2005 Tucker Tigers Real-Life Dynasty

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by Balldog

When I first read there was going to be roughly 16 coaches I about crapped then I saw 170 kids on the football team!?!?!?

We only have 77 guys in our whole school district!

I can't imagine.

Does most of the schools Tucker play have that many kids playing?

More on numbers. I saw Ballard yesterday, and he was telling me when I could pick up my sideline pass for the Georgia Dome tomorrow. Then, he chuckled and said, "You should have heard my conversation with [DeKalb County Director Of Athletics] Charlie [Henderson] this week. He 'bout choked when I told him we needed 47 sideline passes. He told me that no other school had asked for more than 10 for non-coaches. We'll have 30 of y'all down there with us."

[digamma]

Originally Posted by SkyDog

More on numbers. I saw Ballard yesterday, and he was telling me when I could pick up my sideline pass for the Georgia Dome tomorrow. Then, he chuckled and said, "You should have heard my conversation with [DeKalb County Director Of Athletics] Charlie [Henderson] this week. He 'bout choked when I told him we needed 47 sideline passes. He told me that no other school had asked for more than 10 for non-coaches. We'll have 30 of y'all down there with us."

If there's a return trip to the Dome in November, he's going to need one more.

[Ben E Lou]

Predictions for this week...

Tucker vs. Americus-Sumter--Ballard wasn't coachspeaking last week when he said that Cedar Grove had improved, so I'm going to believe his comments that Americus-Sumter is bigger than us, and almost as fast. Apparently last week's game wasn't the blowout it looked like. They had a buttload of turnovers. Still, Tigers win, but let's say, 28-14 Tucker.

Paulding County at Marist--Paulding lost a close game to a mediocre Cedartown team last week. Mediocre doesn't beat Marist. Marist wins 35-3

Woodstock at Etowah--Etowah plays their second game against a AAAAA team. It is Woodstock's opener. Last year's game was pretty close. This one will be too, but Etowah squeaks out a 17-14 win.

Chamblee vs. Dunwoody--Dunwoody is Chamblee's natural geographic rival. Dunwoody, though, has dropped down to AAA, and got blown out by Chamblee last year. No reason not to expect the same this year. Roddy runs for 200+ yards as Chamblee wins 31-7.

Blessed Trinity at St. Pius--Blessed Trinity went 2-8 last year, but opened with a win over a team that had spanked 'em last year. They could be much improved, and may just give Pius a game this year in what will be only their fourth year of playing a full slate of games. Pius has owned 'em 88-11 overall in the last three contests. This is probably the most compelling matchup involved a 6-AAAA team next week, and it isn't exactly a thrilling-sounding one. Pius wins 17-13.

Hiram at North Forsyth--Hiram beat Pius 21-3 on Friday night, so this could be a real measuring stick game for North. Look for them to win at home 21-17.

North Springs at Dalton--No reason not to expect pretty much a repeat of last year's blowout. Dalton 42, North Springs 6

Dawson County at Forsyth Central--Dawson beat Central 13-0 last year. FCHS surprised many last week by nearly beating North. Let's go with homestanding Central by a 10-7 count.

Lakeside vs. Stone Mountain--Stone Mountain got spanked by Redan. A 2-0 start could really get the Lakeside faithful pumped up for the Tucker game. I'm heading out the door for this one in a few minutes. I'm going with the Vikings. Lakeside 21, Stone Mountain 10

[Ben E Lou]

WEEK TWO--Friday Night Results

Originally Posted by SkyDog

Paulding County at Marist--Paulding lost a close game to a mediocre Cedartown team last week. Mediocre doesn't beat Marist. Marist wins 35-3

As expected, the War Eagles rolled. FINAL: Marist 42, Paulding County 14

Woodstock at Etowah

--Etowah plays their second game against a AAAAA team. It is Woodstock's opener. Last year's game was pretty close. This one will be too, but Etowah squeaks out a 17-14 win.

Not sure what to make of this one. Woodstock came out in the opener and apparently didn't have any kinks to work out. They spanked Etowah. FINAL: Woodstock 41, Etowah 6

Chamblee vs. Dunwoody

--Dunwoody is Chamblee's natural geographic rival. Dunwoody, though, has dropped down to AAA, and got blown out by Chamblee last year. No reason not to expect the same this year. Roddy runs for 200+ yards as Chamblee wins 31-7.

I mis-read Chamblee's schedule. They are OFF this week. The Dunwoody game is next Friday.

Blessed Trinity at St. Pius

--Blessed Trinity went 2-8 last year, but opened with a win over a team that had spanked 'em last year. They could be much improved, and may just give Pius a game this year in what will be only their fourth year of playing a full slate of games. Pius has owned 'em 88-11 overall in the last three contests. This is probably the most compelling matchup involved a 6-AAAA team next week, and it isn't exactly a thrilling-sounding one. Pius wins 17-13.

Apparently, Blessed Trinity still isn't up to being competitive with their larger-Catholic-school rivals. Pius rolls. FINAL: Pius 31, Blessed Trinity 7

Hiram at North Forsyth

--Hiram beat Pius 21-3 on Friday night, so this could be a real measuring stick game for North. Look for them to win at home 21-17.

North took an early lead and hung on for the win. Pius comes to town next week for a matchup that will help sort out the teams in the middle. FINAL: North 24, Hiram 21

North Springs at Dalton

--No reason not to expect pretty much a repeat of last year's blowout. Dalton 42, North Springs 6

This one was closer than expected. I don't know if Dalton is a little down, or if North Springs has improved. My guess would be the former. FINAL: Dalton 24, North Springs 6

Dawson County at Forsyth Central

--Dawson beat Central 13-0 last year. FCHS surprised many last week by nearly beating North. Let's go with homestanding Central by a 10-7 count.

This one wasn't really even close. Central must have been pumped up to play rival North last week. FINAL: Dawson Co. 26, Forsyth Central 0

Lakeside vs. Stone Mountain

--Stone Mountain got spanked by Redan. A 2-0 start could really get the Lakeside faithful pumped up for the Tucker game. I'm heading out the door for this one in a few minutes. I'm going with the Vikings. Lakeside 21, Stone Mountain 10

This was a fun game to watch. My buddy QB Rob Pope looked quite good, both running and passing. His days are starting to pay off. Dat white boy got some MOVES! LHS had a couple of costly turnovers, including a play where a DE got in the backfield on a draw play and actually TOOK the ball from Rob at full stride, and went all the way for a TD. Still, the Vikings prevailed. Rob made the play of the night, though. In a shotgun, the ball was snapped well over his head. He went back around 8-12 yards to get it. It looked like his first instinct was to fall on it, but he decided to pick it up. Two LB's and a DT were converging on him, but Rob showed some nifty moves, made all three of the bruthas miss, and broke out containment toward the line of scrimmage. JUST before he got to the LOS, he noticed that a receiver was standing 15 yards or so behind the secondary alone. Rob never hesitated; while still running forward at full speed, he threw a perfect strike that turned into a long TD. He released the ball less than a yard from the LOS, too. Very nice play. We'll see how he looks next week against Tucker, but from what I've seen the last couple of weeks, this kid might just be playing on Saturdays before all is said and done.

