. Apart from the Tucker quarterfinal loss to Shaw, Griffin was the toughest team Tucker faced last year, despite coming away with a 36-21 win. I expect a real battle tonight.

[dacman]

Um, dog -- too many A's. Don't they do the 6A, 5A, 4A, etc. thing in Georgia? Much easier to read. ;)

[Ben E Lou]

Originally posted by dacman
Um, dog -- too many A's. Don't they do the 6A, 5A, 4A, etc. thing in Georgia? Much easier to read. ;) Actually no, it is usually written out the way I've written them. Despite our status as #50 in SAT scores, we still know how to count our A's. ;)

Actually it would confusing, since Regions are referred to as "6AAAA" and the like. If I said or wrote "4A", most Georgia high school fans would think I was talking about Region 4 in Class A. In spoken word, they are called "Single-A", "Double-A", "Triple-A", "Quad-A" and "Five A". The good news for this thread is that it won't matter any more after the two games tonight. Our 10-team Region plays a round-robin schedule, so after the non-region games this weekend, several of which have crossed classifications, the rest of the regular season games will only involve teams from our Region (6AAAA), and the playoffs will only involve class AAAA teams. I'll write "Marist is playing Dalton tonight. The Catamounts finished 3rd in Region 7, which was a rather weak region.... blah blah blah...."

Gotta run get ready. We're tailgating with a group of folks tonight. Report late tonight or early tomorrow morn.

--Ben

[Ben E Lou]

Dola--

Let it be said right now: Tucker has a tough schedule. Despite all the talent on this team, Griffin, South Forsyth and Marist all have a realistic chance of beating this team. I'm predicting a third straight 10-0 regular season, but 7-3 is certainly not outside the realm of possibility.

[Ben E Lou]

Quick Update:

Tucker wins 36-21, identical score as last year, although this one wasn't nearly as close. Tucker led 36-13 midway through the 3rd quarter before the coaches called off the dogs. Griffin's final TD and conversion was against 2nd and 3rd team players. Thomas and DT both looked good as advertised.. WR Swinton had a great game as well, despite getting a 60+ yard TD reception called back. Stats and details tomorrow.

[JonInMiddleGA]

SD -- I told you that you didn't need to worry about the opener. Griffin hasn't had decent coaching in several years, there's little to no community support or interest in the program, and there's an odd lack of talent passing through the program right now. At best, they'll beat bad teams, lose to good teams & split the rest. 6-4, 7-3 max.

In short, there was little reason to worry.

[Ben E Lou]

JON:

The game would have been even more of a mismatch had the penalties been called remotely evenly. I'm guessing that Tucker had 10 more penalties than Griffin, and few/none were "obvious" things like false starts and delay of games. There were lots of more subjective calls like holding, and almost ALL went against the Tigers. Tucker looked like the more disciplined team overall, too. It appears that the Bears got the benefit of some home cookin' last night.

ALL:

Brief Stats
Thomas had 18 carries for 221 yards and 4 TD's
Swinton had 3 catches for 67 yards with a TD, and also had a catch of a 60+ yard bomb called back.
DT probably rushed for around 60 yards, and threw for 120-150.

[Ben E Lou]

As I have a lull in a busy day, waiting on the re-install on my laptop, I'll give my picks for this weekend's action. Region 6-AAAA play begins tonight.

Marist at Dunwoody
Dunwoody opened with a lackluster loss to Lakeside, while the War Eagles opened up a can against Southwest DeKalb. Dunwoody is a little slower and smaller that Southwest. Look for the War Eagles to roll in this one. Dunwoody's offense could STILL be playing against Lakeside and not have scored. The Wildcat offense shouldn't score tonight unless their 3rd-stringers put something on the board against Marist's 3rd-string. The War Eagles tune up for the big show-down against Tucker next week. This Dog says 42-0 Marist.

Riverwood @ North Springs
The Spartans are feeling frisky after their big win Friday night, and Riverwood is looking horrid again. North Springs flexes its muscles in a 49-6 win.

Chamblee @ South Forsyth
South reminds Chamblee that they're gonna need more than all-everything prospect LB Travis Chambers to play with the better teams in 6-AAAA. South wins 21-6.

St. Pius X @ Tucker
The Tigers' speed overwhelms the Golden Lions as Tucker rolls to a 38-10 win.

North Forsyth @ Forsyth Central
In the Region's Battle of the Northern Also-Rans, Central outduels North by a 20-14 score.

[digamma]

FWIW, I've been told this may be the best Marist team the Tucker coaching staff has seen going back to the late 80s. That said, they saw some things in watching the Marist-SWD game last week. Of course, I'm sure Marist saw a couple of things at the Griffin game as well. It was a unique opportunity for both staffs to watch one another live--with Marist playing Friday night and Tucker on Saturday.

One thing you can bet on...Tucker will try to run the ball on Marist from the outset. Against SW DeKalb, Marist controlled the clock for over six minutes on its opening drive and put up a touchdown. SWD threw three passes, all incomplete, and had their defense back on the field in under 30 seconds of game time.

[Ben E Lou]

WEEK 2 RECAPS FROM THE AJC

Marist 49, Dunwoody 21: Leading only 7-0 after a quarter, fourth-ranked (AAAA) Marist took control with a 26-point second quarter. Anderson Russell started the onslaught with a 5-yard first-quarter touchdown run. Mike Ashkouti added scoring runs of 1 and 40 yards, and William Middleton had an 85-yard kickoff return as the War Eagles built a 35-7 halftime lead. Mike Mattimoe had field goals of 40 and 31 yards for the winners. Dunwoody's Rashad Seymour scored on runs of 1 and 64 yards.

South Forsyth 14, Chamblee 10: Trailing visiting Chamblee (1-1) 10-7 entering the final quarter, South Forsyth (2-0) got a 1-yard touchdown run from Zach Bowling to claim the victory. South Forsyth took a first-quarter lead on Zack Adams' 3-yard run before Chamblee posted 10 second-quarter points.

Tucker 28, St. Pius 3: Quarterback D.T. McDowell and running back Thomas Brown scored two touchdowns each to help third-ranked (AAAA) Tucker (2-0) defeat visiting St. Pius (1-1). The Tigers led 7-3 at halftime thanks to Brown's 5-yard second-quarter touchdown and began to pull away on McDowell's 1-yard third- quarter run. McDowell added a 90-yard score and Brown a 20-yard touchdown in the final quarter. St. Pius' only points came an a 32-yard first-quarter field goal by Halton Williams. SKYDOG'S COMMENTS: DT looked magnicificent in this one. The 90-0yard TD run might have been the most impressive play I've ever seen in high school football. He probably ran a total of 180+ yards on that play as he rolled right, switched direction and ran near the left sideline, then cut back again, going into the end zone near the right sideline. He hit both Swinton and Raejon on BIG TD bombs that got called back, but the most impressive play might have been an incompletion: He threw a tight spiral 70 yards in the air on the last play of the first half. :eek: Thomas didn't have much room to run most of the night, but still managed 2 TD's and I'm guessing 80ish yards rushing. I don't know if it was that they were looking ahead to Marist, or were emotionally down because of the Hannah tribute (two players told me after the game that was the case), or a combination of both, but overall they looked like zombies for most of the first half.

North Springs 30, Riverwood 6: Quint Beasley's game-opening 79-yard kickoff return for a touchdown gave North Springs (2-0) a quick lead over visiting Riverwood (0-2). The Spartans scored three more times in the second quarter to take a 27-0 halftime lead. Other North Springs scores came on a 3- and 15 yard runs by Jarred Conley, a 12-yard pass from Calvin Tolliver to Will Little and a 40-yard field goal by Matt Manning.

There was no recap, but North Forsyth beat Forsyth Central 21-14.

Now the hype may begin for the monumental showdown next week. The AJC has Tucker #3 and Marist #4, and the Insiders.com power ratings have Tucker #1 at 114.19 and Marist right behind us at 114.03.

[Ben E Lou]

Below is an article about the Tucker-Marist rivalry. It was in the AJC preseason preview, but I thought it appropriate to save it for this week:

Link (http://www.ajc.com/highschool/content/sports/highschool/0803/28dekaspot.html)

Tucker holds upper hand over Marist in recent matches

By JOHN MANASSO
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Few teams own a winning record against Marist. Tucker is one of them.

Together, Marist and Tucker have ranked among the state's elite in their classification for most of the past 15 years. It is the kind of circumstance that produces a great rivalry.

Tucker coach Bill Ballard, who played his college ball at Furman, likens it to the Georgia Southern-Furman rivalry in Division I-AA's Southern Conference because of the public-private flavor. He notes that when the teams play, Tucker students wear T-shirts with the words "public school" deliberately misspelled.

Recently, the rivalry has grown more significant, as the winner of that game has often gone on to a region championship. For the past two years, the only regular- season blemishes on either team's record have come from the other, with Marist suffering two losses.

For Ballard, the rivalry takes on a personal tone. His brother, Brock, played at Marist under War Eagles coach Alan Chadwick. Brock, who lives in Colorado, once stood on the Marist sideline for a half with Bill, then an assistant, coaching on the other sideline, to Bill's particular annoyance. Brock still keeps abreast of the games, listening on the Internet last year.

"It's just a flat-out war," Bill Ballard said. "It's a very physical ballgame. . . . There's no doubt, Marist is the biggest rival Tucker has. There's loads of kids who go [to Tucker] who went to elementary school and middle school with Marist kids."

The schools are about 10 miles apart, but Tucker's home stadium, North DeKalb, is less than two miles from Marist. Last year, Tucker defeated Marist 27-14 in the rain to claim the Region 6-AAAA championship.

Tucker advanced to the quarterfinals last season where it lost to Shaw in Columbus. Meanwhile, Marist, after losing to Tucker, went on to win 10 games in a row, succumbing in a classic semifinal game at the Georgia Dome to Thomas County Central in the final minute of overtime 35-34.

Once again, when Tucker and Marist meet on Sept. 12 at Marist's Hughes Spalding Stadium, the 6-AAAA title should be on the line. Both are likely to be ranked in the state's top five in Class AAAA.

"It's certainly not a make or break game," Marist's Chadwick said. "It's an important game both teams would like to win, but you still have a chance to regroup and redevelop from that point. We were able to improve [last year]."

With the exception of 1952, Marist has fielded 11-man varsity teams every year since 1914. Since then, the War Eagles have lost three or more games in a row in consecutive years to an opponent 14 times. During Chadwick's tenure, which began in 1985, it has lost more than three in a row only twice: to Tucker (twice in '94 and once in '95) and Thomas County Central (twice each in '96 and '97).

This year, Tucker has a chance to beat Marist for the third straight year. The Tigers have a 6-5 lead in the series, which began in 1964.

"Tucker's going to be tough," Chadwick said. "They have a lot of experience coming back, experience at the skill positions. They're going to be very good. They've done as good a job of slowing us down and containing us as anyone."

Chadwick has lost only 33 games in his career to go with 203 wins. That five of those losses have come to Tucker is significant.

"[Marist] has a great program," Ballard said. "It's a measuring stick for us every year. Coach Chadwick, he's not lost many games in his career. We like the challenge of trying to beat them. If we're ever able to do that we feel we've done a great job."

But as Chadwick said, if Tucker were to lose, the season would not be lost. While the Tigers have earned a recent mastery of Marist, another goal has eluded them: a berth in the Georgia Dome and state semifinals.

Tucker last went to the semifinals in 1994 under Mike Falleur -- before that round was played in the Dome.

"We'd love to do that," Ballard said. "We set team goals. We talk about trying to go undefeated, win a region championship, win a state championship. Everyone realizes there's a lot that has to go in your favor to win a state championship or even go to the Dome. . . .

"You've got so many variables at this point. It's hard to say what you'll be satisfied with, depending on injuries. We want to take the next step for this program. Sometimes you have some injuries and you'll be happy just going to the playoffs. We'll start from the beginning. I can tell you in December how the season went."

MARIST AND TUCKER THROUGH THE YEARS Record the past five years: Tucker, 48-12 (.800); Marist, 58-7 (.892)
Region titles the past five years: Tucker, 2002, 2001; Marist, 2000, 1998
All-time series: Tucker leads, 6-5
Losing streaks: Tucker beat Marist twice in 1994 and once in 1995 and in 2001 and '02.

[Ben E Lou]

Video of Thomas Brown running a TD against Griffin. (http://tuckertigersfootball.com/Videos/TB3QTD.avi?PHPSESSID=847a62fcee10e9ac83805fcf8dd8e937)

[JonInMiddleGA]

After hearing the final score, I had a feeling the Tigers must have been a little flat or somehow off their game. I expected something more like last year's 40-15 rout.

Elsewhere last night in the state, a few folks got bit by the upset bug, including Class AAAA 5th ranked Rome. And little bitty Appling County (Class A) shocked AAAAA Wayne County 12-6, just a week after Wayne County handed Valdosta their first season opening loss in 30 years.

I mention those games because, even though it's early, it's feeling a lot like it's going to be one of those years where there's no such thing as a "safe win".

[Ben E Lou]

Ahhh...we now have video of DT's jaunt against St. Pius. Click here (http://tuckertigersfootball.com/Videos/PiusDT4QTD.avi) to see DT run and run and run. The file is rather large.

[digamma]

What a run. One of the most impressive things is Thomas Brown streaking down the field to get the last block. He shows some real speed there.

This week should be a great game. SkyDog, do you know if they plan to offer a radio broadcast? Last year they did through the Georgia Public Radio web site.

The current Marist-Tucker rivalry probably goes back to 1990. Tucker upset Lithonia 12-0 to get to the first round of the state play-offs (then there was one round of regional play-offs and the two winners went onto the state play-offs round of 16). Tucker was undermanned and undersized. Marist ran up the score a bit, which left everyone on the Tucker sidelines with a sour taste in their mouths.

In 1994, Tucker got the bad blood flowing on Marist's side--they still weren't in the same region, but played a non-region game to open the season. Tucker won fairly easily (I want to say the score was 20-7). Marist was upset because they thought Patrick Pass showboated a bit on a long touchdown catch. Tucker won again in a tough play-off battle that year and then won again to open the 1995 season. By then the rivalry was firmly established.

[digamma]

Dola...

I can answer my own question...The Tucker-Marist game will be on the internet this Friday night. Broadcast can be linked through http://www.maristathletics.com.

[Ben E Lou]

The AJC is running an article about the game in tomorrow's (Thursday's) paper. Link (http://www.ajc.com/highschool/content/sports/highschool/0903/11dekagame.html)

Early season grudge match showdown
Tucker-Marist could be preview of state title game

By MICHAEL CARVELL
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution


It's hard to imagine a game in the middle of September being so important, but Friday's matchup between Marist and Tucker could be a preview of the Class AAAA championship game.

The two DeKalb schools are looked upon to be among the state's elite. Both are off to 2-0 starts, and Marist is considered much improved since last year when it advanced to the state semifinals in the Georgia Dome.

Marist lost to Tucker during the regular season last year, which is what both coaches have been stressing to their players this week: This game has high stakes and it is important to play well, but it is not the end of the season for the loser.

"Everyone wants to go 10-0 during the regular season, but that doesn't mean too much if you are not where you need to be later on in the year," Marist coach Alan Chadwick said. "If you're not going deep into the playoffs, then winning all those games in the regular season hasn't done all you think it has.

"Sometimes losing early in the season can actually help a team turn things around. Some players, especially the younger ones, think they are invincible. Sometimes you need a loss to catch the team's attention."

Chadwick is not trying to downplay the importance of the game, but rather putting it in perspective. The truth is, winning on Friday is paramount for Marist, especially after losing to Tucker the last two seasons. Chadwick said he was "almost embarrassed" when he recently watched film of last year's game.

This season, Marist has had little to be displeased about in dominating wins over Southwest DeKalb and Dunwoody. Tucker coach Bill Ballard said the teams arrive at this game in different situations than a year ago.

"Marist is way ahead of where they were this time last year," Ballard said. "One good reason for that is because they have 41 seniors, which is about as many as we have plus 20. The team's experience really shows; they play with terrific discipline."

Tucker arguably has the state's most star-studded team, with three skills players already committed to big-time college programs: tailback Thomas Brown to Georgia, quarterback D.T. McDowell to Nebraska and receiver James Swinton to Auburn. Tight end Brandon Lang is deciding between scholarship offers from Florida State and Georgia, among others.

However, raw talent does not guarantee victories: Tucker had to rally in the fourth quarter to put away wins over Griffin and St. Pius. Perhaps most bothersome to the Tigers is having a combined total of nearly 400 offensive yards called back in the two games because of penalties.

"We have started out a little slower than we would've liked," Ballard said. "We're making way too many errors. It's early in the year, and we have a lot of new guys in there, so you are going to make some mistakes. But this is a little too much.

"If we're going to have a shot at winning against Marist, we are going to have to cut down on the mistakes."

Mistakes played a big factor in Tucker's 27-14 win last year. Marist fumbled on its first offensive play, and Thomas Brown ran for a 63-yard touchdown on the next play. Marist fumbled again on its next possession, and Brown -- playing defensive back -- picked up the loose ball and sprinted 90 yards for another score.

Chadwick said Tucker usually throws a couple of new strategies at the War Eagles for this annual showdown, schemes and formations Tucker has not used previously in scrimmages or games. Ballard admitted that will be the case again on Friday, but declined to reveal specifics -- other than to say the Tigers have to address Marist quarterback Sean McVay, who has seemingly mastered running the option attack.


GAME OF THE WEEK

• Who: Tucker vs. Marist

• When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday at Marist

• Records, rankings: Tucker, 2-0, No. 3 in Class AAAA; Marist, 2-0, No. 4 in AAAA.

• Last meeting: Tucker 27-14 in 2002.

• Players to watch: Tucker -- LB Andrew McKain, FB Jimmy Coleman, PK Blake Harr. Marist -- QB Sean McVay, LB Andrew Dete, OT Matt Ramsey.

[Ben E Lou]

GAME DAY! There's an article in the AJC today about all of Tucker's major-college talent: Link (http://www.ajc.com/highschool/content/sports/highschool/0903/12hsmetro.html)



Big-time talent gives Tucker 'unfair' edge
Tigers to play Marist for early lead in Region 6-AAAA

By MICHAEL CARVELL
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Tucker is the school to watch for die-hard followers of college football recruiting.

The Tigers (2-0), who play at Marist (2-0) tonight at 7:30, have four players who are big-time prospects and a half-dozen more who are being scouted by smaller colleges.

"It just seems unfair," Marist coach Alan Chadwick said with a laugh. "It's one thing to have some college prospects, but for one school to have that many players at skill positions that are being recruited so highly . . . that's remarkable."

Tucker's Thomas Brown, who is considered one of the top tailbacks in the nation, has committed to Georgia; quarterback D.T. McDowell said he intends to sign with Nebraska; receiver James Swinton has committed to Auburn; and Brandon Lang, who plays tight end and defensive end, is deciding among offers from Georgia, Florida State and others.

"We've definitely got some talent, no doubt about it," Tucker coach Bill Ballard said. "Last spring was crazy as we had more than 100 major colleges in here to look at our kids.

"Some people think with all this talent, you don't have to coach or anything. But like Miami coach Larry Coker says, 'Talent gives you an opportunity to be successful.' If we don't work hard and do the things we need to do together as a team, then that talent will be wasted."

Marist's top college prospect is quarterback Sean McVay, who has been offered a scholarship by Miami of Ohio. McVay also has been getting phone calls from Maryland, Georgia Tech, Tulane, Rice and Duke.

Tucker and Marist are considered to be among the state's elite in Class AAAA, and some say tonight's game may be a preview of the state championship. The winner of the game between the DeKalb County powers has gone on to capture the Region 6 championship in each of the past five seasons.

"You can have all the talent in the world, but it doesn't mean anything if you don't play together," Brown said.

Brown (5 feet 10, 180 pounds) is mentioned as one of the country's top prospects by virtually every national recruiting publication. He traveled to Georgia, Florida State and Maryland during the summer and picked the Bulldogs with the blessings of his father, who is a minister.

McDowell (6-1, 194) committed to Nebraska after returning from football camp with the Cornhuskers. McDowell, who is also a pro baseball prospect, also had scholarship offers from Auburn and Louisiana State.

Swinton (6-1, 180) is the most unheralded of the foursome but perhaps has the most potential. The speedster has been clocked in the 40-yard dash at 4.35 seconds and in the 100 meters at 10.6 seconds. Auburn was the first school to offer, and Swinton committed because he felt like it was the perfect fit, but Ballard said more offers were on the way.

Lang (6-5, 220) says he will wait until the season is over before he makes a decision.

"All I'm worried about right now is the season," Lang said. "Everything else will take care of itself later on."

All that having been written, AJC writer Darryl Maxie is picking Marist over Tucker: Salmon swim against the stream and die at the end of the process. What do they expect?

OK, granted, it's a little more complicated than that. But poetic liberties here bring us to moments reminiscent of the salmon, and nothing that has anything to do with writing for a fish- wrapper.

Against the odds, which is to say on the road, in hostile territory, Brookwood's going to beat Parkview. A 46-game winning streak is going to end tonight. No. 2 is going to topple No. 1. In a rivalry in danger of warping lopsided, it doesn't get any more against the stream than that.

The in-vogue pick last year was that Stephenson would do the deed in the Class AAAAA championship, a possibility Camden County quashed in the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, Brookwood quietly has been waxing stronger than any foresaw. The Broncos not only made the playoffs in what was supposed to be a rebuilding year under then-first-year coach Mark Crews, they went to the final, where they got schooled by Parkview again.

The Broncos are stronger still, and they've absorbed enough Parkview beatings to see how it's done. It's time.

Marist fans have dared me to pick Tucker. One offered me a night in the War Eagle mascot outfit if I did it and was proven wrong. If I wasn't afraid of the inability to maintain such a fashion upgrade, I might have accepted. But in the end, Marist is playing sounder ball than I'd imagined, and Tucker, to put it bluntly, is not.

I'll accept the lessons learned in the Southwest DeKalb fiasco, pick Marist over Tucker, and issue the counter-dare: The War Eagle Nation dare not lose to Tucker for the third consecutive year. Fans, alumni and even a stray former team captain have talked the talk; now it's time to walk the walk. If I go down on this one, I shan't go down alone.

[Ben E Lou]

<center>REGION 6-AAAA WEEK 3 SCHEDULE AND SKYDOG'S PICKS</center>

TUCKER AT MARIST
Let the hype end and the battle begin! This is the one that both schools look forward to throughout the off-season. The winner of this one has been Region Champion each of the last five seasons, and the same will in likelihood hold true. In 2001, Tucker broke Marist's 42-game regular season winning streak with a victory. Tucker goes into this one with a 28-game regular season winning streak, their last regular-season loss being a 14-7 heartbreaker to the War Eagles on September 22nd, 2000. In reality, this one is more about pride and a measuring stick than a make-or-break your season thing though. Both teams will make the playoffs and should make deep playoff runs regardless of the outcome tonight. Defensively, the key for Tucker will be containing Marist QB Sean McVay. McVay runs that 'bone to near-perfection, and he must be neutralized for the Tigers to be victorious. On the offensive side of the ball, Tucker needs to cut down on the mistakes and penalties, and the o-line needs to open some holes for Thomas, and give DT time to throw.

I don't see Marist bottling up Tucker's mega-explosive offense with all its big guns all night long, but I also don't see Tucker shutting down McVay. I'm predicting a bit of an offensive shootout, and I say Tucker wins 34-28.

FORSYTH CENTRAL AT RIVERWOOD
If early-season results are an indicator, these are the weakest two teams in 6AAAA. Still, Central should be a good bit better than Riverwood, and they'll show it as Forsyth Central wins 28-7

SOUTH FORSYTH AT NORTH FORSYTH
This is another rivalry game, and on North's turf, so they'll be ready and hyped to play. Still, South's superior talent will carry them to a 31-7 victory.

NORTH SPRINGS AT ST. PIUS X
In the early season, these two have emerged, along with Chamblee, as the most likely candidates for the #4 playoff spot. I look for North Springs to prevail 20-17.

DUNWOODY AT CHAMBLEE
Dunwoody, picked by both the AJC and Ol' SkyDog to grab the #4 playoff spot, has opened the season looking pretty pathetic, while Chamblee battled South Forsyth all the way last week. Chamblee wins this one 28-0.

[Alf]

Go Tucker !

[Ben E Lou]

The internet radio broadcast of the game begins at 7:15PM EDT tonight, and can be accessed at this link (http://www.broadcastmonsters.com/GeorgiaSports/gasports091203-1.asx).

[Ben E Lou]

Dola:

And LAST year's Tucker-Marist game can still be listened to at this link (http://www.broadcastmonsters.com/GeorgiaSports/gasports091302-1.asx)

[Breeze]

SkyDog,

This is great...especially since you are discussing the region I live in. Now I can follow the High School football season with a personal insight.

Keep it up.

Breeze

[Buzzbee]

SD - Do you know if any of the local games are going to be broadcast on cable? I think Comcast usually has a high school game of the week that it shows, but I don't watch much tv and haven't heard anything. I guess I could not be so lazy and look for myself, but, I'm lazy.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally posted by Buzzbee
SD - Do you know if any of the local games are going to be broadcast on cable? I think Comcast usually has a high school game of the week that it shows, but I don't watch much tv and haven't heard anything. I guess I could not be so lazy and look for myself, but, I'm lazy. Parkview-Brookwood will be on TV.

[Buzzbee]

Originally posted by SkyDog
Parkview-Brookwood will be on TV.


I should have known. :rolleyes:

Is that just like salt in the wound for you? Or do you care?

[Ben E Lou]

Originally posted by Buzzbee
I should have known. :rolleyes:

Is that just like salt in the wound for you? Or do you care? Nah. No biggie there at all. My contention has never been that Parkview-Brookwood doesn't deserve the hype it is getting, but that Tucker-Marist is NOT getting the hype it should get. If there is ONE game of the week to get on TV, it should be Parkview-Brookwood.

[digamma]

While everything looks like it points toward Marist for this one--41 seniors, at Marist (where they are known to grow the grass an extra inch or so and leave the sprinklers on the week of the Tucker game), the Marist refs, etc., I just can't pick against the Tigers. I'll be listening to a 24-20 Tucker victory.

[Ben E Lou]

THE MARIST PERSPECTIVE ON TONIGHT'S GAME

I found this at the Marist web site today. Good stuff.

THE SERIES
The Marist War Eagles opened their 90th season of interscholastic football wins over AAAAA powerhouse Southwest DeKalb (35-3) and neighborhood rival Dunwoody (49-21).

This is the 11th meeting with Tucker dating back to 1964.

In a 12-month period (1994-95), Marist and Tucker met three times, with the Tigers winning the 1994 season opener 20-7 and again defeating the War Eagles in the playoffs 20-10. Tucker came back in the 1995 season opener and defeated the War Eagles 14-7.

Tucker is one of the few teams with a winning record against Marist. The Tigers have defeated the War Eagles in 6 of 11 meetings to date. Since 1998, both teams have been assigned to the same region. The Marist-Tucker outcome has determined the region champion each year with Marist having won 3 and Tucker twice.

The Tigers have qualified for the playoffs 17 of the last 18 seasons.

THE RECORDS
Last Friday night’s games were the first Region 6-AAAA contests for both teams. Both teams won their region openers. Marist was 12-2 overall (8-1 region) in 2002, while Tucker was 12-1 overall (9-0 region).

LAST TIME THESE TEAMS MET…
Marist lost last year’s contest against Tucker 27-14 at North DeKalb Stadium.

ON A STREAK
Marist has a 9-game, regular season winning streak in progress. The War Eagles wrapped up last season with 7-wins prior to the playoffs and added Southwest DeKalb and Dunwoody to the list this season.

OLD TIMERS
The War Eagle’s 65-man roster includes 35 seniors, 16 in starting positions and only 11 underclassmen.

The Tiger’s 67-man roster includes 25 seniors and 18 sophomores.

Tiger Coach Bill Ballard has 14 returning starters.

RANKED TEAMS
The War Eagles are ranked 4th in AAAA in the latest AJC Poll and the Tucker Tigers are ranked 3rd.

This is the 5th consecutive year that these two teams have met and both were ranked in the Top 10

FROM THE PRACTICE FIELD
There is a large banner hanging in the Marist locker room that is seen by everyone who enters. It has one word on it, TUCKER. The Tucker Tigers have been in the back on every player and coaches’ mind since last year’s game. The War Eagles did not play well in that game, but feel they ‘gave’ the game to the Tigers, they did not ‘win’ it. The War Eagles want redemption.
The coaching staff has talked all week at practice that the 3 keys to beating the Tigers are: Stop Tucker’s Big Plays
Establish Who Is the Tougher Team
Show Who Wants Victory More
Despite the lofty ranking of the Tigers (#3 in AAAA), the number of college prospects on their roster and the numerous media articles centering on senior running back Thomas Brown, the War Eagles match up quite well. Last season, Marist was “rebuilding” and errors were the main factor in the loss to Tucker. The banner in the locker room reminds the players everyday and ‘Doc’ Spurgeon said it best, “I am tired of losing to Tucker.”

[digamma]

With SkyDog at the game, I'll do my best to provide game updates based on the radio broadcast...

First Quarter

Marist receives the kickoff. Marist runs a reverse on the first play from scrimmage and busts it for 62 yards to the Tucker 18. Four plays later they stuff it in for an early 7-0 lead. Marist 7, Tucker 0.

Tucker drives down on its first possession behind the legs of Thomas Brown. Marist holds at its own 12 yard line and Tucker settles for a field goal. Marist 7, Tucker 3.

Marist returns the ensuing kickoff to mid-field. They drive down and score on a 20 or so yard halfback pass. (They are pulling out all of the stops early.) Marist 14, Tucker 3.

Thomas Brown breaks a 53 yard run for a touchdown. Marist 14, Tucker 10.

End of First Quarter.

[digamma]

Second Quarter

Marist is forced to a 4th and 2 at its own 45. They line up to go for it and pitch it to the back, who quick kicks it. The ball rolls to the Tucker 1 yard line, where Marist downs it.

Tucker goes three and out from inside its five. Decent punt to the Tucker 42.

Marist drives down inside the 20. Tucker holds on 3rd and 3 and Marst's field goal is good. Marist 17, Tucker 10.

Tucker uses its third and final time out with a 3rd and 5 at its own 30. 5:36 remains in the first half. Tucker fails to convert the third down and punts again. Marist ball at its own 43.

Marist fumbles on a busted QB-RB exchange. Tucker recovers, First and ten at the Marist 39.

Tucker goes deep on its first play. Well covered and intercepted in the end zone. Marist takes over at its own 20.

Marist's QB Sean McVay breaks a 78 yarder to the Tucker 2 on the first play from scrimmage. Touchdown Marist. (So on four consecutive plays, we've had Marist fumble, Tucker interception, 78 yard run Marist, touchdown Marist.) Marist 24, Tucker 10

After an illegal motion penalty, Tucker goes 3 and out again. Marist ball at its own 47.

Tucker stops Marist on a 3 and out. Marist will punt from around mid-field. A poor punt, and Tucker takes over at its own 28. Tucker has 1:56 to try and put some points on the board before the half. No time-outs left.

First play--DT keeper for 6. 2 & 4--pass across the middle for a gain of 6. First down. Swing pass to Thomas Brown, breaks it to the Marist 32. First and ten. DT spikes the ball. Incomplete pass on second down. 3rd and ten, from the Marist 32--tipped pass, incomplete. 4th and ten--Tucker goes for it. Picked off at the Marist 3 yard line. Just as good as a pooch punt. Marist downs the ball and the teams head to the locker rooms.

Marist 24, Tucker 10

[digamma]

Halftime stats:
Marist 237 rushing yards
Tucker 126 rushing yards

Thomas Brown has 102 yards

Marist Passing 1-2 for 22 yards and 1 TD (only the half back pass)
Tucker Passing 5-15 55 yards and 2 INT

[digamma]

Third Quarter

Tucker receives the kick off and returns a pooch kick to mid-field.

(I've got to interject with a note about the broadcast. I hate to say anything bad about it, because I really appreciate the opportunity to hear the game, but not only are these guys homers (which you expect, since it is a Marist broadcast), but they are simply fans calling the game. I usually find out the result of the play from the PA announcer in the background before the broadcasters give it.)

Thomas Brown runs Tucker down to the 19, but then the Marist defense gets stingy. A fumbled pitch makes it 4th and 13 at the Marist 25. Marist holds on what sounds like a busted play. Marist takes over at its own 25.

Tucker forces Marist to go 3 and out and Tucker takes over after a pretty good Marist punt at its own 35 yard line. C'mon Tigers.

DT scrambles for 7 on first down. (Oh my, another announcer interjection. They just called the Marist stadium the "Catholic House of Pain." I'm dying here.) Two Thomas Brown runs get Tucker a first down. (I should also note that the color commentator is Matt Miller who played football at Georgia Tech in the late 90s.) Tucker is faced with a 3rd and long. 13 yard run by Brandon Young. First down Tigers. Two Brandon Young runs make it 3rd and 5. Incomplete. Tucker calls time out with a 4th and 5. After the time out, Tucker punts it to the Marist 7. 1:57 left in the 3rd quarter.

Tucker holds Marist and Marist will punt from its own 9 yard line. They down a wobbly punt at the Tucker 49.

Tucker takes a time out with five seconds left in the third quarter. Last play of the 3rd. Thomas Brown gains 6.

Tucker wins the 3rd quarter from a field position standard, but has no points to show for it.

Marist 24, Tucker 10

[cthomer5000]

digamma, I see what you're talking about with the "homer" broadcast. The announcers just blamed Marist's false start penalty on the Tucker band!

[digamma]

I had a laugh at that one too.

[digamma]

Fourth quarter

Two Thomas Brown runs put Tucker inside the 30. Tucker is faced with a big 3rd and 3. Thomas Brown gets the first down at the Marist 25. Tucker runs a reverse for 9 yards to the Tucker 16. Marist players are starting to go down like flies with cramps. No gain on second and one. DT on the keeper for a first down to the Marist 13. Gain of 2 on first down. Loss of 5 on second down. Big 3rd and 13 from the Marist 16. Incomplete. Delay of game penalty on 4th and 13. Tucker brings the field goal unit out. Good. Marist 24, Tucker 13

Time may be running out though. Only 7 minutes remain and Tucker has just one time out left. Damn. Marist hits a long pass on 3rd and 8 for a touchdown. Marist 31, Tucker 13

Tucker starts moving the ball through the air and is down to Marist's 25 with about 5 minutes left. Pass complete down to the 1. Touchdown Tigers. Tucker goes for two. Incomplete. Marist 31, Tucker 19

With just 3 or so minutes left, Tucker will try for the on-side kick. Marist recovers. Dead ball personal foul penalty will just about do it. First and ten Marist at the Tucker 29 yard line. Tucker will get the ball back with just four seconds left. And that is all she wrote.

Final: Marist 31, Tucker 19

[cthomer5000]

It is sounding like Marist's goal line defense is excellent. Tucker had to come away with some points on that drive (especially after the delay of game), but can they score 11 more points in under 8 minutes? :(

[digamma]

So Tucker sees its regular season win streak come to an end. Tucker dug a deep hole in the second quarter, and couldn't score points to get out of it. Marist really only had the one play in the second half, but that was a back-breaker.

Oh well, Marist made it to the Dome last year after losing the Tucker game, so maybe history will repeat itself.

Sorry, to steal your thunder on the reporting, SkyDog. I hope you don't mind too much.

[Ben E Lou]

digamma: I don't mind at all. Just got home. Your blow-by-blow described it very well, better than I could have.

Marist stopped us when they needed to in the 2nd half, and hit that one back-breaking bomb. We moved the ball almost at will in the 2nd half, but kept bogging down around the Marist 25-40 yard line.

I mentioned this to digamma via PM earlier today, but didn't want to write it on here on the off chance anyone affiliated with Marist would have stumbled onto this site: DT was out of school (and practice of course) on Monday and Tuesday this week with cold/flu symptoms, and he was still very congested today. He definitely didn't have his "A" game tonight. Both first-half INT's were on deep passes that he threw into double-coverage on a 2-deep zone, and he seemed a half-step slower than normal. Thomas, on the other hand, looked very, very good tonight. His 104 yards in the first half came on just 5 carries, and he probably had another 15 carries for 60-80ish yards in the 2nd half as well.

Give Marist credit. They did what they had to do. They executed very well in the first half, and their defense stopped Tucker when they had to in the second half. That play-action pass in the 4th quarter was, of course, monumental as well.

Overall, this could turn out to be a "good" early-season loss for the Tigers. There were some things that we did quite well and can build on, and there were some things that we didn't do so well and can grow from. As far as how we match up with Marist, my take is that if we played 'em 10 times, we'd each win 5. It would be a whole lotta fun to see both teams romp through the South Georgia squads in the Dome, and meet again in the finals, but of course that is a long way off. For now, they need to keep improving, take out their frustrations from this week on Dunwoody, and make sure not to stumble on October 17th against South Forsyth. Apart from South, the rest of the regular season schedule should be smooth sailing.

[tucker342]

tough loss:(

[Ben E Lou]

From this morning's AJC:
War Eagles' slick play-calling does the trick
By MICHAEL CARVELL
Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writer

Marist's Chris Davis was so exasperated after the 31-19 win over No. 3 Tucker on Friday that he refused to believe that he had scored three touchdowns in the game.

"I only got one [score]," Davis insisted. When a reporter went over each of the three touchdowns with Davis, the senior tailback began laughing.

"Oh yeah, that's right," he said. "I forgot, I guess. I was so caught up in the moment, beating Tucker for the first time in three years, that I hadn't really thought about the individual stuff."

Davis was the key figure in the win for the War Eagles: he ran for a touchdown, threw for a score and caught a touchdown, all in front of an estimated crowd of 7,000 fans at Marist. The No. 4-ranked War Eagles (3-0) went into their bag of tricks often in the game between two of Class AAAA's top teams.

On Marist's first offensive play, Andrew Card sprinted 62 yards on a flanker reverse to set up a score. The War Eagles went ahead 14-3 in the first quarter when Anderson Russell threw a halfback pass 22 yards to Davis for a touchdown.

In the second quarter, Marist lined up for fourth-and-1 and backup quarterback Christopher Ashkouti took the snap and pitched to the regular quarterback, Sean McVay, who had a "quick-punt" for 53 yards to the Tucker 2-yard line.

The War Eagles scored their final touchdown when they faked an option play to the right while Davis snuck out of the backfield toward the other direction. McVay threw a short pass to Davis, who had gotten behind the Tucker defense and ran for a 76-yard touchdown.

"We work hard on our [trick plays]," Marist coach Alan Chadwick said. "We've got to keep people off of us because everyone knows we run the option."

Said McVay: "Tucker has so much athleticism that we had to throw some trickery in there to throw them off."

Tucker's Thomas Brown, who is considered to be one of the top tailbacks in the nation and has committed to the University of Georgia, rushed for 169 yards and one touchdown.

It was the first loss of the season for Tucker (2-1).

"Tucker is still a good team and will still go deep into the playoffs," Chadwick said. "I would even venture to say that we might see them again sometime this year. They never quit, even when they were down in the second half."

Tucker 10 0 0 9 -- 19
Marist 14 10 0 7 -- 31

M -- Sean McVay 5 run (Mike Mattimore kick)
T -- FG Blake Harr
M -- Anderson Russell 22 pass from Chris Davis (Mattimore kick)
T -- Thomas Brown 55 run (Blake Harr kick)
M -- FG Mattimore 30
M -- Chris Davis 2 run (Mattimore kick)
T -- FG Harr 37
M -- Davis 76 pass from Sean McVay (Mattimore kick)
T -- Brandyn Young 1 run (pass failed)

[Ben E Lou]

"Tucker is still a good team and will still go deep into the playoffs," Chadwick said. "I would even venture to say that we might see them again sometime this year. They never quit, even when they were down in the second half."Bold statement there by Coach Chadwick. He's putting it out there. The way the brackets are drawn in Georgia, the only way the Tigers and the War Eagles meet again is for ALL the marbles in the State Championship. Now THAT would be big fun! :eek:

[Ben E Lou]

<center>REGION 6-AAAA WEEK 3 RESULTS</center>

TUCKER AT MARIST
Marist 31, Tucker 19.

FORSYTH CENTRAL AT RIVERWOOD
Central wins 23-6, pretty much assuring Riverwood of going 0-10 again.

SOUTH FORSYTH AT NORTH FORSYTH
South whupped 'em 35-7.

NORTH SPRINGS AT ST. PIUS X
Pius makes a stride toward that #4 playoff spot as they win 20-19.

DUNWOODY AT CHAMBLEE
Tonight (Saturday).

[FrogMan]

tough loss. I listened to part of it through the webcast and followed the rest with digamma's reports. Tough loss.

FM

[Ben E Lou]

<BR><TABLE WIDTH="468" HEIGHT="99" BORDER="1" CELLSPACING="2" CELLPADDING="0"><TR><TD COLSPAN="6" ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=+2><B>Region 6, Class AAAA</B></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD WIDTH="55%" ALIGN="CENTER" HEIGHT="40"><FONT SIZE=-1>Team</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="10%" ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>W/L Record</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="10%" ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>Region W/L</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="13%" ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>Region Pecentage</FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD HEIGHT="24" ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1><A HREF=http://www.gavsv.com/fbsch/dispteam.php?team=marist CLASS="hl">Marist</A></FONT></TD><TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>3-0-0</FONT></TD><TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>2-0-0</FONT></TD><TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>1.000</FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD HEIGHT="24" ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1><A HREF=http://www.gavsv.com/fbsch/dispteam.php?team=soutfo CLASS="hl">South Forsyth</A></FONT></TD><TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>3-0-0</FONT></TD><TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>2-0-0</FONT></TD><TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>1.000</FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD HEIGHT="24" ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1><A HREF=http://www.gavsv.com/fbsch/dispteam.php?team=nortsp CLASS="hl">North Springs</A></FONT></TD><TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>2-1-0</FONT></TD><TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>1-1-0</FONT></TD><TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>0.500</FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD HEIGHT="24" ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1><A HREF=http://www.gavsv.com/fbsch/dispteam.php?team=tuck CLASS="hl">Tucker</A></FONT></TD><TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>2-1-0</FONT></TD><TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>1-1-0</FONT></TD><TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>0.500</FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD HEIGHT="24" ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1><A HREF=http://www.gavsv.com/fbsch/dispteam.php?team=cham CLASS="hl">Chamblee</A></FONT></TD><TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>2-1-0</FONT></TD><TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>1-1-0</FONT></TD><TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>0.500</FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD HEIGHT="24" ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1><A HREF=http://www.gavsv.com/fbsch/dispteam.php?team=nortfo CLASS="hl">North Forsyth</A></FONT></TD><TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>1-2-0</FONT></TD><TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>1-1-0</FONT></TD><TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>0.500</FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD HEIGHT="24" ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1><A HREF=http://www.gavsv.com/fbsch/dispteam.php?team=stpi CLASS="hl">St Pius X-Atlanta</A></FONT></TD><TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>2-1-0</FONT></TD><TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>1-1-0</FONT></TD><TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>0.500</FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD HEIGHT="24" ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1><A HREF=http://www.gavsv.com/fbsch/dispteam.php?team=forsce CLASS="hl">Forsyth Central</A></FONT></TD><TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>1-2-0</FONT></TD><TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>1-1-0</FONT></TD><TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>0.500</FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD HEIGHT="24" ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1><A HREF=http://www.gavsv.com/fbsch/dispteam.php?team=dunw CLASS="hl">Dunwoody</A></FONT></TD><TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>0-3-0</FONT></TD><TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>0-2-0</FONT></TD><TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>0.000</FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD HEIGHT="24" ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1><A HREF=http://www.gavsv.com/fbsch/dispteam.php?team=riverwoo CLASS="hl">Riverwood</A></FONT></TD><TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>0-3-0</FONT></TD><TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>0-2-0</FONT></TD><TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>0.000</FONT></TD></TR></TABLE><BR>

[Ben E Lou]

Oh...Chamblee squeaked by Dunwoody 19-18 on Saturday night.

[cthomer5000]

SkyDog,

How many regions are there in Class AAAA?

How are the playoff spots decided? Obviously regional winners would be guaranteed, but are there basically wildcard spots?

[Ben E Lou]

Originally posted by cthomer5000
SkyDog,

How many regions are there in Class AAAA?

How are the playoff spots decided? Obviously regional winners would be guaranteed, but are there basically wildcard spots? Excellent question, and one that I should have addressed earlier!

There are 8 Regions. The top 4 teams from each region advance to the state playoffs, giving you five weeks of playoff action. In the first round, the #1 seeds from each Region all play #4 seeds from a different Region, and the #2 seeds play #3 seeds. The semi-finals of all five Classes are played at the Georgia Dome, but the finals are played at the home field of one of the finalists.

[Alf]

Marist Chris Davis had 3 TDs. Classy game

- 1 passing TD
- 1 running TD
- 1 receiving TD

[Ben E Lou]

Alright...here we go. Week 4. Here are the matchups, and my predictions:

Marist at North Springs
The Spartans opened up the season with blowout wins over weaker teams, but lost a heartbreaker last week to a solid, but unspectacular, St. Pius X team. If they couldn't beat Pius, they won't hang with Marist. Marist 28, North Springs 3

Riverwood at South Forsyth
I hope South agrees to run the clock ASAP. They can probably score as many as they want. South 42, Riverwood 0

Dunwoody at Tucker
Dunwoody has been very unimpressive this year, and they're facing a group of angry Tigers. Tucker 35, Dunwoody 7

North Forsyth at Chamblee
Chamblee continues to make a claim at the #4 playoff spot. Look for their matchup with Pius on October 10th to determine #4. Chamblee 27, North 7

St. Pius X at Forsyth Central
Central struggled with Riverwood last week. 'Nuff said. Pius rolls: St. Pius 38, Forsyth Central 13

[Ben E Lou]

Tucker played its most complete football game in the young season tonight, waxing Dunwoody 38-0. Thoomas had 16 carries for 104 yards and a TD, and DT was 7 for 13 for 99 yards passing. The defense REALLY shone tonight, holding Dunwoody to only one first down in the first half, and five on the night, and scoring two defensive TDs--an 85-yard interception return by Hamilton Sims and a 33-yard fumble return by Clay Muirhead. Brandyn "B.Y." Young added another interception, and Clay had another fumble recovery. B.Y. also had a 2-yard TD run. I'll write a full recap tomorrow.

[Ben E Lou]

<center>WEEK FOUR TUCKER RECAP</center>

Tucker played its most complete football game of the young season tonight against the Dunwoody Wildcats. Still smarting from last week’s loss, the Tigers appeared to have something to prove, and prove it they did. The defense was particularly ferocious most of the night in turning in the first shutout of the year.

The tone was set for the night on the opening possession. Dunwoody tried to open the game as Marist had done, with a trick play. They appeared to run a toss sweep to the right side to the tailback, but the tailback attempted a throwback to the quarterback. However, it was snuffed out by the Tigers and fell incomplete. The Wildcats went three and out on that possession, and Brandon Lang blocked the ensuing punt, putting the Tigers in business in Dunwoody territory. A few plays later D.T. McDowell found the end zone on a five-yard run, and Blake Harr’s extra point gave the Tigers a 7-0 lead.

A bit later, after Dunwoody’s only first down of the first half, which happened to be an 88-yard run down to the Tucker 10-year line, Hamilton Sims intercepted a pass and returned it 85 yards for a touchdown. Finally in the first half, Clay Muirhead stripped the ball from the QB late in the half and held on for a credited fumble recovery, and Blake Harr hit a 35 yard field goal to close out the half with the Tigers leading 17-0.

The Wildcats’ defense played with nine men in the box most of the first half, giving the Tigers some problems running the ball, but the Tucker coaching staff made some fine adjustments at halftime. To begin the second half, the Tigers got the football. Thomas Brown affirmed the halftime adjustments by ripping off a 25-yard run early in the drive, and Tucker efficiently drove down the field, capping the drive with a 6-yard TD run by Brown. Clay Muirhead gave the defense its second TD of the night when a fumble bounced right up into his hands at full stride, and he galloped 33 yards for his first career touchdown. Brandyn Young closed out the scoring with a 2-yard TD run, and Tigers had cruised to a 38-0 victory.

Thomas Brown led the team in rushing with 16 carries for 104 yards and 1 touchdown, and D.T. McDowell was 7 for 13 for 99 yards passing. As mentioned above, Clay Muirhead had two fumble recoveries. Hamilton Sims and Brandyn Young each chipped in an interceptions, with Hamilton’s return going the distance. All-in-all, it was a fine performance by the Tigers, and we look forward to seeing them in action next week at the Homecoming game against North Springs.

[Ben E Lou]

AROUND THE REGION--Week 4
Chamblee 32, North Forsyth 22
South Forsyth 54, Riverwood 0
St. Pius X 35, Forsyth Central 3
Marist 37, North Springs 21

[Ben E Lou]

<BR><TABLE WIDTH="468" HEIGHT="99" BORDER="1" CELLSPACING="2" CELLPADDING="0"><TR><TD COLSPAN="6" ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=+2><B>Region 6, Class AAAA</B></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD WIDTH="55%" ALIGN="CENTER" HEIGHT="40"><FONT SIZE=-1>Team</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="10%" ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>W/L Record</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="10%" ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>Region W/L</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="13%" ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>Region Pecentage</FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD HEIGHT="24" ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1><A HREF=http://www.gavsv.com/fbsch/dispteam.php?team=marist CLASS="hl">Marist</A></FONT></TD><TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>4-0-0</FONT></TD><TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>3-0-0</FONT></TD><TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>1.000</FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD HEIGHT="24" ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1><A HREF=http://www.gavsv.com/fbsch/dispteam.php?team=soutfo CLASS="hl">South Forsyth</A></FONT></TD><TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>4-0-0</FONT></TD><TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>3-0-0</FONT></TD><TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>1.000</FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD HEIGHT="24" ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1><A HREF=http://www.gavsv.com/fbsch/dispteam.php?team=nortsp CLASS="hl">North Springs</A></FONT></TD><TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>2-2-0</FONT></TD><TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>1-2-0</FONT></TD><TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>0.333</FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD HEIGHT="24" ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1><A HREF=http://www.gavsv.com/fbsch/dispteam.php?team=tuck CLASS="hl">Tucker</A></FONT></TD><TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>3-1-0</FONT></TD><TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>2-1-0</FONT></TD><TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>0.667</FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD HEIGHT="24" ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1><A HREF=http://www.gavsv.com/fbsch/dispteam.php?team=cham CLASS="hl">Chamblee</A></FONT></TD><TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>3-1-0</FONT></TD><TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>2-1-0</FONT></TD><TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>0.667</FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD HEIGHT="24" ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1><A HREF=http://www.gavsv.com/fbsch/dispteam.php?team=nortfo CLASS="hl">North Forsyth</A></FONT></TD><TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>1-3-0</FONT></TD><TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>1-2-0</FONT></TD><TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>0.333</FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD HEIGHT="24" ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1><A HREF=http://www.gavsv.com/fbsch/dispteam.php?team=stpi CLASS="hl">St Pius X-Atlanta</A></FONT></TD><TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>3-1-0</FONT></TD><TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>2-1-0</FONT></TD><TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>0.667</FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD HEIGHT="24" ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1><A HREF=http://www.gavsv.com/fbsch/dispteam.php?team=forsce CLASS="hl">Forsyth Central</A></FONT></TD><TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>1-3-0</FONT></TD><TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>1-2-0</FONT></TD><TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>0.333</FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD HEIGHT="24" ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1><A HREF=http://www.gavsv.com/fbsch/dispteam.php?team=dunw CLASS="hl">Dunwoody</A></FONT></TD><TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>0-4-0</FONT></TD><TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>0-3-0</FONT></TD><TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>0.000</FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD HEIGHT="24" ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1><A HREF=http://www.gavsv.com/fbsch/dispteam.php?team=riverwoo CLASS="hl">Riverwood</A></FONT></TD><TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>0-4-0</FONT></TD><TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>0-3-0</FONT></TD><TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE=-1>0.000</FONT></TD></TR></TABLE><BR>

[Ben E Lou]

Alright...here we go. Week 5. Here are the matchups, and my predictions:

SKYDOG'S REGION 6-AAAA GAME OF THE WEEK
South Forsyth at St. Pius
The Golden Lions would tremendously bolster their playoff hopes if they could upset South tonight. Pius will be up and the crowd will be into it, but I just don't see them having the firepower to pull this one out. South Forsyth 31, St. Pius 14

OTHER 6-AAAA ACTION
North Springs at Tucker
The Spartans blew a 19-0 lead against St. Pius two weeks ago, and then were behind 28-0 by halftime against Marist last week. Their season appears to be headed south, while Tucker looks like we're just starting to hit our stride. Furthermore, tonight is homecoming for the Tigers. I look for Tucker to continue to jell and put up a big win. Tucker 35, North Springs 7

North Forsyth at Dunwoody
Neither team has done much this year, but I see Dunwoody putting up their first win of the season tonight. This definitely isn't the game o' the week, but it is probably the toughest call in the region. Dunwoody 18, North Forsyth 14

Chamblee at Riverwood
This one slipped up on Ol' SkyDog. It was played on Thursday night. I'll have to be honest and say I would have picked a Chamblee blowout (like 42-7 or something). It turns out they somehow struggled against the Region's patsies. Final score: Chamblee 31, Riverwood 24

Forsyth Central at Marist
I'm guessing that the War Eagles won't have to punt in the entire first half. Marist 49, Central 13

[Ben E Lou]

Wow. In front of a near-capacity Homecoming crowd, which included coaches from UGA and Nebraska (among others), them Tigers opened up a SERIOUS can against North Springs tonight! Tucker rolled up a 35-0 lead by halftime. :eek: We never punted in the first half. Tucker emptied the bench in the second half, and the final score was 35-6.