Tucker is in the Georgia Dome this evening.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Also worth noting on the 2nd weekend of the season, #2 Parkview lost at home to unranked Norcross 14-6. Parkview is a perennial contender in the state's largest classification (and the alma mater of Jeff Francouer). The game turned on a controversial play as referees said a punt bounced & hit the foot of the Parkview return man who let the ball go over his head hoping for a touchback. Norcross thought they downed it at the 1, instead, they had posession at the 1 which they stuck in for a lead that held up for the next 21 minutes. The loss is Parkview's 2nd straight at home in "The Big Orange Jungle" dating back to last year's title game loss to Lowndes County.

[Ben E Lou]

I'd been keeping one bit of info quiet, but Rivals.com was there tonight, and there's already an article posted about it, so I can do no harm by telling about it here now.

Asher dislocated his shoulder in practice on Wednesday. He was in a sling tonight, and is going to miss the Lakeside game next week. We're off the next week, and he should be back for Marist.

At any rate, Compton got the start at tailback and punt returner tonight, and he completely dominated the game. He ran back one punt for a TD, had two TD runs from scrimmage, had yet another punt return TD called back due to an illegal block, and also blocked a punt. (I think he sold concessions and did a dance number at halftime, too. ) Scott Kennedy, head of Scout.com's prospect rankings for the state, was there. I got the pleasure of telling him that Myke was the most under-rated player in the state. He said, "Normally, when people tell me that, I disagree, but I can't really argue with you after what I heard about last week's performace and what I saw tonight." Scott took a good bit of video, including a couple of his big plays, and also did an on-camera interview of Myke after the game. He told us to look for an article soon. Looks like Myke might start gettin' some love now.

The other two players who stood out were Dwayne and Derrick Harris. "Big H to Little H," as it is now being called, was workin' tonight. Little H caught two TD's from Big H tonight, including one frozen rope that split a couple of defenders. I think Derrick had two other catches as well. Great night for him. As I mentioned in comments on last week's games, this sophomore is looking like something special.

The final score was 41-21, but it was nowhere near that close. The argument was settled in the second quarter, when we took a 34-0 lead. A-S's first TD came against a defense with a hybrid of Varsity and JV players, and the other two came against all JVers, with even a few Freshmen sprinkled in.

Former Tigers Thomas Brown, Brandon Lang and Tavares Kearney joined us on the sideline, along with Thomas's roommate, UGA safety Keelin Johnson. TKO had his knee surgery this week, and will miss the season. He confirmed that it was the same injury that bothered him on and off while at Tucker. I also got to hear his side of the story regarding all that junk with the TA.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by SkyDog

Scout.com released their 100-player rankings for the state of Georgia today. They're not as high on Tucker players as Rivals.com. Asher came in at #13 in the state, Dwayne #47, and Myke unranked. Yeah, unranked. Unbelievable is more like it.

Bump. The highlighted-in-red comment is what I was referring to regarding my conversation with Kennedy.

[Ben E Lou]

Brother-to-brother scores big for Tucker

The Harris family had a good time at the Georgia Gridiron Football Classic at the Georgia Dome on Saturday night. And when the Harris family is having a good time, so is Tucker.

The Harris brothers teamed up with tailback Myke Compton to dismantle Americus-Sumter 41-21.

Dwayne Harris, a senior quarterback, hooked up with his sophomore brother, Derrick, for touchdown passes of 14 and 30 yards. Meanwhile, Compton scored three touchdowns as Class AAAA's No. 3-ranked Tigers (2-0) made it a rout by halftime.

"I love having my little brother," said Dwayne Harris, who is being heavily recruited by several ACC programs. "This is like us being in the back yard. When I'm in trouble, I know he'll be there. I know how he plays and how he runs. We have a lot of chemistry."

Tucker scored on its opening possession by marching 76 yards on seven plays. A 25-yard run by Compton and a 34-yard option keeper by Harris set up Compton's

5-yard touchdown run.

On their next possession, punter Joe Rioux's wedge shot put Americus-Sumter (0-2) on its own 1-yard line. Tucker bottled the Panthers up and took over on Americus' 32. Moments later, Dwayne Harris found Derrick on a wheel route for a 20-yard score.

Tucker deflected the Panthers' next punt. On the next play, Compton broke outside and sprinted just inside the pylon for a 22-yard touchdown to make it 20-0. He finished with 118 yards on 10 carries.

After Compton's 72-yard punt return for a touchdown was wiped out on a holding call, undeterred Tucker struck big again. The Harris-to-Harris combo worked for a 30-yard score on the same route they had executed earlier. They connected on four passes for 73 yards.

I don't think I've commented on P Joe Rioux (pronounced like "Rio") in this thread. Joe was the starting QB for the JV team as a freshman, but was injured in practice, his right (throwing) elbow getting shattered. He's had three or four surgeries on it since then, but it'll never be quite the same. He was cleared for football midway through last season, and considered coming out and punting for us then, but decided not to. (Gotta wonder what difference he might have made in the Statesboro game...) At any rate, Joe kicks a great ball. He usually gets it to turn over and has good hang time. The coffin corner punt was executed just perfectly. Joe put it up there with great hang time, and Myke (who else?) was standing there on the one-yard line waiting for it on the first bounce. Joe's also the holder for FG's and XP's. He could prove to be a *very* valuable asset to us this season.


Ironically, had it not been for Joe's injury, I have to wonder whether or not Dwayne would have transferred to Tucker. I know that part of the reason that Dwayne came in was that we had no one waiting in the wings to take over for D.T. Had Joe remained healthy, I'm fairly confident that he would have been the QB-in-waiting.

[Ben E Lou]

A look at Myke Compton.

[Ben E Lou]

A look at Big H (And #5 Little H)

[illinifan999]

That juke that Dwayne put in on the first option in the video was nuts.

[digamma]

What was the Dome crowd like?

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by digamma

What was the Dome crowd like?

Our crowd was pretty good. More alumni showed up than I would have expected. Crowds for some of the other schools (especially Towers) were pathetic. The Americus-Sumter crowd was pretty low. With the mercy rule getting enacted, our game was over early. I rode with the team, so we were out of there well before the Stephenson-Southwest crowd could have been expected to be there. I'd imagine there would be a good crowd for that one.

[digamma]

I wonder what the county's bottom line ended up being on the deal. Great opportunity for the kids--and maybe that's what it is all about--but without knowing the details, I'd guess it may not have been the best idea from a business perspective.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by digamma

I wonder what the county's bottom line ended up being on the deal. Great opportunity for the kids--and maybe that's what it is all about--but without knowing the details, I'd guess it may not have been the best idea from a business perspective.

When we left the tunnel and saw the sparse crowd from the game before us, someone said, "Welcome to the Only Annual Georgia Gridiron Classic." Let's face it, with the low level of football and interest at some of the DeKalb schools, an event like this only works with SWD, Stephenson, Tucker, and maybe Lakeside or MLK. They'll never get Marist to come unless they give 'em a nice compensation package. If they could get fairly-nearby teams will strong followings to play against those four DeKalb teams, as they did in the "DeKalb Football Classic" at Memorial Stadium a few years ago, it might work. Something like:

Stephenson vs. someone like South Gwinnett--strong following, but didn't play in Kell Classic
Southwest DeKalb vs. Griffin
Lakeside or MLK vs. Creekside
Tucker vs. Warner Robins or Northside-Warner Robins

A schedule like that would draw very nice crowds, be *great* for exposure, and would probably *still* be profitable after paying the non-DeKalb schools. I just don't see Charlie Henderson having that kind of vision and flexibility, though.

[Ben E Lou]

Heh. There must not be many good games around metro Atlanta this week. The AJC named Tucker-Lakeside the Game of the Week.

Tucker major test for Lakeside
At 2-0, Lakeside has already won as many games this year as it did during the entire 2004 season.

How good are the Vikings? They'll find out where they stand among the state's and region's elite Friday. Lakeside plays No. 3-ranked Tucker (2-0) in a Region 6-AAAA battle at 7:30 p.m. at DeKalb-Adams Stadium.

It is one of DeKalb County's oldest rivalries. Lakeside leads the all-time series, at 22-15-1, but is coming off a 44-0 loss to Tucker last year.

"We were so young last season and we took a lot of lumps," Lakeside coach Bill Harris said. "This year, we are a year older, a year stronger and a year wiser.

"Tucker is a great test for us. We'd like to keep it close and have a chance to win in the fourth quarter. However, if we have the same thing happen as last year, then we'll just go back to the drawing board and start over."

Tucker has had little go wrong this year. The Tigers won their opening two games against Cedar Grove and Americus-Sumter by a combined 83-24. They appear to be vulnerable to overlooking Lakeside for the showdown with Marist on Sept. 16.

"I can assure you that we are not overlooking any team, especially Lakeside," Tucker coach Bill Ballard said. Lakeside is a rival game to us, and our kids will be ready to play."

Two years ago, the Vikings were one of the area's biggest surprises, posting a 6-4 mark in Class AAAAA. It was the team's first winning record since 1997.

Lakeside had eight seniors sign college scholarships, which made the transition tougher than expected when the program dropped down a classification last season.

"I knew we wouldn't be as good as the year before, but I didn't think we would be 2-8," Harris said. "However, if you look closely at our games last year, with the exception of Tucker and to some extent Marist, we were in every game until the fourth quarter."

GAME OF THE WEEK

• What: Lakeside vs. Tucker

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

• Records, rankings: Lakeside is 2-0 and unranked, while Tucker is 2-0 and No. 3 in Class AAAA. This is the Region 6-AAAA opener for both teams.

• Last meeting: Tucker won 44-0 in 2004.

• Three things to watch: 1. Will Tucker overlook this game for the Marist game in two weeks? 2. Can Lakeside junior Marwin Hooker continue to put up big numbers? He had two touchdown catches, 12 tackles and one interception last week. 3. Will Lakeside quarterbacks Rob Pope and Dwight Hooker be effective throwing the ball?

On the three things to watch...


1. Not a chance. DeKalb just broke up its split-feeder system last year. The current freshmen at Tucker went to 6th and 7th grade in middle school at Henderson WITH kids from Lakeside. From freshmen to seniors, the kids on the Tucker teams *know* the Lakeside kids, which makes them want to beat 'em much more than anyone else. Perhaps when the current 7th graders are Seniors, Tucker might overlook Lakeside. Not now.


2. M. Hooker is a decent player, but not great. He might make a play or two against Tucker, but he won't shine.


3. Rob has pretty good escapability, but he hasn't faced a pass rush anything like Tucker's since....last year's game against Tucker, and we know how that one turned out. I love Rob to death; I just hope he doesn't get hurt. If Harris calls 7-step drops without blocking the back-side guy, Chad Sims will annihilate Rob just like Tavares did last year. D. Hooker is not a legit QB. He had one good drive against Stone Mountain last week, but LHS's hopes rest on Rob, and on RB Brandon Little.


My thoughts on this one...


The Lakeside players and crowd will be *FIRED UP* for this one. I've heard that their students are convinced that they can win. The atmosphere will probably be pretty electric at the beginning, but that will probably change pretty quickly. Having seen LHS's last two games, it is clear that they have no answer for Myke or Dwayne. Rob and Brandon are legit players for LHS, and he might be good for a couple of TD's, but that won't be enough. Even without Asher, Tucker's offense is way too high-octane for Lakeside. Look for something along the lines of a 42-14 win for Tucker.


FACT THAT THE PRESS ISN'T MENTIONING...
2004 Varsity: Tucker 44, Lakeside 0
2004 JV: Tucker 45, Lakeside 6
2004 Freshman: Tucker 41, Lakeside 0
2004 Middle School: Tucker Middle 24, Henderson Middle 6


So, seriously, why do they think that Lakeside is going to magically close the obviously-massive talent gap and play a close game against Tucker? I don't get it.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by SkyDog

So, seriously, why do they think that Lakeside is going to magically close the obviously-massive talent gap and play a close game against Tucker? I don't get it.

Because it's not much of a game of the week if you look at it that way

And it's pretty obvious that the paper is catching a lot of flack for their role as the unofficial p.r. machine for the Gwinnett County schools, so they had to find something to take the heat down a notch.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Because it's not much of a game of the week if you look at it that way

And it's pretty obvious that the paper is catching a lot of flack for their role as the unofficial p.r. machine for the Gwinnett County schools, so they had to find something to take the heat down a notch.