[Ben E Lou]

Whoa! St. Pius pulled off the upset tonight! They scored 17 second-half points to pull off a come-from-behind 17-13 win over South Forsyth. That's a HUGE win for them, one that now puts them in the drivers' seat for a playoff birth, and actually gives them the inside track toward finishing #3 in the region. If Pius can beat Chamblee in two weeks (which they should), they'll virtually assure themselves of finishing no better than #3 in the Region. If that scenario comes to pass, I'd say that it is HIGHLY unlikely that anyone other than South will claim the #4 spot.

In other action, Marist destroyed Central 57-0, and in a mild upset in a game between two also-rans, North won 17-7 over Dunwoody.

[Ben E Lou]

Off week this week at the half-way point. Here are the latest Top 10's for the state:

Georgia AP Sportswriters Top 10 Poll - 10/01/03

CLASS AAAA

1. Thomas County Central (8) (3-0) 134
2. Marist (5) (5-0) 129
3. Shaw (5-0) 110
4. Tucker (4-1) 67
5. Ware County (1) (3-1) 64
6. McNair (5-0) 61
7. Pebblebrook (3-0) 46
8. Douglas County (4-0) 44
9. Thomson (3-1) 28
10. Dalton (3-0) 23

Others receiving votes: Sandy Creek 16, Rome 9, Westlake 9, Mays 7, Cedar Shoals 6, Troup 6, Paulding County 4, Woodward Academy 4, LFO 2, Clarke Central 1



AJC AAAA Top 10 - 9/29/03

Rank
School Name
Record





1
Thomas Co. Central
3-0

2
Shaw
4-0

3
Marist
5-0

4
Tucker
4-1

5
Ware County
3-1

6
Dalton
3-0

7
Sandy Creek
4-0

8
Westlake
4-0

9
Cedar Shoals
4-0

10
Pebblebrook
3-0

[Ben E Lou]

Everyone in Region 6-AAAA is off this week, and we're at the half-way point of the season. At this point in the season, the AP and the AJC have their Top 4 Teams identical:

1. Thomas County Central
2. Shaw
3. Marist
4. Tucker

A brief word about the two teams above Tucker and Marist is in order. TCC has made it to the semis in the Dome several times in recent memory, and it seems whenever they're there, they beat Marist 30something to 30something in the last minute of the game. (Seriously, I think they've had three last-minute wins in the state semis against Marist in the last 5 or 6 years). Last season was typical: they won a 35-34 thriller against the War Eagles. They lost the championship game by a 42-27 count to Thomson (who lost most of their key players from that team. Thomson is 3-1 and unranked by the AJC, and #9 in the AP Poll, and not considered at this point to be a serious threat to win it all again). At any rate, the TCC Yellow Jackets obviously have a winning tradition.

Shaw destroyed Tucker 37-7 in the quarterfinals last year, and then fell to Thomson in the semis 27-10. The Raiders have a 265-pound fullback :eek: with decent speed, and a very good running back as well. Both had very good games against Tucker last year, and they're back, along with (I've heard) the ENTIRE offensive line. However, Shaw is known year-in and year-out for their DEE-FENSE, and this year is no different. The Raiders have given up a grand total of seven points in their four games this year. They won it all three years ago, and if I recall, the score of the final was 30-0. From what I saw last year, and having heard that most of that squad is back, I'm thinking they are the team to beat. On a personal level, Shaw is the school I would have gone to had I gone to public high schools. Three kids of first cousins of mine are at Shaw, and one of them is on the team.

Finally, here's my take on Region 6-AAAA for the rest of the way. Realistically, there are five teams in the hunt for the four playoff spots. I'll focus on those five.

CHAMBLEE (4-1, 3-1 Region)
It appears that they play up, or down, to the level of their competition. Only beat Dunwoody by 1, and Riverwood by a TD, but hung with South Forsyth. They have to "run the gauntlet" with back-to-back-to-back games against St. Pius, then Tucker, then Marist. I look for them to fade during that run, just like they did last year. Give that Pius coaching staff two weeks to prepare for them, and they'll beat 'em, probably by more than the 10-7 count from last year, and then the again-discouraged Bulldogs lose big to Marist and Tucker.

SkyDog's Prediction: 6-4, 5-4, out of the playoffs.

MARIST (5-0, 4-0)
Looking well-nigh unstoppable in their quest to win their first Region title in three years, except for one thing: they will likely be facing an EXTREMELY charged-up 8-1 St. Pius team on November 7th. Pius and Marist are the two largest Catholic Schools in metro Atlanta, they're only about 6 miles apart, lots of the kids know each other, and Pius hasn't beaten Marist in like 20 years. :eek: Ain't no way the itty-bitty stadium at Pius (by FAR the smallest in the Region...probably only holds 1,500 people) is gonna hold the crowd that'll be at this one. Marist is the better team, but anything could happen on that day, especially if Pius can get a little momentum early.

SkyDog's Prediction: 10-0, 9-0, Region Champs. :(

SOUTH FORSYTH (4-1, 3-1)
That early-season win over Chamblee will probably prove to be the difference-maker in them grabbing the Region's last playoff spot. They've got Marist and Tucker back-to-back after the off week. They'll fall to 4-3 before rebounding to make the playoffs.

SkyDog's Prediction: 7-3, 6-3, #4 Playoff Seed

ST. PIUS (4-1, 3-1)
They fought hard against Tucker. They upset South Forsyth. They appear to be gaining steam and confidence every week. These guys might just be for real. Plus, despite the big game looming with Marist on Nov. 7th, they have one of the easier schedules in the final 5 games.

SkyDog's Prediction: 8-2,7-2, #3 Playoff Seed

TUCKER (4-1, 3-1)
The Tigers appear to have hit their stride. That 35-point first half against North Springs was pretty awe-inspiring. Back-to-back games against Chamblee and South will likely prove to be mere bumps in the road, and North, Central and Riverwood are likely to get steamrolled. The Tigers clearly have the easiest remaining schedule of these five teams.

SkyDog's Prediction: 9-1,8-1, #2 Playoff Seed

STATE PLAYOFFS
IF the brackets are the same as last year (and they're not posted yet on ghsa.net), and Marist as #1 seed is stuck in the same bracket as Shaw, I look for the War Eagles to fall to the eventual champion Raiders in the quarterfinals, and for Tucker to have an offensive shootout on the turf with Thomas County Central in the Dome, with the winner getting the privilege of getting hammered by Shaw in the championship game. Pius could win one playoff game, but will likely be out by round 2. South likely falls in the first round.

[Ben E Lou]

The off week is done, and Region 6-AAAA returns to action tomorrow night! Here are Ol' SkyDog's takes on the matchups:

SKYDOG'S 6-AAAA GAME OF THE WEEK: MARIST AT SOUTH FORSYTH
These birds of a feather are set to lock horns up in Cumming. South is sure to be motivated after a tough loss to St. Pius last week, and they have had 2 weeks to get ready to stop the 'bone. (Of course, Marist has spent 23 years perfecting the 'bone....) Last year's game was an offensive shootout, and I look for more of the same this year, but with a wider margin of victory for Marist. Marist 45, South 28

OTHER MATCHUPS

Dunwoody at North Springs
The Spartans may benefit from the off week more than anyone. They've had two weeks to clear their heads and re-focus after losses to Pius, Marist and Tucker in consecutive weeks, and they get to face the worst Dunwoody team in recent memory. The Wildcats won the state in Georgia's largest classification in '94, but oh how the mighty have fallen. North Springs 30, Dunwoody 7

Tucker at Forsyth Central
Last year, Central hurled late hits and racial epithets at the Tigers as Tucker blew them out. The talent gap between the two teams appears even wider this year. However, Tucker's going to be handicapped tomorrow night in some ways I'm not willing to disclose right now. The Tigers still win big, but don't get to humiliate Central the way the kids on the team want to. Also, Central will probably do like last year and leave their starters in to score against the JV and Freshman teams. Tucker 42, Central 7

Riverwood at North Forsyth
Both of these teams play hard, but just don't have much of a program. North is stronger than Riverwood though. North 23, Riverwood 7

St. Pius X at Chamblee
Amid news that star linebacker Travis Chambers has committed to Ga. Tech, the Bulldogs are riding high with a 4-1 record, but staring down the barrell of a loaded gun: Pius, Marist and Tucker in consecutive weeks. The Golden Lions are for real. They battled Tucker into the fourth quarter, and pulled off the upset against South. Chamblee has shown a tendency in the past to choke in the big ones, and I don't see this one being any different. Pius 20, Chamblee 7

[Ben E Lou]

Oops. Forgot to post the scores from this past weekend:

Marist 57, South Forsyth 21. :eek:
Dunwoody 13, North Springs 10. Mild upset there.
Chamblee 10, St. Pius 3. Another surprise.
North Forsyth 28, Riverwood 15.

Tucker 38, Forsyth Central 0. The "handicap" on Friday night was that both starting QB D.T. McDowell and backup QB Raejon Alexander were serving one-game disciplinary suspensions. CB/RB Brandyn "B.Y." Young played QB, a position he'd never played before. B.Y. only threw two passes all night, completing both of them. One was a flanker screen to Swinton, and the other was a quick hit over the middle to TE Brandon Lang. Thomas ran for 134 yards and 3 TD's. FB Jimmy Coleman had 105 yards with a TD, and B.Y. had 87 yards on the ground as well. Sophomore Asher Allen had a 42-yard run for a TD in the 4th quarter. Unless B.Y. throws an incomplete halfback pass or two next year as the starter, it looks like he'll have the distinction of leaving high school and never having thrown an incomplete pass. ;)


This week leaves a muddled mess with regard to the 3rd and 4th playoff slots in the region. (I'm assuming at this point that Tucker and Marist are going to win out the rest of the way to finish 1-2.) As of right now, there are four teams in contention for the final 2 playoff spots. Here they are, with their region records....

Chamblee: 4-1 (hasn't played Tucker or Marist yet, likely to finish 6-3
South Forsyth: 3-2 (hasn't played Tucker yet...likely to finish 6-3)
North Forsyth: 3-2 ("runs the gauntlet" the next three weeks with Pius-Marist-Tucker...likely to finish 4-5 or even 3-6)
St. Pius: 3-2 (has to play Marist and North Forsyth still)

As far as tiebreakers:

Chamblee is 2-1 against the other 3 teams listed.
South is 2-1
St. Pius is 1-1 (still has to play North)
North is 0-2

Realistically, North isn't much of a contender. They got blown out by South (35-7), and struggled to beat Riverwood and Central. They'll probably lose their next three games by an aggregate total of over 100 points. So, looking at the three teams that will likely end the season at 6-3 in the region, they've all played each other already, and they're all 1-1.

I BELIEVE the next tie-breaker is the non-region game. All three of them won their non-region game. After that, I think it goes to a set of mini-games on a Monday night to determine who gets to play on. We'll see.

[Ben E Lou]

Good article in today's AJC about QB D.T. McDowell. Here's the text:
Post pattern to Nebraska
Football future came knocking on baseball trip

By JEFF HOOD
For The Journal-Constitution


An odd thing happened to Tucker senior D.T. McDowell during a baseball tournament this summer at the University of Nebraska: He wound up auditioning for the Cornhuskers football team.

Blessed with the ability to throw a baseball 95 mph and a football as far as 80 yards, McDowell has had scouts from both sports lining up to secure his talents. He has committed to play football at Nebraska.

"It's funny because Nebraska wasn't even recruiting me," McDowell said. "I was out there for a baseball tournament. Someone noticed how strong my arm was and asked if I played football."

McDowell was instantly invited to participate in a one-day football senior camp during his stay in Lincoln. He ran, did the vertical jump, then showcased his arm during a passing drill. At the end of the day, after all other participants departed, McDowell was asked to stay.

"I threw a few passes and all of a sudden [Nebraska coach Frank Solich] said he wanted to see one more pass to see if I'm a true quarterback," McDowell said. "So [Solich] takes off about 25 yards downfield and runs a post-pattern in the end zone. I threw him a pass and he caught it right on the money."

Despite his commitment to the Cornhuskers, his phone keeps ringing, with college football recruiters on the line.

"I still get calls all the time," McDowell said. "They think they can change my mind. Sometimes I get tired of it and sometimes I love it. I'll talk to anybody."

A three-year starter at quarterback for Tucker, the 6-1, 190-pound McDowell is called on by coach Bill Ballard to use his smarts in addition to his cannon arm in the Tigers' spread offense.

"Our offense is pretty complicated," Ballard said, "and we put a lot on D.T. with the great number of formations and sets we have.

"He can run and throw the ball real well. We run the option a good bit, and he does a good job reading the veer. Overall, D.T. does a really good job running our offense."

The Tigers are 27-3 when McDowell lines up behind center. Despite possessing the knowledge to run a complex offense and the ability to throw a football 55 yards from one knee, McDowell beams when talking about his secret weapon to keep the opposition's defense off-balance:

"Our offensive coordinator, Patsy Gliatta, told me I am the greatest play faker in high school football," McDowell said. "With him teaching me and by me watching David Greene and Peyton Manning, I have been able to pick up on some of their good habits and take it on the field at the high school level."

McDowell stays in touch with former Tucker greats such as Patrick Pass, Jabari Davis and Darius Swain. He says he hopes he will one day be held in similar high regard.

"I hope I establish a legacy at Tucker," McDowell said. "I hope everybody remembers me and I'll be known as adding to Tucker's tradition. Of course, we already have a current legend here in [tailback] Thomas Brown."

McDowell will likely have an option to play professional baseball directly out of high school. He acknowledges he will have a difficult decision to make next summer if he is drafted high enough. But McDowell insists his focus, for now, is squarely on Tucker football.

[The Afoci]

God I hope he plays for the Huskers.

[Ben E Lou]

Incidentally, speaking of D.T.'s arm strength. I've watched him stand at the kickoff line (own 40-yard line) and throw the football throw the uprights. That's from 70 yards away, and the goalposts are what, about 10 feet high? I haven't seen him measured at 80, but I'm quite sure he can do it. He had that 70-75 yard one in the air on th last play of the first half against St. Pius.

[Ben E Lou]

THIS WEEK'S PICKS:

Marist vs. Chamblee--Chamblee surprised me, and most folks in the region, with their win over Pius last week. They're looking for real now, but the War Eagles humble them tonight. Marist 38, Chamblee 17

Dunwoody vs. Riverwood--Two once-proud teams that are really struggling. Riverwood is worse. Dunwoody 21, Riverwood 10

St. Pius X vs. North Forsyth--Pius rights the ship this week after the disappointing loss to Chamblee. St. Pius 24, North Forsyth 6

Tucker vs. South Forsyth--The Tigers come into tonight fully loaded. It is drizzling today, but supposed to be clearing by game time. However, there is a game at Adams Stadium right before ours, and it probably will rain a little during that game. Point being, the grass will be churned up and not as fast. We have a HUGE speed advantage over South, so that will be at least partly negated tonight. Still, the Tigers should prevail. Tucker 28, South 17.

[Ben E Lou]

Tucker wins a thriller in overtime by a 20-17 score. Thomas may have a fractured leg. :( More tomorrow...G'night.

--Ben

[The Afoci]

Hopefully it is just a flesh wound.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally posted by The Afoci
Hopefully it is just a flesh wound. I don't know. I haven't talked with anyone yet today, but I heard on the way home in the car that he was in a lot of pain, with very little swelling. That's usually a bad sign.

[albionmoonlight]

Originally posted by SkyDog
I don't know. I haven't talked with anyone yet today, but I heard on the way home in the car that he was in a lot of pain, with very little swelling. That's usually a bad sign.

Tell him he is in the prayers of a bunch of internet nerds that he has never met.

Hope all goes well. Thankfully, young bodies heal quickly.

[Ben E Lou]

broken fibula. Out for season. :(

[The Afoci]

Originally posted by SkyDog
broken fibula. Out for season. :(

As Ardent has said before, That is what they make splints for.

Well good luck to him and hopefully he makes a full recovery.

[digamma]

Yeah, this is terrible news. I feel for the team, but I know they will keep fighting, and Thomas will come out OK in the end.

On another note, this is the first overtime win for Tucker since a win over Henderson (which has since merged with Tucker) in 1992 (I think).

[Ben E Lou]

<center>Tucker running back Brown out with broken leg</center>

By MICHAEL CARVELL
Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writer

Tucker's Thomas Brown, an AJC Super 11 selection who has committed to the University of Georgia, will miss the remainder of the football season after breaking his leg during game Friday night.

Brown fractured his left fibula while being tackled in the fourth quarter of his team's 20-17 victory against South Forsyth last Friday. The Tigers (6-1) are ranked No. 4 in Class AAAA.

"[We're] definitely saddened by all of this, especially to a super young man like Thomas," Tucker coach Bill Ballard said.

Brown, a 5-foot-10, 190-pound running back, announced before his senior season that he was accepting a scholarship offer from Georgia and would sign with the Bulldogs in November.

"The good news for Thomas is that it was a clean break," Ballard said. "The doctors said the leg should not require surgery and that it will heal completely in four to eight weeks."

Brown, who also started for Tucker at defensive back, was considered by most recruiting magazines to be the No. 1 tailback in the state and one of the top in the nation. This year, he rushed for 941 yards and 17 touchdowns in seven games after finishing with 1,632 yards and 13 touchdowns during his junior season.

"I am devastated that my high school playing days are over," Brown said. "However, God makes everything happen for a reason, so I place my faith and hope in that. And I'll be ready to play and contribute in some way at Georgia next year."

[mckerney]

He's lucky he doesn't need surgury. I needed surgury to put a metal plate in my arm when it broke last year, and with the metal plate in there I still have pain in it. And it really sucked playing football with it still in there.

The doctor told me it should go away if I were to have surgury to remove it, but then I couldn't do anything in the way of heavy work in my arm for 8 weeks after surgury to remove it.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally posted by mckerney
He's lucky he doesn't need surgury. I needed surgury to put a metal plate in my arm when it broke last year, and with the metal plate in there I still have pain in it. And it really sucked playing football with it still in there.

The doctor told me it should go away if I were to have surgury to remove it, but then I couldn't do anything in the way of heavy work in my arm for 8 weeks after surgury to remove it. Ouch!

[Ben E Lou]

The Tigers have a game with big playoff implications this week, with B.Y. getting the start in Thomas' place at tailback. Chamblee (5-2,4-2) represents the last team in the regular season with any legitimate chance to beat the Tigers. A win here would virtually assure Tucker of 2nd place in the Region. Chamblee has tended to play up or down to the level of their competition this year. They gave Marist and South Forsyth very tough battles before succumbing, beat St. Pius, but barely escaped games against doormats Dunwoody and Riverwood. Look for the Bulldogs to give the Tigers a tough battle tonight. They are led by a strong defense, anchored by Ga. Tech committee Travis Chambers (http://rivals100.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=18195), who had 30+ tackles last week in their loss to Marist. Chambers will be undoubtedly zooming in on DT and B.Y. The Tigers should win this one, but not in a blowout. I'm predicting Tucker 28, Chamblee 13

Other matchups tonight....

Marist at North Forsyth: North has gotten smacked 35-7 and 34-7 by Pius and South already. No way they hang with Marist. Marist 49, North 7

St. Pius X at Riverwood: Pius wins in a blowout. Pius 42, Riverwood 0

North Springs at South Forsyth: South, fresh off of running the gauntlet (Pius,Marist,Tucker) and losing three straight, gets a reprieve and a win: South 28, North Springs 6

Dunwoody at Forsyth Central: Battle of the bottom-feeders is won by Dunwoody. Dunwoody 23, Central 6

[Ben E Lou]

Heh. I underestimated my boys. For the first time this season, Chamblee gets blown out. Tucker 38, Chamblee 3. It was a vintage Tucker Tiger performance, complete with four scoring plays of 60+ yards. Chamblee returned the opening kickoff to our 35-yard line, but then went 3 and out on offense. On the first play from scrimmage, DT hit Swinton on a 67-yard TD bomb (probably thrown 55ish yards in the air) and the rout was on. B.Y. had a TD run, and had a solid game at tailback replacing Thomas. FB Jimmy Coleman, who at 4.5 is one of the fastest high-school fullbacks you'll ever see, had a 60-yard TD run. The 2nd-half kickoff was squibbed by Chamblee to keep it away from Swinton. However, that sucker rolled a while, then bounced up in the air. Swinton grabbed it at the 25, found a seam, and it was all over in a flash 75 yards later. Sophomore Asher "the next-next great Tucker tailback" Allen closed the scoting in the fourth quarter with a 66-yard TD run. All-in-all, it was about as dominating a performance as you'll see in a game that was supposed to be close. Chamblee's big LB Travis Chambers had some BIG hits during the game. The Yellow Jackets are gonna be pleased with this kid.


A few pics....

http://img.coxnewsweb.com/B/08/59/26/image_226598.jpg
Swinton's catch on Tucker's first offensive play from scrimmage. DT hit him in full stride at least 55 yards down the field. :eek:


http://img.coxnewsweb.com/B/00/67/26/image_226670.jpg
FB Jimmy Coleman's 60-yard TD run. I talked with his mom last night. They're thinking that USC is close to an offer. If he should sign with the Gamecocks, that would put FIVE former Tigers in the SEC next year (and six if Brandon Lang chooses the Dawgs over FSU).


http://img.coxnewsweb.com/B/09/59/26/image_226599.jpg

The "D" kept Chamblee bottled up all night long.

[Ben E Lou]

Other scores from last night....

St. Pius 37, Riverwood 0
Marist 58, North Forsyth 0
South Forsyth 35, North Springs 21
Dunwoody 21, Forsyth Central 17

This leaves the current Region 6-AAAA leader board as follows:

Marist 8-0, 7-0
Tucker 7-1, 6-1
St. Pius X 6-2, 5-2
South Forsyth 5-3, 4-3
Chamblee 5-3, 4-3

OUTLOOK
Marist--There's basically no chance that they'll finish anywhere but #1 in the Region, due to their win over Tucker. They finish with Pius, who COULD upset them in an emotional win, but they've got Riverwood next week. Marist has scored 50+ points three times already, and Riverwood is the worst team on the schedule. Marist can name their score in that one.

Tucker--The win against Chamblee virtually assures the Tigers of the 2nd place playoff spot in the state playoffs. Tucker closes with North Forsyth and Riverwood, and to be blunt, Tucker's 2nd teams would probably win each of those games by 2-3 TD's, and the JV team would most likely win both. North has gotten blown out by Pius, Marist and Soutf Forsyth, and Riverwood is 0-8, having given up 30+ points 6 times, while being held to single-digit scoring 5 times. These will be good chances to fine tune some things, but no real challenge at all.

St. Pius--Among the three teams fighting for the final two playoff spots, the Golden Lions are the one that controls their own destiny. They close with Dunwoody, which should be a relatively easy win, and Marist. High school teams sometimes mature, change and grow a lot from the early season to the end of the year, but the Pius team that I saw on September 5th has the potential, if they get a few breaks, of upsetting the Marist team that I watched the following week, particularly considered the emotional nature of the rivalry, and that the game will be at St. Pius. I'll be out of town that weekend. (I'm speaking at a camp in Florida. I figured I'd accept the invitation since the Tigers were playing Riverwood that week... :D) If I was going to be in town, I'd probably skip out on the Tucker-Riverwood humiliation and go see Marist-Pius instead.

South Forsyth--South should defeat their final opponents, Central and Dunwoody, relatively easily. If Pius pulls off the upset of Marist and grabs the #3 slot, then South wins the tie-breaker over Chamblee, by virtue of their 14-10 win over the Bulldogs in September.

Chamblee--The Bulldogs close with North Springs and Central. They should win out. They've got to hope that Marist beats Pius on November 7th, which would throw Chamblee, South and Pius into a 3-way tie for third place. I'm not sure of the tie-breaker situation there, since the three teams are 1-1 against each other, but what I KNOW is that if Pius upsets Marist (unlikely) and everything else goes as expected (highly likely--There's a big talent gap between the top 5 and bottom 5 in the Region.), then Chambee's season is done on November 7th.

BOTTOM LINE: It is highly likely that someone is going to finish 7-3 overall, and 6-3 in the Region, and NOT get to play in the postseason.

[digamma]

I'll let SkyDog fill in the details when he has time, but in the interest of keeping the legions of Tucker fans up to date, I'll let you know that Tucker shut out North Forsyth Friday night.

[Celeval]

Originally posted by SkyDog
Chamblee's big LB Travis Chambers had some BIG hits during the game. The Yellow Jackets are gonna be pleased with this kid.

We already are.... gojackets.com (http://insiders4.ezboard.com/fthehivefrm1.showMessage?topicID=19075.topic)

Quick version is a story about a sophmore at Chamblee who was on the football team but was diagnosed with leukemia a couple weeks ago. Chambers has been helping the kid out, mentioned his name on Countdown to Signing Day, brough him his shirt from the show, etc.

Add in that TC will probably be starting at LB for us next year... I'm looking for great things.

Kevin

[Ben E Lou]

Originally posted by digamma
I'll let SkyDog fill in the details when he has time, but in the interest of keeping the legions of Tucker fans up to date, I'll let you know that Tucker shut out North Forsyth Friday night. My bad!