Good points...and they deserve the flack. There are now two sections on high school football online: Gwinnett and "Metro."

[Ben E Lou]

I went to the Tucker vs. Lakeside freshman game at LHS yesterday. Tucker was up 29-0 when I left at halftime. Rob Pope may be forgotten soon around these parts, 'cause now Tucker's got our own fast white boy at QB. I look for Chris Beck to take over as starter in '07. He's a first cousin of former Tucker QB and current Clemson Tiger Gene Pate.

A somewhat-humorous comment came during the game. LHS's varsity finished practice during the game, and walked past us standing on the track. OL/DL Anthony Buda, probably their best lineman, came up and said hello. As mentioned earlier, he was at the Dome on Saturday night. After the general pleasantries, I asked, "Well, big game tomorrow, you feel like y'all are ready?" He leaned over to me and whispered, "I think I'm the only one on the team that knows."

[Ben E Lou]

Finals yesterday...

FRESHMEN: Tucker 49, Lakeside 0
JUNIOR VARSITY: Tucker 35, Lakeside 0


Ol' SkyDog's Region 6-AAAA Predictions For Week 3...

Tucker 42, Lakeside 14--Myke Compton may run for 200 yards tonight.
North Forsyth 24, St. Pius X 10--Raiders make an early-season statement at home as they push toward a second consecutive playoff appearance.
North Springs 24, Forsyth Central 17--North Springs is a bad football team, but they usually have a few athletes. Central is just a bad football team.
Marist 35, Etowah 14--The Was Eagle juggernaut rolls on, with their eyes set on Tucker on 9/16.
Chamblee 28, Dunwoody 14--Roddy Jones is just sick. Remember his name. Chamblee wins against non-region geographical rival Dunwoody.

[Ben E Lou]

Just got back. Lakeside actually led Tucker tonight...









...for about 20 seconds.

LHS did a good job of driving it down the field with short passes in the opening possession. They scored a TD, but a bad snap on the extra point left the score at 6-0. The kickoff was returned to around the 35. One toss sweep to Myke on the first Tucker play from scrimmage, and 65 yards later the scored was tied. McClure hit the extra point, and Tucker never really looked back from there. Compton probably had 15ish carries for 180ish yards on the night as the Tigers rolled 37-6. Dwayne had a bit of an off night, but he did hit Derrick on a jailbreak screen for a TD pass, and ran for another TD.

In other Region 6-AAAA action...

Marist 35, Etowah 7
Chamblee 24, Dunwoody 7
North Forsyth 22, St. Piux X 19 (OT)
Forsyth Central 14, North Springs 12

[JonInMiddleGA]

Really nice Game of the Week pick huh?

Good job t.c.b. by Tucker.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Really nice Game of the Week pick huh?

Good job t.c.b. by Tucker.

Yeah, it was such a Game of the Week that the AJC didn't bother to send a reporter to the game, nor did they do any writeup whatsoever (not even one sentence) as a recap. Nice job, nimrods.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by SkyDog

Scott Kennedy, head of Scout.com's prospect rankings for the state, was there. I got the pleasure of telling him that Myke was the most under-rated player in the state. He said, "Normally, when people tell me that, I disagree, but I can't really argue with you after what I heard about last week's performace and what I saw tonight." Scott took a good bit of video, including a couple of his big plays, and also did an on-camera interview of Myke after the game. He told us to look for an article soon. Looks like Myke might start gettin' some love now.

...and now Rivals.com has jumped on the Compton bandwagon. I just noticed today that he was named their nation-wide "Hidden Gem Of The Week" after his performance in the Dome. Rivals has now bumped him up to two stars. Scout.com still has him at one.

[Ben E Lou]

Asher committed to the Dawgs this morning.

[AlexB]

SkyDog: if it is information that is close to hand for you, I for one would like to know how the ex-Tucker players are doing at college/the pros... (apologies in advance if the answer is Peyton Manning or something!) but are there any ex-Tucker players playing in the NFL?

[digamma]

Patrick Pass is the only player currently in the NFL. Check SkyDog's other thread entitled Tucker Tigers: The College Years for updates on current college players.

Patrick graduated from Tucker in 1996 and went to Georgia. He played minor league baseball along the way, before giving that up to concentrate solely on football. He was drafted by the Pats and has hung around their organization. He's a back-up running back and fullback (but the Pats don't use the fullback very often). He does have three Super Bowl rings though.

[AlexB]

Aha. Gotcha. Cheers for the info, Digamma.

Patrick Pass is one of those guys that really should have worked on being a QB just bacuse of his name. Much like Joey Goodspeed it's an opportnity lost. At least Quentin Jammer had the right idea, playing CB!

I take it Pass was a standout player at Tucker, but at HB?

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Jari Rantanen's Shorts

I take it Pass was a standout player at Tucker, but at HB?

from http://www.patriots.com/team/index.c...yerbio&bio=571
Patrick Pass was born on Dec. 31, 1977 in Scottsdale, Ga. ... Drafted by the Florida Marlins in 1996, and played at Melbourne (Fla.) in the organization’s rookie league that year ... Elevated to Class A Utica in 1997, playing until he had to report to Georgia’s fall camp in August ... Again played in the Marlins minor league system in 1998 ... Gatorade Circles of Champions Georgia region Player of the Year, adding All-American honors from USA Today at Tucker (Ga.) High ... Two-time all-state Class AAA pick by the Atlanta-Journal Constitution and the Georgia Sports Writers Association ... Also earned all-south, Journal-Constitution Top 50 and Macon Telegraph Sweet 16 honors ... Named DeKalb Neighbor Player of the Year ... Three-time All-DeKalb County choice ... Named DeKalb Offensive Player of the Year by the DeKalb Touchdown Club ... Team captain, scoring 13 touchdowns as a senior ... Holds the DeKalb County career-record by rushing for 5,046 yards ... Also excelled in baseball ... Voted Mr. Tucker High by his classmates ... Majored in sociology at Georgia.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by Jari Rantanen's Shorts

SkyDog: if it is information that is close to hand for you, I for one would like to know how the ex-Tucker players are doing at college/the pros... (apologies in advance if the answer is Peyton Manning or something!) but are there any ex-Tucker players playing in the NFL?

As has been mentioned, Pass is in the NFL. At this point, it looks like one alum, Memphis MLB Tim Goodwell, has a shot at getting drafted after this season, and if UGA DT Darrius Swain can get his butt in gear, he could be a star. Here is a link to the "Tucker Tigers: The College Years" thread, where I'm tracking the former Tigers.