Tucker smoked 'em 41-0. TD's were spread out:

RB2 Brandyn Young ("B.Y.")--2 rushing
FB Jimmy Coleman--1 rushing
QB D.T. McDowell--1 rushing
FB2 Hamilton Sims--1 rushing
FB3 Kareem James--1 rushing

DT hit Swinton on a big pass 58 yards to set up one of the TD's. It was slightly underthrown, causing Swinton to have to slow up to catch it, and therefore get tackled as he made the catch. I guess we'll forgive DT for underthrowing it a little, considering that the ball traveled 65+ yards in the air..... ;)

The Region's playoff seedings are now set in stone, no matter what happens next week:

1. Marist
2. Tucker
3. St. Pius
4. South Forsyth

Interestingly enough, Tucker's #2 seed puts the Tigers in what looks to be a significantly easier bracket than Marist. Marist looks to have a quarterfinal matchup looming with the imposing-looking Shaw Raiders, who spanked Tucker 37-7 in last year's quarterfinals, and apparently return nearly everyone from that squad. The 2 #1 seed's in Tucker's bracket are from what are considered to be weak Regions. It is quite conceivable that Tucker will make it at least to the semis in the Georgia Dome, while Marist won't.

Tucker closes this weekend with Region patsy Riverwood. The best news for Riverwood is that the JV season is over, and therefore Tucker will have the youngsters available to play all night long. The other good news for Riverwood is that this is their final game at Class AAAA. Next year they're dropping down to AAA. I hope they'll be able to compete better.

[digamma]

Originally posted by SkyDog

Tucker closes this weekend with Region patsy Riverwood. The best news for Riverwood is that the JV season is over, and therefore Tucker will have the youngsters available to play all night long. The other good news for Riverwood is that this is their final game at Class AAAA. Next year they're dropping down to AAA. I hope they'll be able to compete better.

Last year Riverwood called ahead and asked that a running clock be put in place when the score got to be 28-0.

[digamma]

Dola.

One thing that was lost in the Thomas Brown injury and the South Forsyth game is that the Georgia High School Association has changed its overtime rules to more of a college style overtime. I'm not sure if this is a current year change or was in place last year, but the days of the penetration rules <giggle, giggle--too bad the QOTM is gone> are history.

[Ben E Lou]

Incidentally, I will not be at the Riverwood game this weekend. I'm speaking to a group of middle school kids at a camp down in central Florida this weekend. I'll post a score Sunday night or Monday morning.

--Ben

[Ben E Lou]

GAMES THIS WEEK:
Marist at St. Pius
Tucker at Riverwood
Dunwoody at South Forsyth
Forsyth Central at Chamblee
North Springs at North Forsyth

The only compelling matchup tonight is Marist at St. Pius. They are the two largest Catholic schools in metro Atlanta. (Actually, I'm fairly certain they're the two largest in Georgia, and probably throughout a good chunk of the southeast.) At any rate, Marist has defeated Pius 21 consecutive times, and tonight looks like their best shot in years to even have a shot. Realistically, Marist is a good bit better than Pius, but who knows what could happen in an emotional rivalry? This one lost a good bit of luster on October 10th though, when Pius was upended by Chamblee. Had the Golden Lions won that game, they'd be battling for a share of first place in the Region tonight. As it stands, the seedings are set no matter what happens tonight.

I'll probably have some, but not much, internet access this weekend.

--Ben

[Ben E Lou]

Dola--

I forgot to mention why the seedings are now set. Chamblee let North Springs hand them a 34-28 loss. I guess the Bulldogs were still reeling from the humiliating 38-3 loss to Tucker from the previous week. They can now finish no higher than tied for fourth place with South Forsyth, and South beat Chamblee this year. Travis Chambers will graduate from Chamblee without having ever led his team to the postseason, or to a big win over a big rival. Hopefully, the same will be said for him in college. ;)

[digamma]

With SkyDog out of town, I'll go ahead and post the scores from last night.

Tucker won 55-3 over hapless Riverwood. In the upset SkyDog half-called, Pius upset Marist, 20-17. The play-off seedings don't change and Tucker goes in as the #2 seed from the region.

Tucker wraps up the regular season at 9-1.

A word about the seniors on this team...

Their four year record at this point is 41-6. At worst they will finish their careers 41-7. At best, 46-6.

Their four year regular season record finishes up at 37-3, including a 27 game regular season win streak.

In their sophomore, junior and senior years, they were a combined 31-3 (and counting).

In their junior and senior years, they were a combined 21-2 (and counting).

They won two region championships and got to the state quarterfinals two times (and counting).

Tucker is off next week and the state play-offs start in two weeks.

[tucker342]

wow..... That's a good class of seniors....

[Ben E Lou]

Tucker will play the #3 seed from Region 7-AAAA on next Friday. Their seedings are NOT set yet. Most of them have one more regular season game to go. I won't even BEGIN to try to sort out the possibilities in that Region. Look at these Region Standings:

Rome 6-1
Ringgold 6-2
Dalton 5-2
Paulding County 5-2
Lafayette 5-2
Lakeview-Ft. Oglethorpe 5-2
Gordon Central 5-3
Woodland 4-3

There are four other also-rans in the Region. This week, Rome plays Woodland, Paulding plays Gordon Central, Lafayette plays LFO. Dalton plays one of the also-rans. If Rome loses to Woodland, there could be a FIVE-way tie for first at 6-2. Even if Rome wins, there is likely to be a four-way tie at 6-2, for the three other playoff spots. The guys I saw night-before-last said, "all we know is that we're at home, and we'll play whoever they tell us to play."

[Ben E Lou]

OK. Region 7-AAAA finished with four teams at 6-2 (Paulding, Dalton, LFO, Ringgold), and Rome at 7-1. Paulding Co. gets the number 2 seed by virtue of having a better record agains AAAA teams than any of the others. Therefore, Dalton, LFO and Ringgold will play mini-games on Monday night to determine the #3 and #4 seeds. The head coaches from those three schools met to do coin flips yesterday. They are playing the games at a neutral sight that is centralled located among the three schools. Dalton will play Ringgold in the first mini-game. The winner of that gets a playoff spot. The loser then plays LFO, with the winner of that game getting a spot. Seeding between the two remaining teams will be based on how they did against each other during the regular season. Both Tucker and Marist get to go scout their first-round playoff opponents on Monday night!

[tucker342]

wow

[primelord]

Originally posted by tucker342
wow

Best. Post. Ever. :D

[Ben E Lou]

Update...

Ringgold at Tucker, 7:30pm Saturday night.
LFO at Marist, 7:30pm Saturday night.

[Ben E Lou]

Blurbs from the AJC today on the games involved Region 6-AAAA teams:


• St. Pius at Paulding County, 7:30 p.m. Friday. St. Pius is riding high emotionally after ending a 21-game losing streak to Marist to finish the regular season. Will the Golden Lions, led by senior fullback Evan Tighe, be able to move past the Marist game and focus on the playoffs? "I think that's something we have to guard against," St. Pius coach Paul Standard said. "We've talked several times in team meetings. We won a big game, but that's over with and now we have another big game." St. Pius will try to end another streak on Friday: The program has not won a postseason game since 1968. St. Pius has lost its last four playoff games, including last year's appearance at Rome. Said Standard: "We're very excited about beating Marist; that was huge for our program. But we got much bigger goals than beating Marist. We want to win in the playoffs, we want to be playing on Thanksgiving Day." Paulding County is a wishbone team, with Adam Wagner and Derek Tuggle combining to rush for more than 1,400 yards.

• Ringgold vs. Tucker, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Adams Stadium. Few teams are playing as well in Class AAAA right now as Tucker (9-1). It's a bizarre concept considering the Tigers have lost the services of All-American tailback Thomas Brown to a season-ending leg injury. However, when the team lost its star players, it caused other players, most notably quarterback D.T. McDowell and fullback Jimmy Coleman, to elevate their level of play. Chamblee coach Wade Beale called this year's Tucker team the the best team he's ever seen in Georgia. Said Tucker coach Bill Ballard: "We miss Thomas, but we never were a one-man team. I think the players realized after he went down that we've got to come together more as a team. I definitely think we're playing our best football right now and we hope to do well. However, we know every team is good in the playoffs, therefore we're not overlooking anybody."

• Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe at Marist, 7:30 p.m. Saturday.Perhaps no team is more ready to begin the postseason than Marist. The War Eagles have had two weeks of intense practice after losing to archrival St. Pius to end the regular season. Said Marist coach Alan Chadwick: "We went back to the basics during the first week and had three great days of workouts. The intensity and effort was outstanding. The kids seem to have shaken off the loss and are ready to move on." Marist did numerous contact drills in practice, which is rare for the War Eagles during the postseason. "It was the No. 1 offense vs. the No. 1 defense. We've gotten to the point where we can't be worried about possible injuries. If we don't execute better, then we're not going far in the playoffs anyway." Chadwick said he made no personnel or scheme changes in response to the loss. "I think we're playing the best people everywhere, we just have to play better. The kids understand that. Us coaches have got to do a better job coaching. I really do think we're a better football team after all of this."

[Ben E Lou]

Also, an article today about DE/TE Brandon Lang:

Recruiters keep eye on Tucker end's size, speed
Senior won't announce till after his last game

By JEFF HOOD
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution


Tucker coach Bill Ballard remembers two years ago when a tall, skinny sophomore named Brandon Lang failed to crack the Tigers' starting lineup.

Those days are long gone,

Today, the 6-foot-5, 220-pound Lang anchors the Tucker defense and is one of the most coveted rush ends in the country. Lang's size, quickness and potential have made him a top target for college recruiters.

"Brandon is real quick off the edge and has good speed," Ballard said. "He runs a 4.5 in the 40-yard dash, which is really good for a guy that size."

Tucker has a history of being a hotbed for college football talent. This year's senior class had three players commit to major colleges before the season: quarterback D.T. McDowell (Nebraska), tailback Thomas Brown (Georgia) and split end James Swinton (Auburn).

Lang respects the early decision of his teammates but says he likely will wait until after the season to announce his collegiate choice. Tucker opens the state playoffs Friday at home.

"I just want to get through the season and win state," said Lang, who lists Georgia and Florida State as his top choices. "That's all I'm really focused on."

Despite drawing double teams and seeing the opposition run the ball away from him on a regular basis, Lang still managed to record 53 tackles and seven sacks during Tucker's 9-1 regular season. Lang is having an above-average year, but he has not even begun to tap his enormous potential.

An impressive junior year initially put Lang on the college football radar screen. His defensive play last year included five fumble recoveries, 19 tackles for a loss and 16 sacks.

The recruiting process has allowed Lang to meet coaches such as Georgia's Mark Richt, Florida State's Bobby Bowden, Florida's Ron Zook, Auburn's Tommy Tuberville and Nebraska's Frank Solich. Lang was caught off guard when an Atlantic Coast Conference school contacted him after his junior season.

"My first offer came from Maryland," Lang said. "I just didn't think I was going to be recruited that heavily. I was shocked."

The offers continue to roll in from across the country, but Lang figures he'll be a Bulldog or a Seminole next fall. Ballard said Lang, who also plays tight end for Tucker, will continue to grow and be a major catch for a big-time program.

"He's got a huge frame, and guys like him who are 6-5 in high school normally take longer to develop physically," Ballard said. "By the time he's a sophomore, he'll probably be 270 and will continue to run fast and still be an impressive athlete."

[digamma]

Not to look past Ringgold (and I don't think Tucker will, given the play-off let down two years ago in the first round versus Sequoia), but Tucker will play the winner of McNair and Clarke Central in the second round. If Clarke Central wins, Tucker will travel to Athens Thanksgiving weekend. Clarke Central is known as one of the toughest places to play in North Georgia. The visiting team walks down a wooded path from the locker room to the field, and (it may have settled down some recently) but the home team's fans are known to line the path and wish you "good luck" in their own special way.

If McNair wins, Tucker would play at home in the second round.

[Ben E Lou]

I just heard an unconfirmed rumor that McNair knocked off Clarke Central tonight.

[Ben E Lou]

Whoa....I just heard on the radio that Sandy Creek lost also!!! Sandy Creek and Clarke Central were the #1 seeds from their Regions, and both were in Tucker's bracket. Tucker's road to the Dome just apparently got a LOT easier. There's a chance now, if these scores are true, that Tucker can stay home 'til the Dome.

[Ben E Lou]

Region 6-AAAA is looking pretty dadgum impressive right now. Our #3 and #4 seeds, St. Pius and South Forsyth, BOTH won tonight over Region 7-AAAA's #2 and #1 seeds, respectively. :D

[Ben E Lou]

Tucker rolls to a 45-20 win tonight, and Marist wins as well. Tucker will be at home again, against 10-1 McNair.

[tucker342]

Congrats to Tucker! Is McNair ranked?

[Ben E Lou]

Originally posted by tucker342
Congrats to Tucker! Is McNair ranked? McNair is unranked in the AJC rankings, #9 in the AP Poll. Tucker is #3 in the AP, #4 in the AJC. Here are the rankings at the end of the regular season:

AJC RANKINGS
CLASS AAAA
1. Shaw (10-0)
2. Ware County (9-1)
3. Thomas-Central (9-1)
4. Tucker (9-1)
5. Sandy Creek (10-0)
6. Thomson (9-1)
7. Marist (9-1)
8. Mays (10-0)
9. Troup (9-1)
10. ML King (9-1)


AP RANKINGS
CLASS AAAA
1. Shaw (9) (10-0) 140
2. Ware County (3) (9-1) 111
3. Tucker (1) (9-1) 109
4. Thomas County Central (2) (9-1) 105
5. Sandy Creek (10-0) 84
6. Marist (9-1) 77
7. Thomson (9-1) 67
8. Mays (10-0) 51
9. McNair (9-1) 38
10. Rome (8-2) 18

Others receiving votes: Statesboro 6, Troup 6, Clarke Central 5, M.L. King 3, St. Pius X 3, Lakeview-Ft. Oglethorpe 2.

In the second round, St. Pius will face Mays (11-0), South Forsyth goes up against M.L. King (10-1), Marist does battle with Westlake (9-2) and Tucker faces 10-1 McNair.

[Ben E Lou]

Oh, and in non-6-AAAA playoff action (pretty cool that half of the 2nd round games involve 6-AAAA teams!), Statesboro is at Ware Co., Bainbridge is at Troup County, Thomas County Central is at Thomson (a rematch of last year's state championship game), and Woodward Academy is at Shaw.

[Ben E Lou]

<center>TUCKER DEFEATS RINGGOLD 45-20 TO ADVANCE TO SECOND ROUND OF PLAYOFFS
Ben Lewis</center>

There is an old coaches' adage that "you can't coach speed," which comes to mind after this observer watched Tucker in the first round of the state playoffs. Several speed-induced improvosational plays kept the opposition off-balance all night, and despite a valiant effort by the Ringgold Tigers, our own beloved Tigers rolled to a 45-20 victory.

Ringgold opened with a kickoff return that would give them solid field position. Anthony Cloud made the stop on the play, but not before the R-Tigers were in business on their 37-yard line. However, Clay Muirhead set the tone for the Tucker defense with a big hit on the first play from scrimmage, and the R-Tigers went 3-and-out. After a 54-yard punt that buried the T-Tigers inside their own 10-yard-line, Brandyn "B.Y." Young ripped off a 30-yard run on the first play from scrimmage to give Tucker ample breathing room. After an impressive drive, highlighed by a 21-yard pass from D.T. McDowell to Brandon Johnson, another 15-yard run by B.Y., and a 16-yard scramble by D.T. McDowell, the Ringgold defense stiffened inside the 10-yard line, and Blake Harr came in to hit a 24-yard field goal to give Tucker a 3-0 lead with 5:29 to play in the first quarter.

After two Ringgold 3-and-outs with an interception of a Tucker pass sandwiched in between, the Tigers' speed was on display once again. James Swinton grabbed a punt, made some nifty moves, and darted 47 yards to put Tucker in business deep in Ringgold territory. B.Y. then started on a sweep toward the right sideline, looked to be stopped for a big loss, but completely reversed his field, and just flat-out outran the Ringgold defense to the *left* corner of the end-zone for a 19-yard TD run in which he covered more than 60 yards of real estate. Blake Harr's extra point gave Tucker a 10-0 lead with 1:46 to play in the first quarter.

Midway through the 2nd quarter, another speed-enhanced play set Tucker up for its second TD. D.T. McDowell dropped back to pass from his own 19, saw an opening, and scampered 62 yards to the Ringold 19. On the ensuing play, B.Y. took it 16 yards to the three before McDowell would score from 3 yards out, giving Tucker a 17-0 lead that would hold until halftime.

Ringgold battled valiantly all night long, and refused to give up. After stuffing Tucker in three plays on the opening drive of the second half, and getting the benefit of a short punt, the R-Tigers found themselves in business on the Tucker 27. After a 17-yard pass set up first and goal, the Tucker defense stiffened. Mike Compton made a nice play on 3rd and goal to break up a pass, and the Ringgold field goal unit came on. However, they had a little trickery up their sleeves, and a fake field goal turned into a well-designed screen pass that went for a 13-yard touchdown, and at 17-7 the battle was joined.

Mike Compton returned the ensuing kickoff to the Tucker 48, but the fired-up Ringgold defense quickly got Tucker in a 3rd and 13 situation. A McDowell-to-Brandon-Lang pass gave Tucker a fourth down with a foot to go. McDowell got the first down on a sneak, and followed that play with one of his patented, last-second "No D.T. No D.T., YES, great play!!!" pitches on the option to B.Y. From there, Jimmy Coleman took it in from 28 yards out to give Tucker a 24-7 lead. On the first play of the next drive, Andrew McKain got into the Ringgold backfield to hit the QB as he was making a handoff, and caused a fumble. Brandon Lang picked it up and rambled 15 yards for a 31-7 lead. Then, after a Ringgold 3-and-punt that gave Tucker the ball on their own 48, a 26-yard run by B.Y. followed by a 21-yard TD run by Coleman gave Tucker a 38-7 lead with 2:55 to play.

That dizzying late-third-quarter sequence gave Tucker 21 points in a span of 1:53, and effectively put the game out of reach, but Ringgold refused to quit even at that point. They answered with a TD drive highlighted by a 49-yard run by David Downden to the Tucker 30. They followed with a late TD to make the score 38-14. After an interception on a tipped pass, Ringgold again put the ball in the end zone, this time on a 36-yard TD pass by Chris Young, and the score was 38-20 with 11:13 to play in the game. However, Ringgold would get no closer. Hamilton Sims closed out the scoring with a 46-yard touchdown run with 5:37 to play to provide the final margin of victory in a 45-20 win.

There were several performances of note for Tucker. The starting offensive line (Steven Roche, Clay Muirhead, Will Stewart, Ricky Stephens, Andrew McKain) gave Tucker backs plenty of room to run, helping the Tigers roll up over 300 yards rushing. Brandyn Young led the way with 156 rushing yards, and D.T. McDowell had 103 as well. David Downden had a strong game for Ringgold, impressing many Tucker observers. He had 11 carries for 86 yards, and caught 5 passes for 99 yards and a TD.

All-in-all, an outstanding show by the two sets of Tigers. Kudos for Ringgold for never quitting, and kudos to all of the Region 6-AAAA playoff representatives for a clean sweep. Marist, South Forsyth and St. Pius were all victorious this weekend as well. We should all be proud of the talent and competitiveness of Region 6-AAAA!!! Our Tucker Tigers advance to the 2nd round of the State Playoff, facing the McNair Mustangs at Adams Stadium. The inexorable march towards the Georgia Dome continues. Come out and work off some of that Thanksgiving turkey by cheering for your Tucker Tigers on Friday night!

[Ben E Lou]

McDowell, Young lead Tigers

By TODD HOLCOMB
Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writer

Tucker has one Division 1 recruit for every two years that Ringgold has gone without making the playoffs.

That's seven D-1 guys and 14 years of drought, and that added up to a 45-20 Tucker victory Saturday night at Adams Stadium. Tailback Brandon Young rushed for 156 yards, while quarterback D.T. McDowell had 103, virtually all of it on scrambles.

The speed discrepancy was blatant from the start. Young, the junior who has replaced injured All-State runner Thomas Brown, scored his touchdown by reversing field and brushing both sidelines, which isn't easy for just a 15- yard gain. James Swinton had set Tucker up with his 47- yard punt return.

McDowell, just 3-of-9 passing, turned pass plays into runs of 61, 29 and 17 yards.

"We've got athletes on our team that can make big plays out of nothing," McDowell said. "It's just instinct. I see guys coming in and a hole open and I take it.''

There was more. Jimmy Coleman had just three carries but scored on runs of 28 and 21 yards. His second score made it 38-7 late in the third quarter.

Until then, Ringgold's longest designed running play was 6 yards, and quarterback Chris Young was 6-of-20 passing. He finished 10-of-26 for 193 yards.

Tucker's defense scored when Jared Bailey hit Young in the backfield, forcing a fumble that Brandon Lang ran 12 yards for a touchdown and a 31-7 lead.

David Downden had a big night for Ringgold, which qualified out of Region 5- AAAA by surviving a mini-playoff Monday. Downden rushed for 86 yards on 11 carries and caught five passes for 99 yards.

One came on a fake field goal, as holder Ryan Dube hit Downden on a 24-yard screen.

"It's been a magical season for us," said first-year coach Sean Gray, who inherited a 3-7 team. "We just played a team with some great athletes. Speed kills.''

[digamma]

Nice write-up SkyDog.

Unfortunately, McNair will probably be able to match Tucker's speed this Friday. I am hoping Ballard and company will prove to be the difference.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally posted by digamma
Nice write-up SkyDog. Thanks! I was on the point for the game write-up for the web site this week, thus the extended recap.

[Ben E Lou]

Article about the Tucker-McNair Matchup:McNair vs. Tucker shapes up defensively

By MICHAEL CARVELL
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

DeKalb County showcased its caliber of football in the first round of the state playoffs last weekend when all eight area teams won.

There is no way for the incredible feat to be repeated this weekend, as one of the games will have two of the county's top schools squaring off against each other: McNair (10-1) plays Tucker (10-1) in the second round of the Class AAAA playoffs.

"I hate that we have to play another DeKalb County school in the second round," Tucker coach Bill Ballard said. "I wish we could play someone else from outside and I wish they could, too.

"It just doesn't seem fair that we both have to play someone just down the road so early in the playoffs, but I guess that's the way the brackets are drawn up."

Tucker and McNair last played each other when they were in the same region in 2001: Tucker edged the Mustangs 27-20 to capture the conference championship.

"McNair is huge, probably the biggest team we've seen all year," Ballard said. "They have Andrew Varner, the county's leading rusher. And Myron Thrasher is one of the top two linebackers in the county. We've got a challenge ahead of us."

Tucker defeated Ringgold 45-20 in the first round, while McNair advanced with an 14-9 upset over Clarke Central on the road. Varner rushed for 120 yards and two touchdowns, while Thrasher blocked a punt to set up one of the scores.

"I didn't consider this an upset," McNair coach Johnny Gilbert said. "We had just as much talent on offense and defense as Clarke Central. It just came down to whomever played better defense.

"I think it is going to be the same sort of deal against Tucker. We have just as much talent as they do, but the team that plays the best defense will win."

McNair says it won't be intimidated that Tucker has at least four players signing with big-time colleges, including quarterback D.T. McDowell with Nebraska.

"We have a lot of respect for those guys, but they aren't playing for those colleges right now," Gilbert said. "They are playing high school football and just because Georgia and Florida State likes them doesn't mean we aren't going to hit them in the mouth. They put on their pads just like we do."



McNAIR AT TUCKER

• When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Adams Stadium

• Records, rankings: McNair is 10-1 and unranked; Tucker is 10-1 and ranked No. 4 in Class AAAA.

• Next: Winner plays the Troup-Bainbridge winner.

[Ben E Lou]

Tucker still big threat despite loss of Brown

By MICHAEL CARVELL
Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writer

Tucker hasn't been the same without the services of Thomas Brown, and that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Brown, who is considered one of the top tailback prospects in the nation and has committed to the University of Georgia, broke his left leg in a game on Oct. 17. Strangely enough, Tucker has been playing its best football of the season since losing its star player.

The Tigers (10-1) play McNair (10-1) at 7:30 p.m. today in the second round of the Class AAAA playoffs.

"Since the beginning of the season, I've been saying that we aren't a one-man team," Tucker coach Bill Ballard said. "Obviously, Thomas was one of the best running backs in the nation, and we miss him on the field, but football is the ultimate team sport. We've got other guys who have stepped up their level of play."

The Tigers are star-studded at the skill positions: Quarterback D.T. McDowell has committed to Nebraska, split end James Swinton intends to sign with Auburn, and tight end Brandon Lang will decide between Georgia and Florida State. Fullback Jimmy Coleman is among a half-dozen Tucker players who will sign with smaller colleges.

"We're definitely playing real well right now, and I think we are peaking," Ballard said. "I don't know what that will mean against McNair, which will be a tough challenge for us."

Brown had rushed for 928 yards and 17 touchdowns this year before breaking his left leg in the fourth quarter against South Forsyth. Since Brown's absence, the Tigers have won their four games by an average of 38.3 points, which included a 45-20 victory against Ringgold in the postseason opener last Saturday.

Brown, who now wears a boot-cast on his foot, still attends all practices and games. He can often be found yelling encouragement to his teammates.

"Thomas is a my best friend, and I miss handing off the ball to him and carrying out my fake," McDowell said. "We still have our pep talk before each game and say 'No one can stop the both of us.'

"Of course, he's not out there anymore, but he leads in other ways. Seeing Thomas get hurt has motivated all of us on the team. We want to win a state championship for him."

[Ben E Lou]

Projections For Tonight's AAAA Playoff Games
(from calpreps.com)

AAAA PLAYOFFS
McNair (Atlanta, GA) at Tucker (GA) [projection: Tucker (GA) 31-12]

South Forsyth (Cumming, GA) at King (Lithonia, GA) [projection: South Forsyth (Cumming, GA) 24-21]

St. Pius X Catholic (Atlanta, GA) at Mays (Atlanta, GA) [projection: St. Pius X Catholic (Atlanta, GA) 15-14]

Statesboro (GA) at Ware County (Waycross, GA) [projection: Ware County (Waycross, GA) 31-20]

Thomas County Central (Thomasville, GA) at Thomson (GA) [projection: Thomas County Central (Thomasville, GA) 28-17]

Troup County (La Grange, GA) at Bainbridge (GA) [projection: Troup County (La Grange, GA) 21-20]

Westlake (Atlanta, GA) at Marist (Atlanta, GA) [projection: Marist (Atlanta, GA) 35-17]

Woodward Academy (College Park, GA) at Shaw (Columbus, GA) [projection: Shaw (Columbus, GA) 34-19]

[digamma]

I really hope you are right on the Tucker game, but I think this one could be a good deal closer than that. Think Westlake from last year, with not quite as much size, but a better overall scheme. I liked the result in that one, and hopefully we'll have another one just like it.

I think Marist will win and I like the Pius pick, but I think South Forsyth may go down to MLK.