[AlexB]

Thanks SkyDog. You said you road with the team, so do you offer a support role along the lines of your church group work?

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by Jari Rantanen's Shorts

Thanks SkyDog. You said you road with the team, so do you offer a support role along the lines of your church group work?

Well, Tucker can't have an "official" team chaplain, but the players have an optional pre-game devotional talk that they can choose to attend on game day. There is a church right across the street from the high school. I am one of the two regular speakers at the pre-game devotional. That particular church isn't quite as connected to the Tucker community as the organization I am; most of their members live across the county line (which is like a mile and a half away) and therefore their kids go to other schools. Point being, the youth pastor of that church is the other regular speaker at the devotional, but he doesn't usually go to many away games, so I end up riding with the team to a good number of those. (That's no slight on Jeff, the guy from the church. If I were in his shoes, I'd be focused elsewhere, too. He only has about 5 kids from THS and TMS combined.)

Basically, at the games, Jeff and/or I are available if kids want us. (I was called out of the stands three years ago by a parent awaiting an ambulance with his kid, who lay there almost dying from a ruptured spleen. I can't say for certain that the two events are related, but ever since then, there's been a least one youth ministry person on the sidelines with the team.) Plus, quite frankly, with many of the kids on the team coming from rough home situations, Ballard wants as many adult males who care as he can get in their lives.

P.S.--I don't do the traditional "church group work," that you may be thinking of. Here is a discussion that further explains what I do.

[Ben E Lou]

A few more pics of players...



In foreground, WR/DB Derrick "Little H" Harris (in maroon shirt) and RB/FB/DB Myke Compton.




(L to R) LB/DE/TE Donnie Hardy, Derrick Harris, and DE/LB Randie Bourne

[Ben E Lou]

A little out of sequence, but I just ran across this recap of Week 2.

05 - Week 2

---

Americus vs Tucker By John V. Brown (4SHOT Sports) Aug 27, 2005, 17:30

Tucker Tigers maul Americus>>

Georgia Dome – lace>Atlanta, GA.lace>

>>

QB Dwayne Harris of Tucker gets ready to shake Maurice Mann of Americus-Sumter.

When your best player is injured, one might not expect to be at maximum potential. But don’t sell that to the Tucker Tigers as they totally demolished the Americus-Sumter Panthers in the third game of the Georgia Gridiron Football Classic at the Georgia Dome by a score of 41-21. By the way, the game was not even that close. >>

Super 11 prospect Asher Allen was injured and not dressed. No problem! Myke Compton and brothers Dwayne Harris and Derrick Harris put on a show that left me in awe of the total team talent and execution that the Tigers displayed.

>>

The Tigers, ranked No.3 in Class AAAA got a stellar performance from Myke Compton who is supposed to be

Americus QB Nate Samas tries to elude the rush of Eric Hall.

Asher Allen’s understudy (hmm) with three touchdown’s. The brother combo of QB Dwayne Harris and WR Derrick Harris hooked up for two beautiful scores on their own. >>

The Tigers were at full throttle from the outset as they marched, ran, trampled or whatever you want to call it down the field on their opening possession. lace>Comptonlace> was spectacular as he scored from five yards out to give the Tigers a 6-0 lead. lace>Comptonlace> earlier on the drive made a beautiful 25-yard run that had the crowd buzzing. Harris, who is smooth as the other side of the pillow at the QB position dazzled the Dome crowd with a 34-yard option keeper that put a couple of Americus defenders on the seat of their pants with what looked to be an Allen Iverson crossover dribble on the synthetic turf. The only miscue on this drive was the missed PAT, but their would be no more of that.

>>

The second period was a display of total domination from every facet of the game for the Tucker Tigers.

WR Derrick Harris of Tucker strolls to glory after catching his 2nd td pass.

The Harris brothers’ got into the act as the Tucker offense took great advantage of excellent field position. Big brother Dwayne threw a perfect strike to his little brother Derrick from 14 yards out to give the Tigers seven more on the board. >>

From that point on the rout was on. The brother combo would strike again in the second period. This time it was from 30 yards out on virtually the same play. Then their was Compton, who electrified the crowd with a beautiful 53 yard punt return for a score. lace>Comptonlace> would add another touchdown on a 22 yard run to give the Tigers a 34-0 halftime lead.

>>

Times were hard for the visitors from lace>Americuslace> but they never gave up as was evidence by their hard nosed play in the second half. QB Nate Samas was a gamer all evening long as he was pressured by the Tucker defense. Samas would lead the Panthers to their first score on the opening drive of the half which was culminated by Curtis Johnson on a 5 yard run.

>>

Game Day Players (GDP)

>>

Tucker – Myke Compton (GDP); Dwayne Harris (GDP); Derrick Harris; Donnie Hardy; Jotis Head; Eric Hall.

>>

lace>Americuslace> – Curtis Johnson (GDP); Maurice Mann (GDP); Nate Samas.

[Ben E Lou]

Since the AJC didn't bother to do a writeup on their "Game Of The Week" , I present this poorly-written article on Tucker-Lakeside from 4shots sports. I guess it is better than nothing...

Lakeside vs. Tucker By Larry Williams/4SHOT Sports Sep 2, 2005, 19:30

Tucker sinks “Vikings” ship!
Compton a Tiger on the loose

Adams Stadium – Atlanta, GA

Tucker is 3-0 and not quite at full strength, just wait to Asher Allen (#21) jions Myke Compton (#29) in the Tigers backfield.

It was a playoff atmosphere as the big crowd entered Adams Stadium for the backyard rivalry game between undefeated Lakeside high School and 3rd ranked (4SHOT Sports rankings) undefeated Tucker High School. Once a power in high school football the “Vikings” from Lakeside have had to take a backseat the last few years to their backyard foe and state powerhouse the Tucker “Tigers”, but this year they felt like it was their turn to make a statement.

Lakeside came out and made an early statement, a pass from QB-Rob Pope to WR-Jake Baker picked up 13-yards and a first down out to the 33-yard line. A few plays later the combo hooked up again for 36-yards to the Tucker 34-yard line. Facing a third won and goal from the 3-yard line Pope found TE-Mike Ganty cutting back across the endzone for the touchdown. The two-point conversion failed making the score 6-0 with 8:52 left in the first quarter.

Lakeside RB-Brandon Little tries to split tucker defenders Cody Davis (#20) and Tristan Carter (#45).

The “Tigers” aren’t ranked 3rd in the state for no reason as they quickly answered back when running back sensation Myke Compton busted loose for 64-yards and a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage. The PAT by K-Steve McClure gave Tucker a 7-6 lead.

The touchdown fired up the “Tigers” defense, a big pass rush by SS-Cody Davis resulted in a sack by teammate LB-Randie Bourne that led to a Lakeside punt. Tucker QB-Dwayne Harris started showing why he is considered one of the best all-around quarterbacks in the state, scrambling for 7-yards and a first down on the 49-yard line. RB-Jarvis Reid almost busted loose breaking several tackles on his way to a 24-yard run. A few plays later Harris dazzled the crowd with a beautiful 19-yard touchdown run that took a lot of air out of the “Vikings” sails. The PAT by McClure made the score 14-6.

Still feeling the heat from the Tucker defense Pope through an errant pass that the “Tigers” DB-Chris Simpson picked off. Needing to do something to slow down the “Tigers” onslaught Lakeside DL-Alex Cody sacked Harris who had a man open deep down field. On third down and thirteen Harris hit his younger brother WR-Derrick Harris with a screen pass that the sophomore turned into a 16-yard gain and a first down on the Lakeside 20-yard line. Compton ripped off 18-yards to make it first and goal as the first quarter came to a close.

Lakeside TE-Mike Ganty scored the "Vikings" only TD of game.

On the first play of the second quarter the Lakeside defense came up with a big play when DB-Dwight Hooker intercepted a Harris pass in the endzone. Tucker DL-Jotis Head is a big-time player and he made a big-time play when he shot down the line of scrimmage and dropped the Lakeside ball-carrier for a loss of 5-yards as the “Vikings” offense was once again forced to punt.

Compton continued to rip up the Lakeside defense ripping off runs of 26 and 12-yards to put the ball on the Lakeside 11-yard line. A few plays later Harris ran a quarterback sneak to score. McClure kicked his third PAT to make the score 21-6.

Lakeside RB-Brandon Little didn’t see a lot of daylight but he ran the ball tough all night as he returned the kick-off out to the 40-yard line. Tucker’s defense really started teeing off on Pope putting the “Vikings in a third down and twenty situation that they were unable to convert.

Tucker DE-Randie Bourne goes head over heels while sacking Lakeside QB-Rod Pope.

Lakeside didn’t need to add any fuel to the fire the Tucker players were already displaying but they did when DL-Alex Cody tackled Harris and held him down a little bit longer causing him to bend his ankle a little. Harris had to be helped off of the field. Chris Simpson replaced Harris at quarterback. A 17-yard run by FB-Tristan Carter gave the “Tigers” a first down. Compton then struck again busting loose for 35-yards and his second touchdown of the game making the score 28-6.

What makes Head Coach Bill Ballard’s Tucker teams so tough is that they never let up and they didn’t in this game as they went on to finish off Lakeside by the score of 37-6 to remain undefeated at 3-0, Lakeside looses for the first time this season dropping to 2-1.

Players of the Game (Game Day Players in Red)



Tucker:

RB-Myke Compton, SS-Cody Davis, QB-Dwayne Harris, DL-Jotis Head, RB-Jarvis Reid, DB-Chris Simpson, DE-Randie Bourne, Offensive Line (Charles McCoggle, Jotis Head, Anthony Cloud, Nick Welch, Cameron Reed)



Lakeside:

WR-Jake Baker, DL-Alex Cody, DB-Dwight Hooker, TE/LB-Mike Ganty, RB-Brandon Little

[digamma]

Go "Tigers."

[Ben E Lou]

WEEK THREE FOUR RECAP

EDIT: Oops! The spirit of Reggie Ball possessed me there when I posted this thread.

Was out of town for the weekend, but I've talked to a coupld of people about the results. Here they are.

Lakeside 37, Forsyth Central 13--I am told that this one wasn't even this close. LHS led around 24-0 at the half and coasted. They may be just be a playoff team.

North Forsyth 35, North Springs 14--That score doesn't tell me all that much. NF hosts Lakeside this Friday, and much will be revealed then.

St. Pius 23, Etowah 6--Hmmm. Etowah is now 0-4. After losing to North Forysyth, Pius really needs to go 2-0 against Lakeside and Chamblee if they want to secure a playoff spot.

Marist 34, Chamblee 14--The War Eagles look like they're ready for the War this week.


It isn't out of the questions that the winners and losers this week will determine the playoff positions for 6-AAAA. It isn't at all hard to picture the following scenario:

1. Tucker-Marist winner
2. Tucker-Marist loser
3. Lakeside-North Forsyth Winner
4. Lakeside-North Forsyth Loser

Of course, there's still a lot of football to be played, but the games this week have huge playoff implications.

IT'S TUCKER-MARIST WEEK!!!

{Checking to see if I have any eligibility left...}

[digamma]

Once again, the Tucker-Marist game will be broadcast on the web at www.gaprep.com. It's a Marist broadcast, so you have to listen to them talk about how bad the officiating is (in other words, they didn't pay them enough), how it's almost unfair what an athletic advantage Tucker has (in other words, we grew the grass longer and watered the field to slow them down), and how Coach Alan Chadwick may walk on water (in other words, there is standing water on the field from their gratuitous watering of it).

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by digamma

Once again, the Tucker-Marist game will be broadcast on the web at www.gaprep.com. It's a Marist broadcast, so you have to listen to them talk about how bad the officiating is (in other words, they didn't pay them enough), how it's almost unfair what an athletic advantage Tucker has (in other words, we grew the grass longer and watered the field to slow them down), and how Coach Alan Chadwick may walk on water (in other words, there is standing water on the field from their gratuitous watering of it).

And if you're in metro Atlanta and looking for a little less biased take...

Media Contact:
Matt Stewart 770-559-7800


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 11, 2005


Comcast to Televise Marist vs. Tucker

Atlanta – Comcast will televise the Marist War Eagles vs. Tucker Tigers @ Adams Stadium for week five of its 14-week, 2005 Chevrolet High School Football Game of the Week broadcast schedule.

The game will be televised live in Atlanta on CSS (Comcast Sports Southeast), Comcast Cable Channel 45, Friday, September 16th at 7:30 p.m.

Marist is 4-0 on the season after beating Chamblee 34-14 Friday night. The War Eagles are ranked eighth in this week’s Atlanta Journal-Constitution AAAA Top-10. Marist also has victories over Benedictine, Paulding County and Etowah, and have won each game by no fewer than 20 points.

Tucker is 3-0 on the season and was off this past weekend after opening its schedule with wins over Cedar Grove, Americus-Sumter and Lakeside-DeKalb. The Tigers have won by an average of close to 27 points. Tucker is ranked third in this week’s AJC AAAA Top-10. This game will likely decide the Region 6-AAAA Championship. The Tigers were a 9-7 winner in last year’s match-up at Marist.