I think Troup wins as well, but a Bainbridge upset would be a great thing if Tucker wins (home again next week). Tucker would travel to Troup.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally posted by digamma
I really hope you are right on the Tucker game, but I think this one could be a good deal closer than that. Think Westlake from last year, with not quite as much size, but a better overall scheme. I liked the result in that one, and hopefully we'll have another one just like it.

I think Marist will win and I like the Pius pick, but I think South Forsyth may go down to MLK.

I think Troup wins as well, but a Bainbridge upset would be a great thing if Tucker wins (home again next week). Tucker would travel to Troup. Those aren't my picks. They are computer-generated picks from www.calpreps.com. Believe it or not, this site correctly picked the Region 6-AAAA sweep last week, and the projected point spreads were also STUNNINGLY close for the most part as well: Bainbridge (GA) 24 Sandy Creek (Tyrone, GA) 7 [projection: Sandy Creek (Tyrone, GA) 31-17]
King (Lithonia, GA) 14 Cedar Shoals (Athens, GA) 12 [projection: King (Lithonia, GA) 26-14]
Marist (Atlanta, GA) 38 Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe (Fort Oglethorpe, GA) 14 [projection: Marist (Atlanta, GA) 42-14]
McNair (Atlanta, GA) 14 Clarke Central (Athens, GA) 9 [projection: McNair (Atlanta, GA) 21-14]
Shaw (Columbus, GA) 49 Greenbrier (Evans, GA) 21 [projection: Shaw (Columbus, GA) 42-8]
South Forsyth (Cumming, GA) 14 Rome (GA) 7 [projection: South Forsyth (Cumming, GA) 22-21]
St. Pius X Catholic (Atlanta, GA) 17 Paulding County (Dallas, GA) 10 [projection: St. Pius X Catholic (Atlanta, GA) 21-14]
Statesboro (GA) 28 Upson-Lee (Thomaston, GA) 7 [projection: Statesboro (GA) 24-21]
Thomas County Central (Thomasville, GA) 35 Pebblebrook (Mableton, GA) 10 [projection: Thomas County Central (Thomasville, GA) 38-7]
Thomson (GA) 20 Griffin (GA) 7 [projection: Thomson (GA) 28-14]
Troup County (La Grange, GA) 9 Butler (Augusta, GA) 7 [projection: Troup County (La Grange, GA) 31-14]
Tucker (GA) 45 Ringgold (GA) 20 [projection: Tucker (GA) 31-6]
Ware County (Waycross, GA) 56 Douglas County (Douglasville, GA) 29 [projection: Ware County (Waycross, GA) 35-14]
Westlake (Atlanta, GA) 28 Winder-Barrow (Winder, GA) 21 [projection: Westlake (Atlanta, GA) 28-12]
Woodward Academy (College Park, GA) 35 Cairo (GA) 7 [projection: Woodward Academy (College Park, GA) 21-14]

[digamma]

Didn't mean to accuse you... :)

Should have read your post more closely. That is a pretty impressive record from last week.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally posted by digamma
That is a pretty impressive record from last week. No kidding. They only missed one game in a week where most followers of Georgia AAAA football would say there were several upsets.

[Ben E Lou]

Tucker wins 30-0. Marist and Pius also win. South Forsyth loses by a 14-13 count. 3 of the final 8 teams are from Region 6-AAAA, and it sounds like we came within an eyelash of having four.

[The Afoci]

I check this with my heart pounding. Something about high school football that tugs at my heart during the playoffs. So many stories that end the wrong way each week.

[Ben E Lou]

McDowell in complete control

By ROB MORTON
Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writer

Tucker was again the master of the spectacular. And spectacular won over routine again as the Class AAAA fourth-ranked Tigers (11-1) trampled their DeKalb brethren McNair 30-0 Friday night at Adams Stadium.

Tucker controlled matters by halftime. A bit of trickery and the work of D.T. McDowell proved to be the perfect potion.

The Nebraska-bound quarterback initiated matters by hitting wideout James Swinton on a 43-yard streak pattern midway through the opening quarter. Swinton's diving catch then set up the home team's trickery. Upback Hamilton Sims took Tucker's punt snap, hesitated and then rumbled 34 yards untouched to make it 7-0.

"When I first looked at it, I didn't think it was going to go," Sims said. "But once my friend [Andrew] McKain make a good block for me, I knew it was all good."

Tucker doubled the lead on its next possession. Once again, McDowell kicked things off, this time by hitting Brandon Lang on a short pass and the 6-foot-5 tight end ran 45 yards to McNair's 39. A few moments later, McDowell ran 45 yards for a touchdown after sidestepping a McNair middle blitz.

The margin grew to 17-0 after Lang got involved again. The senior pounced on a fumble at the Mustangs' 19 to set up a Blake Harr 34-yard field goal.

Sims then recovering a McNair fumble on a punt return at the 19 early in the third quarter. Four plays later, McDowell registered his second of three touchdowns by diving in from the 2-yard line. McDowell had 93 rushing yards on 9 carries and completed 3 of 7 passes for 109 yards in the game.

Tucker also controlled McNair's Andrew Varner. The senior entered the contest as DeKalb's leading rusher by averaging 141 yards per game, but he was held to 31 yards on 13 attempts.

"Their coach [Johnny Gilbert] challenged us in the paper and said they were going to smack us in the mouth," Tucker coach Bill Ballard said.

"I think our kids wanted to respond to that by coming out here and playing a real physical game. They have been talking about that ever since that first appeared in the paper. They wanted to come out here and play tough like McNair."

McNair 0 0 0 0 -- 0
Tucker 7 10 7 6 -- 30

T -- Hamilton Sims 34 run (Blake Harr kick)
T -- D.T. McDowell 45 run (Harr kick)
T -- Harr 34 field goal
T -- McDowell 2 run (Harr kick)
T -- McDowell 1 run (kick failed)

[Ben E Lou]

A few additional comments:

Tucker's defense controlled this one from the start. I can't say this for sure, because I wasn't taking any notes to write a recap this time, but I'm not certain that McNair ever even got past midfield. I know they never seriously threatened to score.

Elsewhere around Class AAAA:
Statesboro 27, Ware County 26
St. Pius 14, Mays 6
Tucker 30, McNair 0
M.L. King 14, South Forsyth 13
Thomas County Central 24, Thomson14
Marist 36, Westlake 6
Shaw 38, Woodward Academy 27
Bainbridge at Troup, 7:30 p.m. today

Tucker will play the winner of the Bainbridge/Troup County game. If against Bainbridge, it will be at home. If Troup, we'll be traveling.

Marist and Tucker posted the only round 2 blowouts, and Region 6-AAAA is the only one with three teams in the final eight. Them Tigers and War Eagles might just be a little bit better than some folks were thinkin'. ;)

[digamma]

Great win last night, and great meeting you Ben.

Pull them through next week, and I may have to take a visit to Price Line for that Dome game.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally posted by digamma
Great win last night, and great meeting you Ben.

Pull them through next week, and I may have to take a visit to Price Line for that Dome game. Great meeting you too. Hope Priceline and the Tigers cooperate and I see you in the Dome.

Can you help me out on how deep in Tucker territory McNair ever got?

[digamma]

Originally posted by SkyDog

Can you help me out on how deep in Tucker territory McNair ever got?

I don't think they ever crossed the Tucker 40, but I can check.

[digamma]

Troup beat Bainbridge last night 24-21 to advance to the quarterfinals to face Tucker. Tucker will have to travel to Troup next weekend.


And following up on McNair's field position--I'm told they took one snap from the Tucker 39, but lost yardage on the play. That was as close as they got.

[primelord]

Ben,

Will Solich being fired affect D.T.'s commitment to Nebraska?

[Ben E Lou]

Originally posted by primelord
Ben,

Will Solich being fired affect D.T.'s commitment to Nebraska? I don't know. I talked to him today, but didn't think to ask. (We were talking about the upcoming playoff game.) I would imagine that it is something he at least has to take into consideration.

[Ben E Lou]

From Wednesday's AJC:They're knocking on Dome's door again

By TODD HOLCOMB
Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writer

Stephenson and Tucker aren't the only teams that have never been to the Georgia Dome for what's become the "Final Four" of Georgia high school football. A dozen other teams still alive in the playoffs can get to the Dome for the first time by winning this weekend.

It's just that Tucker and Stephenson are the only ones that have had the door to the Dome slammed in their faces twice in the quarterfinals since the 2000 season. Some of those schools' all-time greats -- Reggie Ball and Kregg Lumpkin of Stephenson, Jabari Davis and Darrius Swain of Tucker -- never played in the Dome while in high school.

Tucker captain Jimmy Coleman doesn't want the same said of him.

"To say that I didn't go all out or that I could've done something more to get us to the Dome, that would hurt," said Coleman, a fullback and linebacker. "That's what I'm trying to stress to the players this week. . . . Playing in the Dome, it's not something everyone can say they've done. You can tell your kids that."

Tucker made the quarterfinals again last year but was beaten by Shaw 37-7. Some say the current Tucker team, which plays at Troup on Saturday for the right to reach the Dome, is better than any before it, with major Division I recruits Brandon Lang, D.T. McDowell and James Swinton. They have one more chance to make the Dome.

"We've definitely talked about it as a team," Tucker coach Bill Ballard said. "Our kids see pro teams play there, and this week the SEC championship game is there. Our kids would love to have a chance to play in the same venue."

At Stephenson, the quarterfinals have been a nightmare, if not a jinx, so much so that coach Ron Gartrell doesn't use the reward of the Dome as incentive for his players for fear they won't see the task at hand.

Gartrell's 2001 team, with Ball and Lumpkin playing as sophomores, led Valdosta 21-0 at halftime at DeKalb Memorial Stadium. Valdosta won 31-28.

"Everybody got all happy at halftime thinking about the Dome, and we forgot we had to play another half," said Stephenson linebacker Josh Johnson, a three-year starter. "I want to leave this year with a state championship, and there's no doubt in my mind we should win it, but we can't lose focus and make errors like we did."

Johnson says it wasn't overconfidence last year, but defensive lapses that led to Stephenson's other hard-to-stomach quarterfinal loss. Ball, who shouldered most of the load with Lumpkin injured, threw a touchdown pass with less than three minutes left to put Stephenson ahead 20-19, but Camden County drove 89 yards and scored with 47 seconds left.

"A lot of people look at it as a jinx, but it's not like we've played bad," said Gartrell, Stephenson's coach since the Stone Mountain school began varsity football in 1996. "We just let it slip through our fingers.

"Hopefully we can play that well again and just finish the game like we're supposed to."

Stephenson's Geoffrey Woods, a senior lineman playing in his third quarterfinal game, put it another way.

"The Dome, that's great, but the ultimate thing is to win a state championship," Woods said. "The best thing [about the quarterfinals] is playing Camden County again, the team that beat us last year, moving past the third round and shutting everybody's mouths."

[Breeze]

Good Luck tonight.....

Man I wish Brown wasn't hurt

When you get some time...any idea on where Jones is going to sign? I know reports indicate FSU or UGA...but are you in a possition to get a since of what he's thinking and do you have a gut feeling?

[Ben E Lou]

Originally posted by Breeze
Good Luck tonight.....

Man I wish Brown wasn't hurt

When you get some time...any idea on where Jones is going to sign? I know reports indicate FSU or UGA...but are you in a possition to get a since of what he's thinking and do you have a gut feeling? I assume you mean Lang (Brandon Lang, DE). UGA hasn't offered yet, but they haven't gotten the DE commits that they want either. Sounds like he's on their 2nd or 3rd tier, but all indications are that is where he wants to go.

To a person, they don't want to focus on that stuff right now though. D.T. has said he doesn't even want to think about Solich getting fired yet. Tucker has never won it all, and they're focused on that. Point being, I haven't asked any of them about signing stuff in several weeks, with the exception of asking DT how he felt about the situation at Nebraska.

Actually the game is tomorrow. Troup County shares a stadium with LaGrange High, and the Grangers are also still in the playoffs.

[Breeze]

I see..well good luck tomorrow. Hope you guys get to the dome.

When the season is over...maybe you could post some stuff about how recruiting is going for the guys.

[digamma]

If anyone is so inclined, two of the other quarterfinal games in the 4-A play-offs are being broadcast on gaprep.com.

They are broadcasting the Marist-Shaw game which features the last two teams Tucker has lost to and is thought to be the game of the week in any of the Georgia play-off classifications, and the Thomas County-Central vs. ML King game. TCC was the state runner-up last year. ML King is a relatively new school with a lot of athletes making its first trip to south Georgia for a "real" high school football game.

[Ben E Lou]

Marist defeats Shaw 18-17.

[Ben E Lou]

Dola--

That puts us one BIG step closer to a MONUMENTAL battle for the State Championship. Dare we hope for a Tucker-Marist rematch for all the marbles????? :eek:

[Ben E Lou]

Thomas County Central wins, as does Statesboro, setting up these matchups in the Georgia Dome in the semis:

Thomas County Central vs. Marist
Statesboro vs. Tucker/Troup winner

If Tucker wins, the story line for the Dome will be all about revenge. Marist has lost to TCC maybe four or five times in the semis at the Dome--each time by less than a TD. Their most recent loss to them was last year in the Dome. Tucker led by RB Jabari Davis (now of Tennessee) lost to Statesboro on the insane penetration rule 8-7 in the q-finals in 2000, keeping us from going to the Dome. Tucker and Marist will have revenge on their minds next weekend, to be sure.

[digamma]

Let's go Tucker!

Man, I'm nervous. Less than 3 hours to kick off!

[digamma]

29-0 TUCKER!!!!

DOMEWARD BOUND!!!

[Ben E Lou]

Just got back. Dominating performance. Details in the morn.

--Ben

[Ben E Lou]

Tigers earn first trip to Dome

By JAY STONE
Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writer
Edited by SkyDog because this nimrod got the name of one our star players wrong. He called FB Jimmy Coleman "Jemond Miller." There is no one by that name on the Tucker squad. Guess they send the 2nd-team reporter out to cover Saturday games. :rolleyes:

LaGrange -- With a symphony playing in the auditorium next door to Callaway Stadium, Tucker's Brandyn Young and Jimmy Coleman appeared inspired by the holiday season to make a little music of their own Saturday night.

Young carried 18 times for 120 yards, including a 9-yard touchdown run, and Coleman's 79-yard scoring run secured Tucker's first ticket to the Georgia Dome with a 29-0 win over Troup.

Tucker (12-1) will face Statesboro (10-2-1) on Saturday at the Georgia Dome with a chance to avenge an 8-7 overtime loss three years ago.

Troup (11-2) found offense hard to come by, managing just 164 total yards, and its chance to keep the game close faded away in Tucker's third-quarter, goal-line stand.

"The defense just stepped it up and made plays," Tucker coach Bill Ballard said. "That was a big momentum changer."

Tucker fumbled away its first opportunity at the Troup 6-yard line but got points after forcing Troup into a punt attempt. After a low snap, Troup punter Courtney Billingslea had difficulty picking the ball up and then tossed it through the end zone for a Tucker safety.

It marked the second consecutive night a safety was recorded at Callaway Stadium, but unlike LaGrange's 2-0 win over Swainsboro on Friday in the AAA quarterfinals, Tucker didn't have to make the safety stand up.

With the temperatures dipping into the 30s, Tucker stayed in the locker room until just before the opening kickoff, and its offense seemed to relish the extra couple of minutes of warmth, moving the ball consistently from start to finish and piling up 466 total yards.

D.T. McDowell's 27-yard touchdown pass to Raejon Alexander and Young's 9-yard run in the second quarter pushed the lead to 15-0 at the half, and the Tigers from DeKalb County had the game under control.

Troup had its best chance in the first half taken away when Tucker's Trey Buice intercepted Tyler Wynn's pass in the end zone with 18 seconds left.

Troup drove to the Tucker 1-yard line on its opening possession of the second half, but Tucker stopped it three consecutive plays to push back the threat.

Tucker then responded with an eight-play, 98-yard drive to put the game away. McDowell connected with Alexander on a 73-yard pass and then snuck in from the 1.

Tucker 2 13 14 0 -- 29
Troup 0 0 0 0 -- 0

Tuc -- Safety (Troup punter Courtney Billingslea threw ball through end zone)
Tuc -- Raejon Alexander 27 pass from D.T. McDowell (kick failed)
Tuc -- Brandyn Young 9 run (Blake Harr kick)
Tuc -- McDowell 1 run (Harr kick)
Tuc -- Jimmy Coleman 79 run (Harr kick)This has felt a long time coming. This was the third time in the last four seasons that Tucker was playing in the Q-Finals, one game away from being in the Dome, but the Tigers had never gotten over the hump before last night's stirring win.

[The_herd]

Congrats to Tucker. With the stories, highlights, newspaper clippings I think you've made everyone that reads this thread feel, to an extent, that this is our team that we are rooting for and checking on when we log on.

[Ben E Lou]

B.Y. is looking better and better each week. He's still no Thomas Brown (but hey, according to the experts only three or four high schoolers in the country could make that claim anyway), but he is a VERY GOOD high school tailback. The game was on local radio down there, and their radio announcers commented more than once, "If this kid is the backup, then how good IS Thomas Brown???"

Incidentally, Thomas' injury may end up being even more of a blessing in disguise than I'd thought initially. Tucker has an abundance of running back talent, but with both D.T. and Raejon graduating this year, there's a chance that B.Y. could end up having to play QB next year. For his sake, I'm glad the recruiters are going to have some film of him at tailback. I think he'll be a legit D-1 prospect as a running back, but not as a QB.

The defense has been just fantastic the last couple of weeks. Troup only threatened once. With Tucker leading 15-0 early in the third quarter, a big play set up a first and goal on the Tucker 3-yard-line, and Troup appeared to be about to put themselves right back in the game. However, four plays later, it was First-and-10 Tucker on own 2.

The ensuing 98-yard drive (helped along by the long completion to Raejon) broke their spirits. Troup went three-and-out after that, then Jimmy galloped 79 yards on the 2nd or 3rd play of the next drive and it was over for all intents and purposes. Ballard yanked most of the big key guys right then and there, with about 3 minutes to play in the 3rd quarter, and a hodgepodge of first, second and third-stringers preserved the shutout.

As far as the remaining field, I'm not sure that you can name a clear-cut favorite from among Tucker, Statesboro, Thomas County Central, and Marist. Of the four, Tucker has been by far the most dominant in the playoffs by far (104-20 aggregate score with two straight shutouts), but it can be argued that Tucker has had the easiest road up to now of those four teams.

Finally, it says a lot about a program when it can lose its best player--one of the best four or five RB's in the country--and still be in the thick of the championship hunt.

[Ben E Lou]

I just did a numbers check out of curiosity. In the six full games since Thomas has been injured, Tucker has... averaged 39.7 points per game.
held opponents to 4.3 points per game
Defeated all six opponents, who have a combined record of 39-21 apart from Tucker.
Shut out previously 11-1 Troup County, who had been averaging 25.4 ppg
Shut out previously 10-1 McNair, who had been averaging 26.3 ppg
Beat Chamblee by 35 points, who no one else came close to blowing out all season long.
Beat McNair by 30 points, whose only loss was a 20-16 squeaker to fellow state quarterfinalist MLK...and all of this happened with the starters getting pulled relatively early in each of the playoff games. This bunch might just end up being something special.

[Ben E Lou]

Oh, for those in metro Atlanta (and I think the entire state of Georgia), the game will be televised. It is at 6pm on Saturday. Tucker vs. TCC is at 6pm on Friday, and is also televised.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally posted by The_herd
Congrats to Tucker. With the stories, highlights, newspaper clippings I think you've made everyone that reads this thread feel, to an extent, that this is our team that we are rooting for and checking on when we log on. Well, for those who have been following on, looks like there's a special treat in store. I just found out from JonInMiddleGA that any of you can watch the game LIVE via webcast!!!! Here is the link: http://www.gptv.org/gptv/programs/ghsa/football.htm

--Ben

[Ben E Lou]

Oh...the latest Power Ratings have Marist #1 (118.71), Tucker #2 (118.31), Thomas County Central #5 (114.06), and Statesboro #6 (113.46). None of the other polls are updated once the playoffs start.

[Ben E Lou]

OVERALL POINTS SCORED
1. Marist- 38.9 points per game
2. Tucker- 34.7 points per game
3. TCC- 33.7 points per game
4. Statesboro- 28.1 points per game

OVERALL POINTS ALLOWED
1. Tucker- 8.1 points per game (includes 5 shutouts)
2. Statesboro- 10.4 points per game (includes 2 shutouts)
3. TCC- 12. 2 points per game (includes 1 shutout)
4. Marist- 12.6 points per game (includes 2 shutouts)

PLAYOFF POINTS SCORED
1. Tucker- 34.6 points per game
2. Marist- 30.6 points per game
3. TCC- 25 points per game
4. Statesboro- 25 points per game

PLAYOFF POINTS ALLOWED
1. Tucker- 6.6 points per game (includes 2 shutouts)
2. TCC- 8 points per game (includes 1 shutout)
3. Marist- 12. 1 points per game
4. Statesboro- 15.3 points per game

PLAYOFF RESULTS UP TO NOW
(numbers in parenthesis are Atlanta Journal Constitution Ranking, AP Ranking, and Insiders.com Power Ranking of respective playoff opponent)

MARIST
LFO (UR,#16,#25) 38-14
Westlake (UR,UR,#15) 36-6
Shaw (#1,#1,#3) 18-17

STATESBORO
Upson-Lee (UR,UR,#18 ) 28-7
Ware County (#2,#2,#4) 27-26
St. Pius X (UR,#14,#10) 20-13

THOMAS COUNTY CENTRAL
Pebblebrook (UR,UR#31)35-10
Thomson (#6,#7,#7) 24-14
MLK (#10,#14,#12) 20-0

TUCKER
Ringgold (UR,UR,#20) 45-20
McNair (UR,#9,#14) 30-0
Troup (#9,#12,#8 ) 29-0

[Ben E Lou]

....from tomorrow's AJC:• No. 7 Marist vs. No. 3 Thomas County Central, 6 p.m. Friday. This will be the sixth meeting between the two schools since 1997 and the fourth in the semifinals of the state playoffs. The War Eagles were 0-5 in those meetings. Said Marist coach Alan Chadwick: "We're excited to be playing in the Georgia Dome, and we got our old nemesis. We're going to roll the dice and see what happens." Chadwick said his team's past failures against Thomas County Central should not be a factor on Friday. "It is annoying and frustrating, but we can't do anything about the past; the only thing we can control is the future. I'm not ashamed with our showings against Thomas County Central in the past, I can assure you of that. We played hard in those games, and our kids were in it until the finish. Thomas County Central just came up with more big plays than we did. We have nothing at all to be ashamed of." Marist will make an appearance in the semifinals for the fifth time in the past eight years.

• No. 4 Tucker vs. Statesboro, 6 p.m. Saturday. Tucker is playing perhaps its best football of the season, coming off a 29-0 win over Troup on Saturday. The win earned Tucker its first trip to the Georgia Dome. Said Tigers coach Bill Ballard: "We're very excited as this is something our team has been trying to accomplish for several years. We're happy to reach this point. We just want to go out there, play hard and have a good time. It's like making the Final Four of basketball. It's a big moment for our program and its supporters." Defensive end Brandon Lang said the team is proud of making it to the Georgia Dome, but that its ultimate goal is playing the next week for the Class AAAA championship. Said Lang: "It just seems like we are getting better and better with every game. We're really coming together as a team. It just seems like losing Thomas Brown [to a broken leg] made everybody play harder. Everybody has taken their level of play to a higher notch."

[Ben E Lou]

Also from tomorrow's AJC:HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS: SEMIFINALS
3 teams continue seasons in Dome

By MICHAEL CARVELL
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Three high school football teams from DeKalb County will be playing in the Georgia Dome this weekend as the football playoffs continue.

Marist, Decatur and Tucker will be playing in semifinal games of the state playoffs on Friday and Saturday in the Dome, which is the site of semifinal games for all classifications.

"Man, it's like a dream to be playing in the Dome," Tucker quarterback D.T. McDowell said. "We'll be playing on the same field that some of NFL's best have played, including someone I look up to -- Michael Vick.

"We're the first Tucker team to ever make it to the Dome, and everyone is pumped up about it. However, at the same time, we're not satisfied with just making it to the Dome. We want to play the following week for the state championship."

Marist, which has played in the state semifinals at the Georgia Dome three previous times, squares off against Thomas County Central at 6 p.m. Friday. Decatur and Tucker are making their Dome debuts on Saturday. Decatur plays Buford at noon, followed by Tucker against Statesboro at 6 p.m.

"The excitement continues to build for our program," Decatur coach Steve Davenport said. "It's great to make it to the Georgia Dome. However, the team knows that this is only one of our goals. Our ultimate goal is to win a state championship."

If both Marist and Tucker win this weekend, they will play each other for the Class AAAA state championship.

DeKalb County had six teams in the state quarterfinals last weekend, with M.L. King and St. Pius losing close games in the fourth quarter. Stephenson was defeated 26-0 by Camden County.

[Ben E Lou]

A rumor spread over the 'net in the last hour, and I just called the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and they are saying it is true.

Statesboro High School fired Head Football Coach Buzz Busby today.

[tucker342]

:eek:

Any word on why?

That's kind of surprising to say the least.....

[Ben E Lou]

Here's the rumor:I wanted to get on here and post the truth about what happened today at Statesboro High School. There was a player on Statesboro’s football team that has Turret Syndrome (unsure if this is correct spelling). This disorder causes him to have disciplinary problems in which he would cuss other players, coaches, or whoever. Busby does not allow this on his team and kicked the kid off the team. Well today, Statesboro High School’s principal called Coach Busby into his office and demanded him to let the boy back on the team and give him a letter for playing football. Busby told the principal that he would allow the kid back on the team since he was ordered to do so, but would not give him a letter, because he did not deserve one. The principal told Busby that he was going to give him a letter, where Busby responded with I refuse and you will have to do whatever it is you need to do. Well the Principal told Busby that he was Terminated! This is coming three days before they appear in the Georgia Dome. This administration has been trying to run Busby off for years and it looks like they finally have achieved their goal. The people of Statesboro should be furious because they may have just caused their hard working young athletes a chance at a State Championship. This is all the information I have now and I will report any other that I receive.

[Ben E Lou]

From this morning's AJC:Statesboro's coach fired in middle of playoff run

By DARRYL MAXIE
Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writer

Schools seldom fire their high school football coach three days before the team plays in the semifinals for the third time in four years.

But Statesboro coach Buzz Busby, who had been preparing the team to face Tucker on Saturday in the Georgia Dome, said he saw it coming. So when principal Ernest Dupree handed him a memo informing him he'd been terminated Wednesday, Busby was hardly surprised.

It, however, set high school fans and Internet chat boards all over the state buzzing - - most critical of Dupree and the Bulloch County Board of Education.

Dupree was unavailable for comment.

Busby, 56, was 54-10-1 in parts of five seasons at Statesboro. He led the Blue Devils to the 2001 Class AAAA championship and Kendrick High to a share of the 1991 Class AAA crown.

The firing centered around Busby's decision to dismiss an unidentified member of the team who seldom plays and has Tourette's syndrome, which saddles its victims with involuntary tics that sometimes include cursing.

"We had a football player who got into a fight with another one of our players after the Ware County game [Nov. 28]," Busby said. "This past Friday night, the same player cursed out an assistant coach at halftime."

So Busby kicked the player off the team on Monday. On Tuesday, he met with Dupree, who demanded that Busby reinstate the player and award him a letter.

"My response was that I would allow him back on the team even though the coaches were against it, but that I refused to letter him," Busby said.

The player would not have met existing requirements for a letter under ordinary circumstances.

[Ben E Lou]

Another article. (The hype is REALLY starting to begin now...)Fan roots for an all-Region 6-AAAA final

By CARLOS FRÍAS
Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writer

Count Brock Ballard among the most devoted of Marist fans.

Although he lives in Colorado, Ballard, a 1995 graduate, listens to every Marist game broadcast over the Internet. He also tunes in online to hear the Friday night high school sports show on 680-AM "The Fan." And he's a regular contributor to The Vent.

Ballard, who played for Marist coach Alan Chadwick for two seasons, knows as much about this year's 12-1 team as any fan in Atlanta.

So, naturally, he's flying into town this weekend for the state semifinals at the Georgia Dome to watch his favorite Region 6-AAAA team -- Tucker.

Brock Ballard may bleed War Eagles blue-and-gold, but his real blood is brother Bill, the head coach at Tucker.

"I wish Marist and the guys over there the best of luck, but [if] they go up against my brother, there's no choice," Brock Ballard, 27, said.

Marist and Tucker find themselves together in the state semifinals, albeit on opposite sides of the bracket. Marist plays Thomas County Central Friday night, and Tucker plays Statesboro on Saturday.

Brock Ballard is cheering for both teams to win their games to set up a region rematch in the state championship game next Friday.

But before the schools can talk about a rematch, they must overcome enormous obstacles this week.

Marist has lost to Thomas County Central three times in the state semifinals since 1996 and has never beaten the Yellow Jackets. And Tucker, making its first appearance in the semifinals, lost to Statesboro, 8-7 in overtime, in 2000, the only other time the teams have met.

Usually, the number of Region 6-AAAA fans dwindles at this point as Marist moves on to solely represent the region in the Dome, where it has appeared in five of the last eight years. But this year, Tucker's contingent of fans will keep the region represented through the weekend.

No doubt coaches, players and fans are focusing on this weekend's games, but should both win, the burgeoning Tucker-Marist rivalry will play out on the grandest stage.

Each team has six victories over their past 12 meetings. Tucker had won two in a row until Marist won 31-19 in the third game of this year. At the time, Tucker was ranked No. 3 in the state, Marist No. 4.

And Brock Ballard was in the stands to watch that earlier meeting. After all the history the Ballards and Marist share, he wouldn't have missed it.

Chadwick said Brock would have been one of the best linemen he had ever coached had Brock not injured his left knee twice, cutting short his junior and senior seasons.

"I really have a lot of respect for what he did for me," Ballard said.

Of course, Bill Ballard's high school memories of Marist are a bit more sour.

Bill, 35, is a 1986 graduate and former linebacker at Henderson High, which is now a middle school, and Marist eliminated his team from the playoffs his junior and senior years.

But soon after, he played defense and special teams at Furman University, where he was coached by Tommy Marshall, now the athletics director at Marist. Marshall, an assistant from 1986 to 1993, coached Bill Ballard through the 1988 Division I-AA national championship victory against Georgia Southern and was his Sunday school teacher during that period.

"He's had a lot of influence on my life," Bill Ballard said. "He's like a second daddy to me."

So both Ballard brothers have played for Marist coaches, but now have vested interests in Tucker's success.

And Chadwick is convinced Bill Ballard plans his year around trying to defeat Marist.

"I don't think Coach Ballard has a life. I'll bet all he does is watch film of Marist," Chadwick joked.

Chadwick even claimed that Tucker plays Marist so tough that brother Brock must have divulged part of Marist's audibles and playbook. "I just know it," Chadwick said.

"To be honest, I never gave my brother any playbooks or anything," Brock Ballard said. "He doesn't need it. He's a great defensive coach."

All conspiracy theories aside, more fans than just Brock Ballard will be hoping for a Marist-Tucker rematch. But no single fan might have as much invested in both teams winning.

All Tucker and Marist have to do now is defeat teams they've never beaten.

"Both games are huge," Brock Ballard said. "I hope Marist wins. I hope Tucker wins. And I hope they play, because it would be a hell of a matchup."

[Breeze]

It's a shame for all parties involved. If the kid really has Tourette's Syndrome and more specifically coprolalia (the condition which causes swearing) it something he can't control and he really shouldn't be punished for it. But I have to say, while Tourette's is probably more common that people realize, coprolalia is very rare. From reading the events in the above posts, I have to wonder if the Tourette's excuse is being used as a way to allow the player to get off from inappropriate actions.

Regardless, the administration should be heavily critisized for their actions. The expulsion of the coach just prior to a semi-final game, where the kids have worked extremely hard to get where they are is inexcusable.

[Ben E Lou]

The AJC ran the following info about the Marist-TCC game in this morning's paper. I'd imagine we'll see the same thing tomorrow about Tucker-Statesboro.]CLASS AAAA (6 p.m.): THOMAS CO. CENTRAL VS. MARIST

By BYLINE
Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writer

Marist has made the playoffs in each of the past 21 seasons, with one state title to show for it. That puts them in Atlanta Braves territory.

But the Braves have been to the postseason 12 straight years and been eliminated by 10 different teams. Marist keeps running into Thomas County Central.

"We try not to focus on that stuff," quarterback Sean McVay said. "Thomas County Central is a great program, and they've come out on top."

Marist has been beaten by other teams during the playoff run, but the Yellow Jackets keep showing up at the Georgia Dome and sending the War Eagles home unhappy.

"It's frustrating because we've lost to them so many times and so close," Marist coach Alan Chadwick said.

The War Eagles are 0-5 against Thomas County Central, three of those losses coming in the semifinals, where twice they have fallen in overtime.

"One year, I guess it was [Joe] Burns' junior year, we had them fourth-and-6; we've got penetration on the play," Chadwick said. "All we've got to do is stop them this one play and we win. Joe makes a little cut on a dig route and made the catch and we went to overtime."

Still, McVay seems to have a sense of perspective about it.

"There's a lot of great teams, and it's really tough to win," he said. "I think it's a tribute to our coaches and players to have us in this position almost every year."

-- Jay Stone / [email protected]

TCC (12-1)

The skinny

Thomasville coach Tommy Welch, whose team lost to the Yellow Jackets 56-26 on Sept. 12, breaks down Thomas County Central:

Offense: They're very sound fundamentally. They're nothing fancy. You don't see many line of scrimmages like that. They come off the ball and they beat people up.

Defense: Their linebackers all run well. They're well-coached and they run to the football. If you're going to get them, you'd better play four quarters and you better be able to match up with size and speed.

AJC rating: 39

Run [9]: (300 yards per game) Simply put, bread and butter. Erik Walden, Moses Cochran and David Dawson have all rushed for more than 1,000 yards.

Pass [6]: (64 yards per game) The Jackets will pass mainly when forced to.

Vs. run [8]: (121 yards per game) Speed all over the field makes them difficult to run on.

Vs. pass [8]: (89 yards per game) After falling behind, a lot of teams have had to throw against the Jackets.

Special teams [8]: Jonatan Abarca puts nearly half his kickoffs in the end zone.

Need to know basis

The history: Thomasville is located 233 miles south of Atlanta, an hour north of Tallahassee. It is known as the Rose City. Thomas County Central won five state championships in six years between 1992 and 1997. Heisman Trophy winner Charlie Ward played for the Jackets, as did former Georgia Tech RB Joe Burns.

Last year: Lost to Thomson 42-27 in the Class AAAA championship game.

MARIST (12-1)

The skinny

Chamblee coach Wade Beale, whose team lost to Marist 31-15 on Oct. 17, breaks down the War Eagles:

Offense: The main thing is to stop the run and force them to pass. Their line does a good job and comes off the ball well. If you stand up on defense, they're going to get to you and move you out.

Defense: They're aggressive and physical. If you're going to have success, you're going to have to throw the football. They're going to get in there tight and stop the run.

AJC rating: 36

Run [7]: (275 yards per game) Michael Ashkouti (1,039 yards) and Sean McVay (967) headline a deep group of runners.

Pass [6]: (85 yards per game) McVay is a capable passer, but the War Eagles would prefer to run.

Vs. run [7]: (142 yards per game) A small but quick front has held opponents to 3.8 yards per rush.

Vs. pass [7]: (99.6 yards per game) Greg Van Volkenburg has double figures in sacks, and the team has intercepted 16 passes.

Special teams [9]: Mike Mattimoe is perfect inside 50 yards on field-goal attempts, while opponents get virtually nothing on punt returns.

Need to know basis

The history: Marist, a Roman Catholic private school in north DeKalb County founded in 1901, was an all-boys military institution until 1971. The War Eagles won the 1989 Class AAA championship, beating Worth County. NBA player Matt Harpring is a Marist alum.

[Ben E Lou]

<center>"Tucker is still a good team and will still go deep into the playoffs. I would even venture to say that we might see them again sometime this year."
Marist Head Coach Alan Chadwick, 9/12/2003</center>

The first half of The Monumental Rematch is now set. Marist defeated TCC 35-21 tonight. I was at the Tucker basketball game tonight. One of the football assistants was there. He said, "Well, I guess our pregame motivational speech for tomorrow is prepared now."Y'all want another shot at Marist???The prospect of the biggest of arch-rivals playing a rematch for all the marbles.... WOW!!! :eek:

[Ben E Lou]

Marist finally gets past Thomas County Central

Michael Ashkouti scored two touchdowns and No. 6 Marist ended a string of frustrating games against Thomas County Central, taking a 35-21 win in a Class AAAA state semifinals Friday night.

The War Eagles (13-1), who won the AAA title in 1989, advanced to play in the state final next week against the winner of Saturday's game between Statesboro and Tucker.

Sean McVay rushed for 56 yards and passed for 57 for Marist, which had lost three previous semifinal games at the Georgia Dome to Thomas Central, including a 35-34 overtime loss in 2002.

Marist took its first lead midway through the third quarter on Ashkouti's 25-yard run. Four plays after Thomas County Central fumbled away the ensuing kickoff at its 10-yard line, Ashkouti scored from a yard out to make it 27-14.

Christopher Ashkouti's 44-yard interception return put the game out of reach.

Erik Walden rushed for 104 yards and passed for 139 Thomas County Central (12-2).

[Ben E Lou]

The AJC has now posted the Statesboro-Tucker preview.CLASS AAAA (6 p.m.): STATESBORO VS. TUCKER

Tucker quarterback D.T. McDowell says he remains committed to the University of Nebraska, which recently fired its coach. However, McDowell said he will listen to other suitors, which include LSU and Auburn, after the playoffs.

McDowell says recruiting is secondary to leading Tucker to the state championship. The strong-armed quarterback is one of the primary reasons the Tigers are making the school's first appearance in the Georgia Dome today.

"Usually you don't have to worry about your defensive backs having to cover receivers 70 yards down the field, but that's not the case with McDowell because he can chunk it that far," Chamblee coach Wade Beale said.

The 6-foot-1, 190-pound senior has passed for 1,333 yards and six touchdowns and has rushed for 605 yards and nine touchdowns. He has had to become more of a visible leader after the season-ending leg injury to tailback Thomas Brown.

"Thomas was a great leader, and I'm doing my best to fill his shoes," McDowell said.

McDowell made the surprise commitment to Nebraska after attending Cornhuskers football camp last summer and building a relationship with since- fired coach Frank Solich.

"I still don't understand how a coach gets fired after winning nine games -- I was hurt," McDowell said. "I'm just waiting to see if they will bring in a better coach than [Solich], and that's going to be tough for them to do."

-- Michael Carvell / [email protected]

STATESBORO (10-2-1)

The skinny

St. Pius coach Paul Standard, whose team lost to Statesboro 20-13 last week, breaks down the Blue Devils on offense and defense:

Offense: They are a smash-mouth team and run the wishbone. They are going to run most of the time. We put 8-9 defenders in the box. You've got to get as many bodies to the point of attack as you can. They don't really throw a lot, but they have a big quarterback who can throw it.

Defense: They are very fast and physical. The two linebackers really stick out to me. If they have any liability or weakness, it's that offenses have been able to hurt them some with passing.

AJC rating: 36

Run [9]: (258 yards per game) They don't make any secret that they are going to pound the ball relentlessly.

Pass [5]: (55 yards per game) Haven't needed to use it much.

Vs. Run [8]: (105 yards per game) Jock Cooper and Tommy Watkins form one of the state's best linebacker duos.

Vs. Pass [7]: (99 yards per game) Not as strong as the rush defense.

Special teams [7]: Kicker has shown strong leg on kickoffs.

Need to know basis

The history: Statesboro is a college town located 55 miles west of Savannah and 86 miles south of Augusta. The high school is two miles from the campus of Georgia Southern University. Statesboro is known as a basketball school, turning out players such as Georgia's Rashad Wright and former Louisville standout Keith Legree. Statesboro won the state championship in football in 2001.

Last year: Lost in the first round to Upson-Lee 14-6.

TUCKER (12-1)

The skinny

Chamblee coach Wade Beale, whose club lost to Tucker 38-3 during the regular season, breaks down the Tigers on offense and defense:

Offense: They are explosive, go for the home-run ball often and get it often. D.T. McDowell is an incredible athlete at quarterback. You can't give him time or it will be a long night. James Swinton was the fastest receiver we saw all year. I know they lost Thomas Brown, but the replacement (Brandyn Young) is not much of a dropoff. They are very balanced.

Defense: They run a 5-3 set and are very aggressive, throwing everybody at you on blitzes. They do a lot of stunts, and it's hard to pick everyone up. It's tough to run, so you've got to figure out a way to throw short passes on them.

AJC rating: 39

Run [9]: (272 yards per game) Most of the linemen are small-college prospects, and Young may be just as highly recruited as Brown next year.

Pass [7]: (113 yards per game) Watching McDowell rifle deep spirals is a thing of beauty.

Vs. Run [8]: (94 yards per game) You've got to watch where defensive end Brandon Lang lines up on every play.

Vs. Pass [8]: (68 yards per game) One of the fastest defenses in the state.

Special teams [7]: Punting game is solid, but may be only average area on team.

Need to know basis

The history: Tucker, located in the northern suburbs of Atlanta, has won the second-most games in DeKalb County history by going 374-178-12 since 1950. Tucker produced the NFL's Patrick Pass and Tennessee's Jabari Davis.

Last year: Lost to Shaw 37-7 in the quarterfinals.

[The_herd]

SD, I've got to ask. You've seen Tucker a lot, of course, and I assume you've seen Statesboro. How do the 2 teams match-up? By just looking at the preview above, it looks like Tucker has the advatage here. Statesboro runs a 1 dimensional rushing attack and appears to have a weak pass defense.

Also, when speaking to the players, are they focused on the game tomorrow? Is there any chance of Tucker looking ahead to Marist?

[Ben E Lou]

Originally posted by The_herd
SD, I've got to ask. You've seen Tucker a lot, of course, and I assume you've seen Statesboro. How do the 2 teams match-up? By just looking at the preview above, it looks like Tucker has the advatage here. Statesboro runs a 1 dimensional rushing attack and appears to have a weak pass defense.

Also, when speaking to the players, are they focused on the game tomorrow? Is there any chance of Tucker looking ahead to Marist? I haven't seen Statesboro this year in person, but I saw some film. They're not going to do anything fancy, but if they get momentum, they will run it down your throat. I would venture to say that no team in the state is as fast as Tucker, even without Thomas. Statesboro doesn't run many sweeps, so that will negate Tucker's speed advantage on defense. However, on the offensive side of the ball, if Tucker can avoid turnovers and penalties, we should be able to move the ball on them, both on the ground and through the air.

The guys I saw at the basketball game tonight are focused, very focused. The ones at the game didn't seem to care whether Marist or TCC won. (Of course, that is a poor sample, because the ones that cared the most ere probably at home watching the game on TV, rather than watching a fairly-meaningless early-season basketball game.) There were only around six or eight football players at the gym tonight, and none of the biggest guns were there. WR Raejon Alexander and DL/LB/FB Hamilton Sims were the most "key" guys there. Ray-Ray and Ham both left the b-ball game early to go home and get to bed. That's definitely a good sign.

I don't think they'll look ahead to Marist. Most of the Seniors were there when we lost 8-7 in the state q-finals to Statesboro on penetration, and they feel we owe 'em one.

Incidentally, I think there will be a webcast next week as well, and I know the game will be on live TV again, so that should clear out most of the potential bandwidth tie-ups.

[Ben E Lou]

More on the Marist game from tomorrow's AJC. (Man, these guys are getting their articles up on the 'net pretty quickly!) I'm posting more and more Marist stuff because, obviously, this is becoming a tale of two teams--a dynasty report with a built-in arch-villain. ;)'Big hearts' finally climb that mountain

This wasn't a hump to get over. A hump is making it through Wednesday, knowing the weekend is just ahead. Or passing a key midterm exam after struggling along. Or getting three of four cavities filled.

No, what Marist faced Friday night in Thomas County Central stretched far beyond a hump, beyond even the perimeter of the game's site, the Georgia Dome.

This was a Stone Mountain-sized obstacle for the War Eagles, whose remarkable run of 21 straight playoff appearances was diluted by their inability to beat seemingly inevitable postseason foe TCC.

Five times going into Friday, Thomas County Central defeated Marist, three times in the state semifinals at the Dome and twice in overtime, including last year's 35-34 thriller.

Well, TCC is a barrier no more. Marist, the only private school still playing, finally overcame its playoff adversary, and handily at that. And so, the War Eagles' 35-21 victory was even more significant than for the right to face the winner of tonight's Statesboro-Tucker game for the Class AAAA championship.

"It's doubly good for us," coach Alan Chadwick said. "Thomas County has been in our way for a while. To take care of business in the Dome -- finally -- and against them, well, it's just huge."

The game opened in a way that seemed ominous for Marist. That is, Thomas County Central drove the length of the field and scored. And before the War Eagles fans could rattle their plastic milk cartons loaded with coins, Marist was down 7-0.

But one of Marist's most engaging attributes is its will. Or, as gutsy running back Mike Ashkouti called it, "heart. That's what we've got. Big hearts."

Unfazed by the Yellow Jackets' early display of dominance, the War Eagles responded with a game-tying touchdown drive of their own, and it was on then. If there were any doubts that this could be the night to get over that mountain, they were erased with Ashkouti's touchdown retort. But it would not be easy.

Thomas County Central had no plans of relinquishing the hold it has held over Marist without a battle. Quarterback Erik Walden, who had been playing with a gimpy knee, made like Barry Sanders on a 23-yard touchdown run during which he juked a defender in the open field and erupted into the end zone. Back on top 14-7, the Yellow Jackets seemed to be in good shape.

Not. With just 26 seconds left in the half, quarterback Sean McVay rolled to his right with a big lineman in urgent pursuit and threw a 42-yard touchdown pass to Anderson Russell, who got behind the defense.

The score was tied at 14, but Marist was just getting started en route to the title game. To get there, a lot had to happen and it did, in rapid-fire succession that jolted the Yellow Jackets as if poked by a stun gun. First, Ashkouti broke the tie with a 26-yard scoring run. Now, it was Marist in the lead, 21-14 with 6:07 left.

Then the War Eagles recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff at the TCC 10-yard line. On fourth-and-goal from the 1, Ashkouti bore in for a 27-14 advantage.

If it was not clearly Marist's game then, it was a few minutes later, when Christopher Ashkouti intercepted Walden's pass and returned it 45 yards for the clinching touchdown. "My little brother, man. Incredible," Michael Ashkouti said. "I love him to death."

The 21-point advantage was insurmountable, the Stone Mountain-sized obstacle was scaled. And there was as much relief as there was joy in the achievement.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally posted by The_herd
SD, I've got to ask. You've seen Tucker a lot, of course, and I assume you've seen Statesboro. How do the 2 teams match-up? By just looking at the preview above, it looks like Tucker has the advatage here. Statesboro runs a 1 dimensional rushing attack and appears to have a weak pass defense.

Also, when speaking to the players, are they focused on the game tomorrow? Is there any chance of Tucker looking ahead to Marist? I want to expand on my response to this.

STATESBORO WINS IF... their physical running game can get rolling early and wear down Tucker's 2-way players
they force Tucker to turn the ball over multiple times
they can find a way to contain Tucker's speed, particularly in the passing gameTUCKER WINS IF... they can take a lead and force Statesboro to throw the ball
D.T. McDowell and the receiving corps can exploit Statesboro's supposed weakness, their secondary
they can avoid costly interceptions

I'd say Tucker would have to considered the favorite in this one. Statesboro struggled mightily to defeat St. Pius X last week, a team that Tucker handled fairly easily. In fact, Tucker looked bored and un-focused against Pius and still won 28-3. The Marist game was the next week, and Pius is a team that hasn't given Tucker a close game in years. I think they WERE looking ahead then. I really don't see that happening this go-round though.

[Ben E Lou]

Heh.

It is supposed to be in the low 40's and raining at game time tonight. The weather would be a big help to Statesboro if this one wasn't under the Dome.

[FargoFreez aka fof playa]

Oh what a catch by Swinton! He hauls in a bullet from DT and lands on his back at the Devils 23.

[FargoFreez aka fof playa]

Good Lawd!...

[FargoFreez aka fof playa]

QB DT McDowell takes the snap from center..
Playaction, McDowell fakes left, rolls left..
Looking for a receiver..
Defense in pursuit..
McDowell takes off to the left..
Decides to take off and switches gears..
Inside the 5!
He dives and he's in the end zone!
What an athletic play!

[The Afoci]

Originally posted by FargoFreez aka fof playa
11 yard run by McDowell evens the score at 14.

This DT McDowell is the real flocking deal. I'm convinced after a few throws and one play. Can you say Michael Ward? Charlie Vick?

After some big defensive plays Tucker is gaining momentum and has the ball back.

It would be a shame to me if he played baseball. The excitement a great athlete can cause in football is amazing to me.

[JonInMiddleGA]

re: McDowell's athleticism

As good as he clearly is, I'm not entirely sure that the kid from Peach County, A.J. Bryant, isn't a better pure athlete. Bryant, sad to say, has comitted to the University of Georgia.

[JonInMiddleGA]

And Brandon Young straps the Tigers to his back

[JonInMiddleGA]

Tucker has handled the ball like it's raining inside the Dome instead of outside :(

[JonInMiddleGA]

Okay, now that was stupid :(

[mckerney]

Originally posted by FargoFreez aka fof playa
I'll update next when the game is over. Better watch!

This dynasty has experienced a significant decline in quality. For shame.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Umm ... have a series of posts just vanished or am I losing my mind?

[Ben E Lou]

Gamble ends roller-coaster game, week

By MICHAEL CARVELL
Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writer

Statesboro spent most of the week mired in controversy but managed to pull together for a 27-24 overtime upset of Tucker in the Class AAAA semifinals Saturday at the Georgia Dome.

The Blue Devils (11-2-1) earned the right to play for the school's first state championship since 2001, although it was under bizarre conditions.

Earlier in the week, coach Buzz Busby was fired by his principal, then rehired by the Bulloch County school superintendent. The controversy involved Busby's handling of a one-time player who has Tourette's syndrome and committed several team violations.

"It has been one of the biggest roller-coaster weeks of my life," Busby said. "I'm so proud of the kids for being able to refocus and win despite a very, very hurtful situation."

In the overtime period, Tucker had the ball first and was forced to kick a field goal after referees said James Swinton was bobbling the ball trying to make a pass reception as he went out of bounds.

The catch would've given Tucker a first down, and replays on the screen in the Georgia Dome appeared to show Swinton made a legal catch.

"When they lined up to kick, I knew we were in a great situation," Busby said. "It's hard for our offense to not pick up 15 yards in an overtime period, and I knew Tucker's defensive front was tired."

Statesboro had fourth-and-1 at the Tucker 6-yard line and went for it. Charles Rock ran 4 yards off tackle for the first down, and teammate Tavius Roberts ran 1 yard for the winning score three plays later.

"We had to go for it on fourth down," Busby said. "We were not going to win a shootout against Tucker with all the talent they've got. With our offense and the way we run the ball, if we couldn't get a yard then we didn't deserve to win."

Tucker had superior talent but was fortunate to extend the game to overtime after turning the ball over five times in regulation. Trey Buice fumbled twice on punt returns that led directly to a pair of Statesboro touchdowns; however, Buice made up for his miscues by stripping Roberts for a turnover inside the Tucker 10-yard line in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter.

Another heartbreaking play for the Tigers was quarterback D.T, McDowell fumbling into the end zone for a touchback with 24 seconds left in the first half.

However, despite all the mistakes, Tucker was able to push the game into overtime, a fact that was not lost on coach Bill Ballard.

"We just kept trying to give the game away and we made some critical errors that hurt us bad," Ballard said. "But we still had a chance to win in overtime, and that's all you can ever ask for . . . a chance to win."

Statesboro 7 7 0 7 6 -- 27
Tucker 7 0 7 7 3 -- 24

T -- Brandyn Young 65 run (Blake Harr kick)
S -- Charles Rock 2 run (Zach Sanders kick)
S -- Tavius Roberts 1 run (Sanders kick)
T -- D.T. McDowell 11 run (Harr kick)
S -- Nick Wedlow 2 run (Sanders kick)
T -- Brandon Lang 2 pass from McDowell (Harr kick)
T -- Harr 32 FG
S -- Roberts 1 run (no kick attempted)

[Nyarlahotep]

Between this and my school's loss in the Indiana State Championship, I have decided domes are cursed.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally posted by JonInMiddleGA
Umm ... have a series of posts just vanished or am I losing my mind? It looks like it, based on some of the quote posts. What's the deal?