The Chevrolet High School Football Game of the Week will also be simulcast on SportsRadio 790 “The Zone” (WQXI-790 AM).

CSS Sports Anchor Matt Stewart is now in his eighth consecutive season as play-by-play commentator. Chuck Oliver of SportsRadio 790 “The Zone” has taken over full-time color commentator duties this season after appearing in a number of broadcasts in 2004. Chris Cotter has rejoined the broadcast team as sideline reporter after several seasons working Atlanta Thrashers games on radio.

###

[Ben E Lou]

Cross-town rivals to lock up in intense region battle

Wednesday, September 14, 2005 7:03 PM EDT
E-mail this story | Printable Version

By Calleb Obumba

DeKalb Neighbor Sports Editor

Two of DeKalb's heavyweights, Marist and Tucker will clash Friday, in a game that will most likely determine the winner of Region 6-4A.

The stands of Adams Stadium will be swamped, as thousands of fans will be ready to see the highly anticipated match-up between the two perennial powerhouse schools.

The tale of the tape is the usual, both teams are undefeated and ranked in the top 10 in the state. Tucker has owned this heated match-up, winning three out of the last four games between the War Eagles.

Both coaches, who respect each other, look at the game as a challenge for their players.

"Our kids look forward to this game. It's going to be interesting to see how they respond to this early test," said Tucker coach Bill Ballard.

"This is going to be a great measuring stick for us to see how good we are," said Marist coach Alan Chadwick.

The No. 7 War Eagles (4-0, 2-0) have been dominating their opponents, led by a rushing attack that has been wearing and tearing teams, scoring an average of 37 points per contest. Even though Marist has looked flawless at times, don't expect coach Chadwick to toot his horn.

"We have been making progress, but we need to be more consistent on both sides of the ball," said the veteran coach

Fullback Preston Lyons has rushed for over 100 yards in three out of four games, while running backs Stan Hoover and Michael Husack have been a one-two punch for the unstoppable wish-bone offense.

The defense led by defensive tackle Michael Gann, linebacker Wyatt Middleton and corner back Jason Garofalo has been a dominant force for the Marist's swarming defense.

The No. 3 Tigers will enter the game fresh off of a bye week. Tucker (3-0, 1-0) has sent teams to the locker room early in their first three games. The Tigers have outscored their opposition 120-30.

Dewayne Harris, the Tigers dual-threat quarterback has been a headache to his opposing defensive coordinators. Harris and his brother Derrick have been a deadly one-two combo. The two connected three times this season for touchdowns.

However, the Tigers impact player this season has been Myke Compton. Compton, who plays running back, defensive back and returner, has scored five touchdowns this season, leading his team to blowout victories over Cedar Grove [42-3], Americus [42-21] and Lakeside [37-6].

"I call him [Compton] our throwback player, because he will give a 110 percent effort at anything you ask him to do," said Ballard.

In addition, the Tigers will receive a boost on both sides of the ball, as standout running back and corner back Asher Allen will return to the line-up, after sitting out the last game from an injury.

Other players to watch will be defensive lineman Jotis Head, and line backer Donny Hardy. The two must team up to stop the Marist's balanced rushing attack.

[Ben E Lou]

Check out this PDF at the Marist site. Good stuff.

http://www.marist.com/media/sp/pdf_a...cker_Notes.pdf

[Ben E Lou]

[Ben E Lou]

There's a nice writeup on Asher Allen in today's print version of the AJC. The piture and the writeup take up nearly a half a page in the main sports section of the paper. For some reason, it is not online, so I'm re-creating the writeup here. The text is as-is. Formatting is as close as I could get it to the paper's in this environment.

Allen 'great example of a student-athlete'

• The vitals: Allen, a 6-foot, 197-pound senior cornerback/running back, will lead No. 3 Tucker against No. 8 Marist on Friday night.
• Accomplishments: Allen is one of the nation's top prospects, ranked No. 73 overall and No. 5 at cornerback by Rivals.com. Allen committed to the University of Georgia after receiving more than 50 scholarship offers. He missed the past two games with a separated shoulder but has been cleared to play Friday night.
• His coach, Bill Ballard, says: "Asher is a great example of a student-athlete. He excels in the classroom and on the football team. He is a leader for us."

Allen says

• On his shoulder: "It feels good. If I didn't feel 100 percent, I wouldn't be playing. I could've played in those other games, but I sat out as a precaution. I'm ready to go."
• On sitting out: "It was hard, but our team found out that we were more than just one player. There were a lot of people who watched the games who watched the Myke Comptons and other guys who really played well together as a team. For me, I'm just a small part of the puzzle. It was hard to watch, though. I wanted to be out there with my boys. All I could do was to encourage my teammates through the game."
• On staying in shape with the injury: "The big thing was that I couldn't get contact on the shoulder. I still ran springs, did conditioning drills and went through the plays to keep my timing down. I'm in just as good of shape as I was before the injury."
• On Tucker's 3-0 start: "We expect to do well every year at Tucker. We always have high expectations, and I think it's good that our program has reached that point of excellence. No one is acting selfish on our team. We have great chemistry this year."
• On playing Marist: "They have a great team every year. Marist has won state championships. They are very disciplined and well-coached. There always seems to be a lot on the line when we play. It's like a playoff atmosphere because it's so intense."
• On committing to Georgia: "It felt like the right place. I like Coach Mark Richt and the defensive coordinator, coach [Willie] Martinez. Georgia plays big-time football and they are a top 10 team every year. If you have a school like that in your state, why would any player leave the state?"
• On being such a good student (3.4 GPA and 1400 SAT): "My parents made it very clear from the start that grades come first. If I didn't make good grades, then my parents wouldn't let me play sports. I didn't always like that when I was younger, but now I really appreciate it as a high school senior."

THE FAVORITES
A list of some of Asher Allen's favorite things:

• Outfit: "My UGA shirt, some black shorts and flip-flops."
• Movie: "Don't Be A Menace to Society." "It's a parody of 'Boyz in the Hood.' I've seen it more than 30 times."
• School subject: "Math. I like doing the problems and coming to an answer. I've always done well in math."
• Fast food: "Chcken wings and fries from Zaxby's."
• Car: "A 2003 Jeep Liberty."
• Vacation spot: "Home. I like to kick back and relax. I haven't been on a real vacation in a long time."
• Ice cream: "Cotton Candy Explosion from Bruster's."