[Ben E Lou]

A few game notes/comments from Ol' SkyDog... DE/TE #19 Brandon Lang (3 sacks, 1 TD catch) had the flu. He struggled even to stand up in the locker room at halftime. What a gutsy performance.
Give Statesboro credit for playing 10 yards off of Swinton and thereby taking the deep ball away.
Obviously, you just don't win big games with five turnovers.
The Tucker players were very down at halftime, coming on the heels of the fumble into the end zone for a touchback. Give BIG credit to the coaching staff for getting them back up. I personally overheard Ballard's one-on-one conversation with D.T., who was really brooding and beating himself up for the fumble. Great job getting him ready to play in the second half.
Next year should be interesting in AAAA. Tucker, Shaw, Marist, Ware County and TCC probably were the "best" five teams this year in the classification, and all were heavily senior-laden teams.
I was looking forward to getting to see the locker rooms in the G-dome. Unfortunately, with so many teams playing, we didn't use the real locker rooms, but just some sort of big meeting room. Oh well.
There's nothing quite like the excitement of high school football in the Georgia Dome. Riding MARTA to the game and seeing all of the maroon and gold was just big fun.
Having done YL for 7 years at Tucker, it was great to see SO many alumni there last night. I'm estimating that we had 6,000-10,000 Tucker supporters there last night.


Specifically for Tucker, a very nice nucleus of backs and receivers returns. Having Brandyn Young at RB and Hamilton Sims at FB will match Tucker up favorably with anyone in the state. Likewise, Asher Allen and Trey Buice will be very solid receivers. QB is a bit of a question at this point. There's a soph. named Chad Sims who (imho) is the leading candidate right now. Chad is a hard-nosed, hard-working kid who is an all-around athlete. He doesn't have DT's arm (but who does?), but he's got good speed and lots of fire in his belly.

On the line of scrimmage, it looks like once again Tucker will have four or five horses who will have to go both ways in the big games. Guys who got significant playing time who will return include starting C Will Stewart, starting OLB/DE Tristian Solomon, OT/DT Desmond Williams and OG/DT Jonathan Greer.

Defensively, CB/SS Mike Compton will be a Junior next year, and that kid is the REAL DEAL. I think he'll end up being a D-1 kid. I haven't heard anything, but Mike is getting bigger and stronger every day. With all of the speed and talent Tucker has at the skill positions, I could see Mike having the potential to move to LB on defense, and maybe even the offensive line (like Will Stewart did successfully), if needed.

Tavares Kearney will also be a stud as a Senior next year. I'd imagine he'll end up being one of the better LB/TE/DE's in the state.

I'm guessing that Tucker will at least contend for the Region Championship again next year. I'll probably update this thread when spring practice rolls around.

[JonInMiddleGA]

SD -- It appears the "Fargo Freeze" decided to delete several of his posts after the game ended.

Meanwhile, looking ahead to 2004 ...

We know for sure that Region 6-AAAA will have at least one new playoff representative next year, courtesy of re-alignment.

While Tucker, Marist, & St.Pius all return, South Forsyth moves up to AAAAA (while Dunwoody & Riverwood both drop to AAA)

Chamblee, North Forsyth, North Springs, and Forsyth Central all remain, joined by Etowah, Lakeside, and the new "Northpoint area" school.

BTW, re-alignment also creates a AAA powerhouse region,
matching Peach County, Washington County & Spalding in 4-AAA, along with long-time power Mary Persons. Also loaded up is 2-AAA, with LaGrange, Shaw, and Troup County all together. And that means that the AAA final four will look quite different next year, since these regions will meet in the round of 16 & 8 instead of
4.

[digamma]

Back in LA after my whirlwind trip to Atlanta for the game and back.

Can only echo what da' Dog has said in analyzing the game. Tucker was the better team, I think without question, but they made too many mistakes to win.

Brandon Lang probably played the gutsiest second half of football I've ever seen. He probably needed to be hooked up to an i.v. during the half, yet he came out and had three sacks in the second half and 2 HUGE catches for about 45 yards. If Georgia doesn't have a ship available for him, then the Dawgs must have some kind of recruiting class brewing. Incidentally, Brandon was probably the last person out of the Tucker dressing/meeting room and UGA recruiter Rodney Garner waited the whole time for him.

Unfortunately, this adds to the list of cruel play-off losses for Tucker. We've mentioned the 2000 loss to Statesboro 8-7 in this thread before, but other than that, we've had:
1993--Lost to Columbia by one point in overtime, after Tucker scored with 38 seconds left in OT, and could have won the game by downing the ball. Tucker was ahead on penetration and Columbia was down to their last time out. Tucker decided not to down the ball, however and scored. Columbia threw two bombs, scored with one second left and then converted a two point try to win the game.
1994--Lost to Dublin in overtime in the state semi-finals before they were played in the Dome.
1998--Lost to Creekside in the closing seconds after rallying for two late touchdowns to take the lead. Creekside ran its own two minute drill and scored with under a minute left.

The dome experience yesterday was one of the coolest things I've done in my life. I can only imagine what it must have felt like to be in between the lines.

Also, the emotions of those final five minutes of the game plus overtime were almost too much for me to take and, while I certainly have a relationship to the team and was disguised in coaching gear last night, I cannot imagine what it must be like to have those kinds of ups and downs in the span of such a short time as a high school kid.

I've been around the Tucker program for about 15 years now. I've seen Tucker lose some tough play-off games (as noted above) and for a variety of reasons, last night's was the toughest. Even so, being there to see my kid brother play and my dad coach in the dome is something that I will always treasure.

It was also a really neat experience to get on-line here today and see the interest this team has generated here. Comforting, in a way. Kudos to SkyDog for keeping this up, and thanks to everyone for following along.

[digamma]

I guess I'm not ready to have this thread slip away yet and admit that the season is over....

So, finals predictions?

I'll say Marist 24-6.

[tucker342]

Marist will crush 'em......

24-6 sounds about right

[Ben E Lou]

Marist 35, Statesboro 10.


Which is about what the Tucker-Statesboro score would have been had we been able to hold on to the ball....

[digamma]

Well, Marist wins it 21-6. Congrats to the War Eagles.

Tucker would have given them a much better game.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally posted by digamma
Well, Marist wins it 21-6. Congrats to the War Eagles.

Tucker would have given them a much better game. Indeed. It was 21-0, and pretty much over, by halftime.

[tucker342]

Congrats to Marist..... To bad Tucker didn't get a chance to put them in their place....:(

[Ben E Lou]

The Marist-TCC semifinal game is now archived online. Tucker-Statesboro says "coming soon". Here's a link to Marist-TCC: http://www.gpb.org/gptv/programs/ghsa/asx/Class4A-ThomVsMar-h.asx

[Ben E Lou]

The Tucker game in the Dome is now archived, if you missed it live: http://www.gpb.org/gptv/programs/ghsa/football_semifinals_2003.htm

[Ben E Lou]

Brandon Lang probably played the gutsiest second half of football I've ever seen. He probably needed to be hooked up to an i.v. during the half, yet he came out and had three sacks in the second half and 2 HUGE catches for about 45 yards. If Georgia doesn't have a ship available for him, then the Dawgs must have some kind of recruiting class brewing. Incidentally, Brandon was probably the last person out of the Tucker dressing/meeting room and UGA recruiter Rodney Garner waited the whole time for him.I've been out of town for a few days, and didn't talk to many kids over the break, so I'm just getting this news myself, but the Dawgs finally came around. Sounds like that performance in the Dome made the difference. Brandon will be joining Thomas in Athens next year. :D

[Breeze]

SkyDog,

I heard on the radio this morning that a scumbag broke into the home of Bill Venable last night, shooting and killing him and his 17 year old son, Bill Jr. God, I hope I'm wrong, but I though Bill was the wrestling and football coach at Tucker. If I'm right, my condolences to you, the school, the football and wrestling teams and especially to his family.

Regards,
Breeze

[dixieflatline]

Just a quick followup. Thomas Brown ended up rated as the 33rd best prospect in the nation even with the injury acording to Lemming. Here is the link:

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/recruiting/news/story?id=1597879

Hopefully he will be able to come back 100% and make an impact next year.

[Ben E Lou]

FWIW, he has now been cleared to resume full work-outs, and has started doing so. He'll be heading to Athens for summer school.

[dixieflatline]

That's good to hear. Have you heard anything about DT commitment to Nebraska? ESPN still has him listed as going there but the page hasn't been updated since the coaching change. I also looked for his name on some lists for the MLB draft and couldn't find it so maybe that means football for him.

[Ben E Lou]

Commitment Updates:

FB/LB Jimmy Coleman committed to Tulane this weekend. They're talking OLB/SS as his position.

G/LB Andrew McKain is very close to committing to Air Force. He's visting the Jan. 30-Feb. 2 weekend.

We're gonna have a big ol' signing day party in Tucker on Feb. 4! :D

[Ben E Lou]

Just got back from the football banquet. A few new college commitments:


WR Raejon Alexander and DB Brandon Johnson are headed to Lane College.
I've sort of hemmed and hawed around it, since I don't have a good gauge at what level I "know too much" insider stuff, but Coach Ballard said it publicly tonight with a few "outsiders" present, so I feel comfortable saying this: D.T. is completely up in the air about where he's going to play. "He will sign with someone on Feb
McKain was with us on the trip this past weekend. He has already decided that he's going to Air Force. He'll verbally commit while he's there next weekend.
K Blake Harr is getting close to committing to UAB.


...and here's the biggie. It is now official that, barring major injury, Tucker will continue its incredible string of sending every single starting tailback to a D-1 school. Oklahoma State became the first school in a what I believe will be a long line to offer B.Y. a scholly. Congrats Brandyn!!! :D

The awards, as best as I can remember them:

Phil Payne Award (playing through adversity and injury): FB/LB Jimmy Coleman
Iron Man Award (hardest worker in weight room): Thomas Brown
Venable Memorial Lineman Award: G Ricky Stephens
Kelly Cofer Award (all-around...character, leadership, academics): G/LB Andrew McKain


Key Stats
RUSHING
Brandyn Young: 140 carries, 967 yards, 6.9 ypc, 9 TD's
Thomas Brown: 113 carries, 928 yards, 8.2 ypc, 17 TD's
D.T. McDowell: 96 carries, 642 yards, 6.6 ypc, 8 TD's
Jimmy Coleman: 53 carries, 605 yards, 11.4 ypc, 8 TD's
Hamilton Sims: 32 carries, 185 yards, 6.9 ypc, 3 TD's
Asher Allen: 10 carries, 171 yards, 17.1 ypc, 2 TD's

RECEIVING
James Swinton: 27 catches, 505 yards, 3 TD's
Raejon Alexander: 26 catches, 452 yards, 3 TD's
Brandon Lang: 14 catches, 299 yards, 2 TD's

PASSING
D.T. McDowell: 94 for 158, 1602 yards, 59.5%, 8 TD's, 7 INT's

KICKING
Blake Harr: 52 for 56 PAT's, 7 for 8 FG's (35 long), 73 points
Brad Daniels: 5 for 5 PAT's, 1 for 2 FG's (42 long), 8 points

TACKLES
Andrew McKain: 77 solo, 68 ast, 145 total, 8 TFL
Hamilton Sims: 59 solo, 30 ast, 89 total, 15 TFL
Jimmy Coleman: 45 solo, 34 ast, 79 total, 3 TFL

SACKS
Brandon Lang: 9
Hamilton Sims: 5
Taveres Kearney: 4
Andrew McKain: 2
Jimmy Coleman: 2

[Ben E Lou]

From this morning's AJC: http://www.ajc.com/highschool/content/sports/highschool/0104/29dekarecruit.html

Tucker leads in big-time scholarships

By MICHAEL CARVELL ([email protected])
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

<!--AD CODE-DELETE IF ENHANCEMENTS ADDED--><TABLE align=right><TBODY><TR><TD><SCRIPT src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adj/ajc.cni/sports;ap=sports;pg=sports;sz=300x1;ord=QBk718CoBWUAACBqT3E?"></SCRIPT></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!--END AD CODE-->
Tucker will likely edge out Marist for having the most football players sign major-college scholarships.

The Tigers are expected to have six players sign letters-of-intent on Wednesday, including tailback Thomas Brown and defensive end Brandon Lang, to the University of Georgia. Split end James Swinton is headed to Auburn, fullback Jimmy Coleman to Tulane and linebacker Andrew McCain to Air Force.

Tucker quarterback D.T. McDowell will announce a decision after returning from an official visit to Mississippi State this weekend. McDowell is choosing among the Bulldogs, Louisiana State, Troy State and Nebraska.

McDowell had committed to Nebraska last summer but changed his mind after the school fired its staff. The new regime at Nebraska is recruiting him as an "athlete," which McDowell is not keen about because he has his heart set on playing quarterback. He canceled an official visit to Nebraska this past weekend.

"Mississippi State might be the school to beat, but we'll see," Tucker coach Bill Ballard said. "D.T. really likes Troy State, which would allow him to play both major college football and baseball."

Troy State is a surprise contender for McDowell, who said he is seriously considering the Alabama school. "Most people don't know about Troy State, but it's definitely a team on the rise. It would be neat to be part of building a program."

At Marist, quarterback Sean McVay pulled a minor surprise by canceling his recruiting trip to Duke last weekend and committing to Miami of Ohio. Two Marist players, cornerback Chris Davis and lineman Matt Rumsey, are headed to Duke, and cornerback William Middleton said he will sign with Furman.

Lakeside has at least two players on the way to major colleges: Cornerback Anthony Broadnax to Illinois and safety Will Dunbar to Alabama-Birmingham. Lakeside linebacker Brandon Williams got long looks from many schools, but ended up deciding on Furman.

Lakeside quarterback Jaeson Courseault is headed to Morehouse, and safety Keylon Callaway will sign with Clark Atlanta. Two or three other Lakeside players are still mulling small-college offers, according to coach Bill Harris.

"It's a great thing to see this many of our players earn scholarships because it will make the younger kids want to come out and play football," Harris said.

[Poli]

Good news. Glad to hear about the number of players able to land scholarships.

My high school coach recently left to coach at a nearby town with his son.

It'll be hard to cheer for the Potosi Trojans instead of North County Raiders, but it's something I will have to do.

Coach first, school second. :)

[Blade6119]

my highschool only has one guy getting a college scholarship, and hes a 6-8 320 OL headed to Colorado State

[Ben E Lou]

Oh...here's a nice bit of student-athlete news:

Jimmy, Thomas, Andrew and D.T. were all among those honored at the football banquet on Monday night for having a GPA > 3.0 in the first semester (football season) this year. I *think* Brandon and Swinton were also so-honored, but I can't remember for sure. (They called out their names and had them stand, and Brandon and Swinton weren't very near me. They both seem to be bright kids, so I wouldn't have been surprised to hear their names called, and therefore it wouldn't have stuck hard in my memory. The other four I remember visually, since they were sitting very near where I was.)

[Ben E Lou]

my highschool only has one guy getting a college scholarship, and hes a 6-8 320 OL headed to Colorado StateBesides the six D-1 kids mentioned in that article, there are others who will get schollies at smaller schools (and maybe another D-1 or two as well). The ones I know of that are possibilities

Raejon Alexander--Lane College (committed)
Brandon Johnson--Lane College (committed)
Blake Harr--could end up D-1 also (kicker) at UAB.
Jonathon Jenkins--Davidson, Univ. of South, Furman
Clay Muirhead--Furman, MTSU
Rickey Stephens--several small schools
Steven Roche--Lane College, several other small schools
Santarius Felts--has several Juco options

[Blade6119]

Besides the six D-1 kids mentioned in that article, there are others who will get schollies at smaller schools (and maybe another D-1 or two as well). The ones I know of that are possibilities

Raejon Alexander--Lane College (committed)
Brandon Johnson--Lane College (committed)
Blake Harr--could end up D-1 also (kicker) at UAB.
Jonathon Jenkins--Davidson, Univ. of South, Furman
Clay Muirhead--Furman, MTSU
Rickey Stephens--several small schools
Steven Roche--Lane College, several other small schools
Santarius Felts--has several Juco options

Weve got some guys going to smaller schools as well, but its cool to know some of the other guys around the city. Im good friends with Zach Miller. hes the #1 TE in the nation, and plays for one of our rivals(just picked Arizona State). I also know guys like Marcus thomas(ran for 3,600 yards last season..at UofA). This is a pretty good year for both my states recruiting(Arizona and Missouri), and im lucky enough to know most of the Arizona guys since we play football with them all the time. Im a junior reciever but i have already been contacted by quite a few major D-1 colleges(5 in Pac-10, 2 Big 12, and some of the smaller conferences)...but i just injured my knee wrestling and that may really kill my football career.

[Ben E Lou]

We're having a Super Bowl party here at my new office/digs, and Andrew McKain just got here, fresh from his visit to Air Force. He has now officially committed! :D

[Poli]

Cool. The coach I worked with last season has a son at the AF Academy!

[dixieflatline]

From baseballamerica:


We just completed our AL Central Top 10 Prospects/Early Draft Preview issue,
and draft guru Allan Simpson's preseason Top 100 High School Prospects list contained
six players who are football recruits:

Rank Player, Pos., Hometown College (Pos.)
20 Mike Rozier, lhp, Stockbridge, Ga. North Carolina (QB)
26 Joe Bauserman, rhp, Tallahassee, Fla. Ohio State (QB)
30 Tate Casey, rhp, Longview, Texas Florida (TE)
38 Matt Tuiasosopo, of/rhp, Woodinville, Wash. Washington (QB)
84 D.T. McDowell, rhp/of, Atlanta Nebraska (QB)
94 Ryan Pond, 3b, Chesapeake, Va. North Carolina State (QB)


They were guessing that Bauserman would be a 2nd or 3rd round choice so that would probably would put D.T. somehwere in the middle rounds of the draft. Could be an interesting story to follow.

[Ben E Lou]

From baseballamerica:


We just completed our AL Central Top 10 Prospects/Early Draft Preview issue,
and draft guru Allan Simpson's preseason Top 100 High School Prospects list contained
six players who are football recruits:

Rank Player, Pos., Hometown College (Pos.)
20 Mike Rozier, lhp, Stockbridge, Ga. North Carolina (QB)
26 Joe Bauserman, rhp, Tallahassee, Fla. Ohio State (QB)
30 Tate Casey, rhp, Longview, Texas Florida (TE)
38 Matt Tuiasosopo, of/rhp, Woodinville, Wash. Washington (QB)
84 D.T. McDowell, rhp/of, Atlanta Nebraska (QB)
94 Ryan Pond, 3b, Chesapeake, Va. North Carolina State (QB)


They were guessing that Bauserman would be a 2nd or 3rd round choice so that would probably would put D.T. somehwere in the middle rounds of the draft. Could be an interesting story to follow.Should be. I'll be at signing day at THS tomorrow morning at 9:00am. I may see D.T. tonight at a Tucker B-ball game, but I haven't heard anything new since last week about where he's going to sign. If I hear anything tonight, I'll let y'all know. Otherwise, you'll definitely know by mid-morning.

[General Mike]

Good luck to these kids. I hope they make the right decisions for themselves and don't feel pressure to go to a certain school because of pressure from the family or the media "experts".

[Ben E Lou]

Good luck to these kids. I hope they make the right decisions for themselves and don't feel pressure to go to a certain school because of pressure from the family or the media "experts".For four of the five who have committed to D-1 schools, I can definitely say that has been the case for them, and it may be for the fifth as well:

Thomas: UGA fan from childhood. Close-knit family. Wanted to be close to home. RB situation in Athens not fully settled. Virtual no-brainer here.

Brandon: From day 1 of the process, UGA was his #1 choice. Even though FSU and others had offered, he was just waiting on the Dawgs. (He's the real-life equivalent of an "idolizes" prospect in TCY.)

Jimmy: Has no illusions about the NFL. Wants to be somewhere in the sports medicine field. Tulane is a great school. Great fit.

McKain: Top-notch student. Strong family. Well-disciplined. Strong leader among his peers. (He's on the church league b-ball team that I coach, and I'd be willing to let him be the player-coach on nights when I couldn't be at a game if the league would allow it.) This kid has "military academy" written all over him. I wouldn't be shocked to see General McKain as a member of the Joint Chiefs one day. Seriously.

Swinton: The only one I'm unsure of. He committed to Auburn awfully early, and I'd never heard him talk much about them. However, it sounds like he's going to be on the track team as well there. I don't know much about their track program, but it is nice that he'll be able to do both. Right now, he's a better track man than football player, so maybe they can develop both.

If D.T. is really only drafted in the middle rounds, and Troy State will let him play both sports, that sounds like a great fit for him as well.

[Ben E Lou]

D.T. went with Troy State. He walked into the library undecided. He pulled Thomas outside for quite some time, then came in and talked to Coach Ballard. He was still undecided. They put him last in order of the guys that signed, so he could think a little longer. The entire time he was sitting there, you could see that he was completely tortured. When it came time for him, he had both letters in front of him. He probably waited 60-90 seconds before signing.

I've got pictures up from Signing Day available HERE (http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/thssign2k4.htm)

[Ben E Lou]

http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/tuckersign/Tucker%20Signing%20Day%202K4%20041.jpg

FRONT ROW (L to R): QB D.T. McDowell--Troy State, WR James Swinton--Auburn, LB Andrew McKain--Air Force, RB Thomas Brown--Georgia, DE/OLB Brandon Lang--Georgia, ATH Jimmy Coleman, Tulane

BACK ROW (L to R): Head Coach Bill Ballard, WR Brandon Johnson--Lane, WR Raejon Alexander--Lane, K Blake Harr, Georgia Military College, T Stephen Roche, Lane, T Jonathan Jenkins--University of the South


There may be a few more to come...

[Ben E Lou]

Tucker QB follows his heart to Troy State

By MICHAEL CARVELL ([email protected])
Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writer

<!--AD CODE- MOVE DOWN IF ENHANCEMENTS ADDED--><TABLE align=right><TBODY><TR><TD><SCRIPT src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adj/ajc.cni/sports;ap=sports;pg=sports;sz=300x1;ord=QCFpX8CoBWsAAGsbGdc?"></SCRIPT></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!--END AD CODE-->Tucker quarterback D.T. McDowell provided a great deal of suspense at the school's signing ceremony on Tuesday.

The Tigers had 11 players sign college scholarships. McDowell sat at the end of the table as coach Bill Ballard announced each player's name and college choice. Things got very interesting when Ballard got to his final senior.

"I said, 'Here's our quarterback and I'm not sure where he's going,' " Ballard said. "All the people in the room kind of laughed. Then it got kind of silent."

The outgoing McDowell was suddenly speechless. He had committed to Nebraska earlier in the season but decommitted after the school changed coaches. As he sat at the table, he could not decide between Mississippi State or Troy State. The agony was apparent on McDowell's face as he went back and forth between the two schools for nearly a minute.

McDowell had the hats of both colleges in front of him on the table. He finally picked up the white one, from Troy State. His coaches, teammates and teammates' parents clapped.

"For a second there, it was like, 'Enee meenee miny mo,' " McDowell said. "I just wasn't sure. Then I made up my mind, Then I was undecided again.

"I finally told myself that I had to get control of the situation. I wasn't going to pick the school where the majority of people wanted me to go. I went with the college that was best for me."

McDowell could be the most decorated recruit in the history of Alabama-based Troy State. Assistant Mark Fleetwood, a former coach at Habersham Central, had built a close relationship with McDowell during the past year, and it turned out to be the deciding factor.

McDowell led Tucker to the state semifinals, where it lost to Statesboro. Tucker finished with a 12-2 record.

"Everyone realizes Troy State is not on par with Nebraska, but it was a great fit for D.T," Ballard said. "They are an up-and-coming program, and [McDowell] has a chance to made a huge impact next year."

Mississippi State heavily recruited McDowell in recent weeks, but it was too late because of the relationship he developed during the recruiting process with Troy State.

<!--endclickprintinclude--><!-- start Java setup --><!-- ajc_generic_footer --><!-- end Java setup --><!-- CONTENT ENDS HERE -->

[Ben E Lou]

UPDATE: Spring practice began this week. Despite the loss of such a talented and successful Senior Class, that bunch out there on the field is looking GOOD. It was fun to get to talk a bit on the sidelines with scouts from four different schools today (Maryland, UNC, UConn, UAB). They're all going after B.Y. hard and heavy. Also, Tavares is getting some serious D-1 looks as well. Maryland seems very interested in him. Finally, the most exciting news is that success breeds success: living in a heavily-populated county with 22 high schools and only 3 or 4 strong football schools, we reap some benefits--the father of one of the better young QB's in the county decided that with D.T. graduating, it would be worth it for his son's benefit to move to Tucker. :D

[Ben E Lou]

Thoughts from Spring Practice and the Spring Game:

1. The kids were really playing hard and getting after it. In fact, the 2nd-team defense played with some SERIOUS fire for a while. B.Y. might not get hit as hard the entire regular season as two or three of the licks he took from the backups yesterday. Nice!

2. Rising Juniors Asher Allen and Mike Compton are both looking VERY, VERY good. Asher had a 70+ yard TD run. Looks like Tucker will return at least three D-1 backs next year. Scouts from several major colleges, there primarily because of B.Y. and Tavares, were asking spectators at practice about numbers 21 and 29. :)

3. I don't know where B.Y. is going to stack up nationally, but that boy seems to be getting a *lot* of attention.

4. There is a ton of enthusiasm and excitement around the program in general. There were more non-parents at the Spring Game than I've ever seen in the past, and several former Tigers who are now playing in college dotted the sidelines and the stands, from the small-timers like Robert Reese, Keon Slappy, etc. to blue-chipper Jabari Davis. I think the run to the Dome, followed by the January double tragedy, followed by having so many people present at Signing Day to see 12 kids commit, brought the community together around the football team like never before. Spectator attendance at Spring Practice was *much* higher than normal as well. That energy/closeness/bonding seems to be rubbing off on the kids. After the Spring Game, some good friends of ours had the entire team, all the coaches and a bunch of Tucker football supporters over for a pig pickin'. Over 100 kids in their yard eating BBQ, and visiting with each other and the adults who support them fervently. *GREAT* "family time."

5. I'm guessing that having 6 guys go D-1 this past year put Tucker "on the map" more with major colleges. There were WAY more scouts around than I've ever seen this spring--usually several different BCS Conference schools every time I was there.

6. It should be an interesting year in Georgia Class AAAA. Traditionally strong teams like Marist, Tucker and Thomas County Central all lost very strong senior classes. Shaw is dropping down to AAA, and Statesboro lost their head coach. Those five teams would have been pretty much everyone's top 5 at the end of this year, and shuffle 'em around a little and you'll get close to the top 5 in any given year in the recent past. A couple of solid AAAAA schools are dropping down to AAAA in Northside and Warner Robbins. We could see a big-time "changing of the guard" in the power structure. At the very least, we'll see some Dooley-esque poor-mouthing as Marist, Tucker, TCC and Statesboro supporters all talk publicly to each other about how much talent we've lost, and how we'll be lucky to go 7-3 this year, while privately we'll all still harbor Dome aspirations. :D

[Ben E Lou]

B.Y. has given Maryland a verbal.

[General Mike]

D.T. McDowell was the 593rd overall selection in the MLB Draft. He was selected by the Anaheim Angels.

[Ben E Lou]

D.T. McDowell was the 593rd overall selection in the MLB Draft. He was selected by the Anaheim Angels.Yeah....getting kicked off of/quitting the Tucker baseball team his Senior year probably didn't help his stock very much... :(

[General Mike]

Yeah....getting kicked off of/quitting the Tucker baseball team his Senior year probably didn't help his stock very much... :(

:eek: I was not aware of that. Is he going to play baseball at Troy besides Football, or is he just gonna be a 1 sport superstar?

[Ben E Lou]

1. Got to visit with Thomas a bit this afternoon. He was in town for the weekend. He's loving the competition at UGA, and excited for practice to start.

2. D.T. is in Arizona, playing rookie league ball in the Anaheim organization.

3. The first 2004 6-AAAA Preview is online. Here ya go...

<TABLE width=490><TBODY><TR><TD bgColor=#00aa00 colSpan=2>2004 Football Preview
</TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#fd9455 colSpan=2>
Class AAAA - Region 6
</TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=2>
It was an exciting season for Marist last season on the way to the state championship. The War Eagles didn’t let a loss in their regular-season finale to St. PiusX stop them. Instead, they knocked off then top-ranked Shaw in the quarterfinals, then disposed of state power Thomas County Central in the semifinals. They pounded Statesboro in the championship game. Marist lost a lot of talent off last year’s state championship team, but the War Eagles have enough to make a run at winning the region title and defending their state title. Overcoming the loss of 35 seniors is detrimental to most programs, but Marist should be fine. Some interior linemen have to be replaced on both sides as well as 2003 All-State quarterback/defensive back <!--Default For Sean McVay is to ignore-->Sean McVay. Senior running back <!--Default NodeId For Anderson Russell is 1162513,2004-->Anderson Russell (http://scout.theinsiders.com/a.z?s=37&p=8&c=1&nid=1162513) (6-0, 205) gives the War Eagles a Division I-A prospect on offense. Meanwhile, senior linebacker <!--Default For Andrew Dete is to ignore-->Andrew Dete (6-0, 200) returns to lead the defense.<?XML:NAMESPACE PREFIX = O /><O:P></O:P>

Tucker, the Region 6 runner-up to Marist last season, should make the playoffs again. The Tigers fell short of playing the War Eagles in the state championship game when they lost to Statesboro in overtime in the semifinals. But to approach last year’s success, Tucker must replace players such as quarterback <!--Default For D.T. McDowell is to ignore-->D.T. McDowell, running back <!--Default For Thomas Brown is to ignore-->Thomas Brown and linebacker <!--Default For Brandon Lang is to ignore-->Brandon Lang. Senior running back/defensive back <!--Default NodeId For Brandyn Young is 1190366,2004-->Brandyn Young (http://scout.theinsiders.com/a.z?s=37&p=8&c=1&nid=1190366) (5-11, 180) took over in the offensive backfield midway through the season and played a key role in helping the Tigers to the semifinals. Young has verbally committed to <!--Default NodeId For Maryland is 357,2004-->Maryland (http://maryland.theinsiders.com/). Linebacker <!--Default For Tavares Kearney is to ignore-->Tavares Kearney (6-1, 190) gives Tucker something to build around on defense.<O:P></O:P>

St. Pius X held the distinction of being the only team to beat Marist last year. The Golden Lions used that momentum to make it to the third round of the playoffs before losing to Statesboro. St. Pius might not be quite as talented, but they have enough to challenge for a playoff spot. Safety <!--Default NodeId For Brandon Echols is 1193803,2004-->Brandon Echols (http://scout.theinsiders.com/a.z?s=37&p=8&c=1&nid=1193803) (6-1, 183) is a solid prospect.<O:P></O:P>

Lakeside-DeKalb moves down from Class AAAAA, just missing the playoffs last year. But the Vikings could be a team to watch for. They ended last year with a big win over Southwest DeKalb. Lakeside hopes to carry that momentum into this season.<O:P></O:P>

Etowah is also moving down and should benefit. The Eagles just missed the postseason in 2003.<O:P></O:P>

North Forsyth is also a team to watch for. The Raiders showed signs of turning the corner last season but finished 4-6. With its entire offensive line returning and several talented underclassmen, North Forsyth is expected to be much improved.<O:P></O:P>

Chamblee played well in a win over St. Pius X and losses to Marist and South Forsyth, but poorly in a loss to North Springs. If the Bulldogs can stay consistent, they could make a run at the playoffs.<O:P></O:P>

North Springs and Forsyth Central struggled last season and aren’t expected to play roles in the postseason race. Alpharetta plays its first season and will struggle in a very competitive region.


</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

[Ben E Lou]

YAYYYY!!! First day of practice today. It is conditioning only this week. A few comments...


Junior RB/WR/DB Asher Allen ran a 4.43 for the day's fastest time. Asher is benching over 300 pounds, too, and has gotten quite a bit bigger over the summer. B.Y. has already committed to a D-1 school, but I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't end up getting *serious* competition for starting tailback from Asher. This team just keeps reloading with big-time skill position players. :eek:
FB/NT Hamilton Sims is benching 340 now, and is looking like one big 5'5", 185 pound mass of muscle. He ran a sub-4.6 twice.
Once again, Tucker is going to have to patch an offensive line together, but this time without Coach V. He's been missed much already as a person, but I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up being missed for what he brought to the the table as a coach as well. :(
It must be something in the water in Tucker. 12 scholarship players from a 1200ish-student school, and we'll STILL have a potential D-1 kid at virtually every skill position. :)
This should be an interesting season. I think I mentioned it earlier, but I was talking with several fathers about it again today: Tucker, Marist and Thomas County Central all lost very good senior classes, Statesboro lost their head coach, and Shaw dropped down to AAA. Some mixture of those teams could be your basic AAAA top 5 year in and year out. Last year at this time, it felt like one of Tucker, Marist, Shaw and TCC would win it all, and at the end of the year they were probably the four best teams. At this point this year, it feels like a much more wide-open field.

[Buzzbee]

SD - I think it may be time to start a "Real Life Tucker Dynasty: 2004".

While we've gotten to know BY and the others from this thread, it's a new team, with new players and new challenges (RIP Coach V :( ) so a new thread to reflect this new season is appropriate.

Plus you might get some new followers who might otherwise be put off by a five page thread.



{EDIT: typed 2005, but meant 2004}

[Ben E Lou]

SD - I think it may be time to start a "Real Life Tucker Dynasty: 2005".

While we've gotten to know BY and the others from this thread, it's a new team, with new players and new challenges (RIP Coach V :( ) so a new thread to reflect this new season is appropriate.

Plus you might get some new followers who might otherwise be put off by a five page thread.Good point. I'll start it some time in the next 2-3 weeks. I have to miss the first scrimmage on August 6th due to vacation, but I will probably get the new thread going that week, as I'll have the laptop with me, and expect to get a full report on that scrimmage game. That sounds like the right time.

[CraigSca]

SD,

I know B.Y. has verbaled to MD - any idea why? Was there something in particular that caused him to head that far north? I know in the past MD has had little chance of making inroads that far south. As a MD fan, I'd love to hear if you could shed some light...

[Buzzbee]

I'm guessing Coach Freidgen's time at Tech is helping his Atlanta/Georgia recruiting. But that is just a guess. SD could shed more light.

[Ben E Lou]

2004 Season:

http://dynamic2.gamespy.com/~fof/forums/showthread.php?t=29359

[Ben E Lou]

Since we're right around five years from when this thread was started, I thought I'd do a quick, "where are they now" from every name mentioned in the "Meet The Offense" and "Meet The Defense" posts. Updates in red.<center>MEET THE OFFENSE</center>


QUARTERBACKS

http://rivals100.rivals.com/IMAGES/PROSPECT/PHOTO/DT-MCDOWELL200.JPG
Senior DT McDowell will start for the 3rd year at QB. He's got all the physical tools in the world, and has committed to Nebraska. He threw for over 1500 yards with 12 TD's, and ran for another 13 TD's last year. He's 6'1", and over 190 pounds, with an arm strong enough to throw a 90+ mph fastball. His combination of size, speed and arm strength creates serious problems for high school defenses. He's as fast as many HS running backs, as big as most HS LB's and can throw like a MLB pitcher. Rivals has him ranked as the #13 Dual-Threat QB in his class, and The Insiders has him as the #23 QB overall. Emfinger rates him the #9 athletic QB. DT’s only drawback is that, apart from the little swing pass to Thomas, he doesn’t seem to know what it means to take something off of the ball. A decent number of his incomplete passes have been on fairly short passes that he simply threw too hard for the receivers to hold on to. D.T. accepted a football scholarship to Troy, and signed with the Angels organization despite missing most of his senior season due to being kicked off the team. (In case you didn't pick up on it back then, he was, uh, a bit of a problem.) He was starting by the end of his true freshman year at Troy, but was declared academically ineligible for his sophomore year and never returned. He played in the minors, but was released by the Angels in '07. I'm not sure what he's up to now.

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Senior Raejon Alexander will serve as the backup QB. Rae-Rae is smaller (170ish) and faster (4.5ish) than DT and has a solid arm (the 2nd-best pitcher on the baseball team) but nothing like the cannon that is DT's. Rae-Rae will start at WR, and rivals is listing him as a D1 prospect at that position. Earned a partial scholly to Lane College in football. Decided to play baseball for a small Juco in metro Atlanta, Georgia Perimeter College. Out of athletics now.

BOTTOM LINE: DT is a big-time prospect in both football and baseball. He's big, fast, rifle-armed and experienced, and Raejon is a capable backup.

RUNNING BACKS

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No secret here. The Golden Boy of this team is Thomas Brown (Sr.), and he deserves every bit of accolade. He works harder than anyone in the weight room and on the practice field, and is truly a leader on and off the field. He is a legit 4.35 guy, fast enough to have gotten several offers from major-conference schools at CB. One of the “experts” on Georgia HS football (the guy who runs The Insiders for our state), says that he is both the best RB and the best CB in Georgia this year. Rivals rates him the #31 player in the nation, and the #3 RB overall. He has committed to the Dawgs. He’s in outstanding condition, and in tough games will play every snap on both sides of the ball. For a back with his speed at his young age, he has an uncanny ability to wait on the play to develop before committing. Played four years at UGA. Suffered several injuries including an ACL tear which wiped out half of his junior year, but finished as fifth leading rusher in UGA history. Graduated in 3 1/2 years. Drafted in 6th round by Atlanta Falcons. As of this writing, it looks like he'll make the team as a specialty back/KO returner.

Below Thomas on the depth chart is Brandyn Young (Jr.) B.Y. would be a recognized star on just about any other team. To give you an idea of his speed, as a sophomore last year, he ran the first leg of the 4X100 relay for Tucker (Thomas is the anchor). I haven’t heard an official 40 time for him, but I’m almost certain he’s sub-4.5. B.Y. will start at CB this year, and I’m guessing that next year he’ll be recruited as a D-1 RB or CB. He’s around 6 feet tall, and probably weighs 185 or so. In some passing situations, Thomas will become the single back, with B.Y. in the tight slot as a WB/H-Back. Signed with Spurrier at USC. Red-shirted one year and then left. Sat out a year then went to Tennessee-Martin, where he had a solid year as a backup in '07. INFO (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/player/profile?playerId=173691)

At fullback, Jimmy Coleman (Sr.) and Hamilton Sims (Jr.), both starters on defense, will basically split time, with Jimmy being the starter.

Jimmy has tailback speed (4.5), and was the Region 300M hurdling champion as a Junior. He is right at 6 feet tall, and weighs 195 pounds, and is a “grit” player. He likes to hit, and doesn’t mind blocking. With his speed, on most high school teams he’d play tailback, but he’s not needed there with Thomas and B.Y. Jimmy plays some DE and LB on defense. My guess is that he’ll end up getting a scholarship to play football at a smaller school. Jimmy is also a good safety valve receiver. Scholly to Tulane. He red-shirted a year but decided not to return. He's no longer in athletics.

Ham is a little freak of nature, standing only 5’6”, but he’s listed at 185 pounds, and my guess is that he weighs every bit of that, if not more, and it is nearly all muscle. This guy was benching over 300 pounds by the end of his Sophomore year, and was up to 340 by the end of this summer. :eek: Obviously he has a HUGE leverage advantage when blocking, and that low center of gravity makes him very difficult to bring down. He isn’t overly speedy for this team, but he’s lightning-quick. He played nose tackle last year and created much havoc. This year he’ll start at LB. Scholly to Newberry College in SC as a tailback. (Told ya he was quick ;) ). Injured as a freshman and redshirted. He'll be a Junior there this fall and expects to see significant playing time.

(A side note, Jimmy is quite the drummer, and Ham is EXCELLENT on the piano. Before every game the team goes across the street to First Baptist Church of Tucker and has a pre-game devotional. Different youth workers from the community speak to them. When I speak, we start things out with a little group gospel singing, with Jimmy, Ham and myself providing the band.)

BOTTOM LINE: The backfield is over-the-top outstanding, with even the #2 guys being college prospects. When Tucker runs the option, with these QB's and these backs, it can be absolutely lethal.

RECEIVERS
WR: As you’ve probably picked up by now, Tucker has an abundance of speed, and therefore never is rarely lacking talent at WR. This year is no different. The top two guys are Raejon (mentioned above at backup QB) and James Swinton (Sr, pictured below)
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Swinton is the fastest player on the squad, even slightly faster than Thomas. Suffice to say that no team wants to kick it deep against Tucker, with Thomas and Swinton back there. Swinton is a track guy turned football player. Auburn has offered a football scholarship, and he has accepted. He’s got pretty good hands as well. He’ll be the deep threat, and the more experienced and polished Raejon will be the possession receiver. Raejon is considered a potential D1 kid at WR. Scholly to Auburn for Swinton. Hasn't seen much playing time, but he is slotted for lots this year in Auburn's new spread offense. Chatted with him via IM a couple of days ago, and he is thrilled about the new system. It should be a great fit for a guy with his speed and quickness.

Tucker shuttles in the plays primarily with receivers (although sometimes with the two fullbacks), and therefore Asher Allen (So.) will get his share of playing time.

Asher sat out most of his freshman year with a broken leg, and I didn’t get to see him play. According to one long-time Tucker fan, Asher dominated the Tucker Youth Football League as only Thomas Brown had done in the past though, and he supposedly hasn’t lost any speed from his injury. He looked good in both scrimmages, and has shown in practice that he can play with the big boys. No JV for him this year. He’ll get significant PT as a WR/CB this year. Asher signed with UGA as a cornerback. He saw significant playing time as a nickel back as a true freshman, and started last year as a sophomore. Starting corner this year for the Dawgs.

BOTTOM LINE: At a school with one of the better track programs around, WR’s aren’t that difficult to come by. Rae-Rae, Swinton and Asher will be as good as any receiving corps around.

OFFENSIVE LINE
OK, I can’t give you as detailed a report on all the linemen, but I can tell you about the key guys. We’ll start with the tackles, Steven Roche (pictured) and Clay Muirhead.
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Both are Seniors, go 250-260 pounds, and have the potential to play at small colleges next year. Rivals lists Steven, but not Clay, and I’m assuming that is because Clay did not play last year due to a torn ACL. Clay is a little taller, standing at around 6’3” to Steven’s 6’2”. Roche earned a scholly to Lane College, and Clay to The Citadel. Steven got hurt and has given up football. Clay is a starter on the OL at the Citadel and will be a Senior this year.

I’m only sure of one of the starting guards, and he is the best of the linemen, Senior Andrew McKain (the one on the right in the pic below, with his best friend, FB/LB/DE Jimmy Coleman at the Young Life Halloween Hoedown last year)
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“Insane McKain” passed the 300-pound bench press mark early this summer. This will be his third year as a starter. He’s 6’1” tall, and weighs 215-220 pounds. Andrew will likely play at a smaller D-1 school next year. He’s in GREAT condition, and will play nearly every play at LB and at G. Insane is an all-around athlete, starting at 3B on the baseball team, and a varsity basketball player as well. Andrew earned a scholly to the Air Force Academy. He didn't like the lifestyle and being so far from home, and has transferred to Charleston Southern (like 4 miles from my house). He had to sit out last year, but will start at WLB this year. From what I've seen in practice and the spring game, it looks like he will be a star at this level.

At center, Tucker will use Junior Will Stewart.
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Will’s father and older brother are both tall and slender, but Will has continued to fill out since starting in the weight room as an 8th grader. He was a QB an RB in the TYFL, but moved to TE/FB last year, and the coaches asked him to try to bulk up over the summer for a move to C. He did so nicely, growing to 6’1”, 220 pounds with some heavy eating and hard work in the weight room. Will earned a scholly to Presbyterian College in Clinton, SC. He decided he didn't like the rigors of college football and gave it up. He is currently a Senior at PC and on target to graduate this spring.

Will had two solid preseason games blocking-wise. He and DT did have a few mishandled snaps in the 2nd preseason game last Saturday, which is a concern considering it is his first year, and that the coaches had DT sit out a week and a half of practice to rest a minor injury. The two of them spent some extra time on snaps this week though, and hopefully things will be fine there. Will is also a basketball player.

At tight end, the Tigers will start 6’4”, 225-pound Senior Brandon Lang.

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Brandon is also a kid in great shape who’ll play every snap on both sides of the ball. Brandon is a big-time D1 player as a DE, which we’ll discuss in the next post, but he’s also a very good tight end. He’s got great speed for a guy his size (4.5), and is another all-around athlete, the starting RF on the baseball team. Topsy-turvy college situation for Brandon. He signed with the Dawgs, but wasn't eligible and had to go to Hargrave Military Academy for a year. He wasn't able to get up to UGA's standards there in a year, but Troy offered him a scholly. He had to sit out another year with the transfer. He finally was ready to go last year, but tore his ACL in the 2nd or 3rd game of the year. He is fully recovered and full strength, and will start at DE. He was rated at the Sun Belt Conference's top NFL draft prospect by TSN recently.

BOTTOM LINE: If there is a “weak spot” to the offense, it is the o-line, but that is only by comparison to having BCS Conference players starting at QB, RB and WR. The offense was able to run the ball pretty well in both of the preseason scrimmages, which were against playoff teams from a larger classification.

OFFENSIVE SETS: The Tigers will primarily run out of the "I." However, with all this talent at the skill positions, they will at times come at you with multiple formations. They'll use an H-Back set and Double Wing quite a bit, and every now and then throw in the Pro Set and Single Back/3WR set.

<center>MEET THE DEFENSE</center>

First off, I had some problems with some of the pictures in the above post, so I won’t be posting any in this one.

DEFENSIVE LINE
Siraj Meah, who is around 5’8”, 180 pounds, is the starting middle guard. He’s not that big, but is VERY quick off of the ball, and should create plenty of havoc in the middle of the line. In short yardage situations, Tucker will use a kid who moved to Tucker over the summer who is 6’4”, 280 pounds. I can’t recall his name at the moment, but he wears #79. Steven Roche and Clay Muirhead(starting offensive tackles) will see some time in a rotation at defensive tackle, among others, depending on how their endurance holds up. Siraj was never really a college prospect, and ended his athletic career as a senior at Tucker.

At defensive ends, Jimmy Coleman (FB) will come from the left side, and Brandon Young (TE) will come from the right. Brandon is a major prospect as a DE, listed as the #21 DE in the land by The Insiders, and #18 by Rivals. He is a true speed rusher, running a 4.55 40-yard dash. Florida State is the front-runner right now for his services next year. They’ve offered a scholarship, but he hasn’t accepted yet. He’s hoping that the Dawgs will offer, which they haven’t yet.

BOTTOM LINE: The DL will have solid size and outstanding quickness.

LINEBACKERS
The linebackers are very, very good. Andrew McKain (mentioned at G above) led the team in tackles last year as a Junior. Hamilton Sims (backup FB above) will also start. Both of these guys LOVE to hit. Sims will go to the D-line some, with Jimmy Coleman playing LB.

BOTTOM LINE: Having both starting linebackers benching 300+ pounds is a nice luxury to have. Andrew and Hamilton are going to punish some ball carriers.

SECONDARY
Again, having SO much speed, not many people are going to have much success passing against the Tigers. A Sophomore named Mike Compton will split time at one corner with Junior Trey Buice. Mike moved to Tucker from Oklahoma over the summer. He’s a sophomore. I saw him play a couple of summer baseball games, and I know he’s fast, and he’s got HUGE Earl Campbell-type thighs. Both have speed, but lack a ton of experience. However, the rest of the secondary is very experienced. B.Y. will hold down the other corner. As I mentioned above, I think B.Y. is a D-1 kid in the making. If all goes well with the youngsters at one corner, Tucker will have the luxury of using Thomas as the free safety this year, rather than confining him to one side of the field at CB. His speed and amazing football savvy for his age make this a very good fit for him. Myke signed as a RB with Louisiana Tech. He red-shirted as a freshman. Played in all 12 games on special teams last year. He's likely to get a bit of playing time at RB this year. Trey signed with Ball State. He lettered as a true freshman and has earned two more since. He is now a Senior.

BOTTOM LINE: The secondary is very fast. If the Sophomores can do a good job at one corner, it is lights-out in the secondary.

[sovereignstar]

Asher Allen gets drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the 3rd Round (86th overall) of the 2009 NFL Draft.

[Ben E Lou]

The Falcons signed Swinton to the practice squad today. :)

[Ben E Lou]

Oh, and Brandon Lang won All Sun Belt and is being projected as a 2nd-day pick.

[Ben E Lou]

At tight end, the Tigers will start 6’4”, 225-pound Senior Brandon Lang.

http://rivals100.rivals.com/IMAGES/PROSPECT/PHOTO/BRANDON-LAING4.GIF

Brandon is also a kid in great shape who’ll play every snap on both sides of the ball. Brandon is a big-time D1 player as a DE, which we’ll discuss in the next post, but he’s also a very good tight end. He’s got great speed for a guy his size (4.5), and is another all-around athlete, the starting RF on the baseball team.
Brandon was signed shortly after the 2010 draft as a priority free agent by the San Diego Chargers.

[Ben E Lou]

Brandon was signed shortly after the 2010 draft as a priority free agent by the San Diego Chargers.

San Diego Chargers Preseason: 10 Observations vs. Chicago Bears | Bleacher Report (http://bleacherreport.com/articles/436937-san-diego-chargers-10-observations-from-the-first-pre-season-game#page/5)


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Undrafted rookie linebacker Brandon Lang had a big day for the San Diego Chargers on Saturday.


The 6'4" 256-pound Lang, from Troy University, made an argument for a roster spot by blocking a punt in the third quarter that rolled out of the end zone for a safety as well as hitting second-string quarterback Caleb Hanie to force a fumble.


Lang has a great story (http://www.chargers.com/news/article-1/A-closer-look-Brandon-Lang/84e2309a-0703-4cf5-806e-bd81c909c78f) going from a high school standout to an undrafted rookie. He's going to be a player to watch this pre-season.


Fans Are Apparently Ready For Football

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With the first place San Diego Padres playing the second of a three game set against the San Francisco Giants, the Charger fans showed that they're ready for football season to be back in San Diego.

The total attendance on Saturday afternoon was 55,837. Impressive for a pre-season game. If you didn't think football was popular, regardless of what city you were in, this should prove just how ready fans are for the game to be back.


Defense Swarms The Chicago Bears

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<small class="photo-credit">Stephen Dunn/Getty Images</small>
The Chargers' defense looked solid on Saturday afternoon. Their defensive line held the Bears' running backs to just 1.9 yards per carry as well as coming up with six sacks, two of which came against starter Jay Cutler.

Chargers' safety Paul Oliver had an interception as well as a fumble recovery, undrafted rookie linebacker Brandon Lang had a blocked punt and a forced fumble, Donald Strickland had one sack, and Kevin Burnett was able to get to Cutler on a third down play to stop a drive.


Offensive Line Doesn't Give an Inch

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<small class="photo-credit">Stephen Dunn/Getty Images</small>
The Chargers' offensive line didn't give an inch to Julius Peppers as well as the rest of the Chicago Bears' defense.

They kept Philip Rivers protected through two series and never gave the Bears a single opportunity at a sack through six pass attempts from Rivers.

The Bears only registered one sack of the day which came against Chargers' backup quarterback Billy Volek.


Too Many Penalties

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The Chargers were whistled for nine, count 'em, nine penalties during Saturday's game against Chicago. Three of which were false start penalties against Jeromey Clary in the very first quarter including back-to-back jumps during the second drive of the game.

If this trend keeps up, it's going to kill offensive drives for a talented offensive team. They've got to limit those penalties if they don't want to screw themselves out of field position.

Jeromey, when the ball moves, you move. Got it?


Ryan Mathews Impresses Coaches and Teammates Alike

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<small class="photo-credit">Stephen Dunn/Getty Images</small>
Rookie running back Ryan Mathews tweeted sometime last week that he was not going to "replace LaDainian Tomlinson." Could have fooled me, Ryan.

Before the game even started, Mathews had so much nervousness pent up inside him that he actually had to run back to the locker room to throw up.

Even after that, it seemed his adrenaline was getting the best of him through a few plays, hitting the holes even before his offensive lineman could get there. Mathews said Kris Dielman told him to slow down a little bit during the game. That was just the nerves,” Mathews said after the game. “I was just trying to get out there fast. That was me just overthinking it.”

Besides that, however, Mathews impressed not not only head coach Norv Turner who said, “you trust what you see and I’ve seen him now for three months. He’s got all the things you need to be an outstanding runner. It’s exciting to have him," but also quarterback Philip Rivers.

At one point in the game, Mathews took a handoff in the end zone and ran right over Bears' linebacker Lance Briggs. I'm not sure even Tomlinson could have done that in his prime.


Ah Yes, Football Is Back

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<small class="photo-credit">Stephen Dunn/Getty Images</small>
Sure there was a game going on and sure the fans wanted to see newcomers like Ryan Mathews perform on a bigger stage than what he'd been used to in his college years. But come on, you can't tell me that football fans weren't looking forward to this as well?

With the NFL, and football in general, come the cheerleaders and with one of the best climates on earth come some of the most beautiful women on earth. Luckily for the Charger fans, a few of them are Charger cheearleaders.

Ah yes, football has returned.


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