[Ben E Lou]

Some snippets from the DeKalb section of this morning's AJC (sections with no info on 6-AAAA were removed for this thread):

Prospect watch

Entering the season, scouts were split over whether Tucker's Myke Compton was big and fast enough enough to play at the major college level. With Asher Allen out for four games with a separated shoulder, the 5-foot-10 and 197-pound Compton has flourished at tailback and earned praise from scouts, according to coach Bill Ballard. Allen, who committed to Georgia over 50 other scholarship offers, said he is targeted to return to action this week.



Playoff chase begins

North Forsyth is surprisingly holding down first place in Region 6-AAAA. However, the Raiders have yet to play Tucker or Marist, which are the region's other undefeated teams. Although the season has yet to reach the halfway point, Lakeside coach Bill Harris feels that Friday's game against North Forsyth may end up deciding his playoff chances. Chamblee coach Brent Miller said losing to Marist last week does mean a loss of the team's goals for this season: "We don't base our season on the Marist and Tucker games. We got to keep up our effort every week and win the games that we're supposed to win."



Getting defensive

There's the old saying in football that "defense wins championships." Let's look at some of the area's top defenders from last week:

• Salem's Brett Keenan has a torn ACL but has been allowed to play until the pain becomes too great. Once doctors perform surgery, he will need six months to recuperate. The safety had one caused fumble, recovered another one, and made an open field tackle to prevent a touchdown in the win over Loganville.

• Chamblee's Elliott Tarplin blocked a field goal in the loss to Marist, and safety Micah Anderson had 15 tackles.

• Marist defensive lineman Brent Ducote had two sacks.

• Hayes Burrow of St. Pius X recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown in the win over Etowah.

• Avondale's Greg Boyd blocked a punt and Antonio Scott returned an interception 65 yards for a touchdown in the win over Cross Keys.

• Rockdale's Jawaan Washington returned an interception 35 yards for a touchdown in the loss to Heritage.

• Sanchez Brown of Druid Hills had one sack and two tackles for losses in a loss to Towers.



Big 16 schools power ratings


Class AAAAA-AAAA schools: 1. Marist; 2. Tucker; 3. Stephenson; 4. Columbia (a win this weekend could vault Columbia into state rankings); 5. Salem (so much for rebuilding); 6. Chamblee; 7. Southwest DeKalb; 8. Lakeside; 9. Redan (went back to drawing board in off week); 10. St. Pius X (capable of beating anyone if taken too lightly); 11. Heritage; 12. Rockdale County; 13. Miller Grove; 14. Lithonia; 15. Cedar Grove; 16. Stone Mountain.

[Ben E Lou]

Tucker-Marist a critical duel

By MICHAEL CARVELL
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 09/16/05 When Marist coach Alan Chadwick got up to speak at the DeKalb County football media day in July, he said with a straight face that his team would "be lucky to go 4-6 this year."

It was a surprising statement from a coach who has one of the state's all-time best winning percentages with a 227-36 record in 20 years at Marist.

The War Eagles are 4-0 and ranked No. 8 in Class AAAA entering the showdown with No. 3 Tucker (3-0) at 7:30 tonight at DeKalb's Adams Stadium.

When asked about his infamous words on a hot summer day, Chadwick said he was just joking around or being "facetious" as 21 of his coaching peers looked on. However, Chadwick says he did have some legitimate concerns — and still does — as the War Eagles prepare to play one of their biggest rivals.

Since 1998, the winner of the Marist-Tucker game has won the region championship, and more importantly, home-field advantage in the state playoffs. This year's game between the top private and public school in DeKalb is expected to have the same importance.

"We're a young team, especially at the skills positions," Chadwick said. "We had a decent nucleus of players, but also a lot of question marks. We weren't sure the guys we plugged in were going to do what we wanted them to do."

Chadwick also said he had concerns about the improved competition in Region 6-AAAA: "I thought going into it, there were three teams a lot better than last year. And it still remains to be seen."

When asked to remember Chadwick's July predictions, Tucker coach Bill Ballard chuckled earlier this week. He has had a close-up look at Marist for years and expected this season's team to be just as good as any.

"[Chadwick] tries to downplay his team every year. He is worse than Vince Dooley when it comes to playing down his team's possibilities," Ballard said. "But I guess that's good. You don't want to give your opponent any type of ammunition. And I think he respects all of his opponents."

It is easy to see why the War Eagles have been described as a "bunch of no names" this year. Marist lacks the star power of the past two teams that included Anderson Russell (signed with Ohio State), Chris Davis (Duke) and Sean McVay (Miami-Ohio).

DeKalb County has 10 players on the list of the state's top 75 prospects, including three from Tucker: cornerback Asher Allen (No. 4), quarterback Dwayne Harris (No. 38) and tailback Myke Compton (No. 50).

The list does not include any of Marist's 22 seniors, although defensive Mike Gann, the son of the former Atlanta Falcons player by the same name, is drawing interest from North Carolina, and junior fullback Preston Lyons may be one of the state's top prospects next season.

"I'm not surprised to be 4-0; that's where we expected to be right now," Chadwick said. "I'm pleased with our effort and focus, but there are still several areas which we need to improve upon."

MARIST VS. TUCKER

• When; where: 7:30 p.m. today, Adams Stadium, Atlanta.

• Rankings: Marist is 4-0, 2-0 in Region 6-AAAA and ranked No. 8; Tucker is 3-0, 1-0 and No. 3.

• TV: Comcast Sports Southeast

This rivalry is so close and so fun, it is ridiculous. I went to the Freshman and JV games yesterday at Marist. Both freshman teams came in undefeated, and they played a classic, hard-fought battle. Tucker led 29-22 late, but Marist scored a TD with around 40 seconds left. They then called time out and went for two. They ran the option right. The QB read the DE properly and kept it. He got the ball, oh, 18 inches from the goal line before he was hit as he stretched for the conversion and fumbled. Tucker recovered, and then recovered the onside kick to preserved the 29-28 win. I had to leave the JV game midway through the second quarter. Tucker led that one 12-6 at the time. I haven't heard yet how that one came out. The point, though, is that this will continue to be an outstanding rivalry between two evenly-matched teams who are the undisputed top two for quite some time.


QB Dwayne Harris, FB/DB Myke Compton, OL/DL Anthony Cloud, LB Donnie Hardy and DE Randie Bourne all were there by the end of the freshman game. They seemed very, very excited and focused. Dwayne commented that the Tucker-Marist game last year was the only game in his high school career where it got so loud that he actually was having trouble hearing and being heard. (He transfered to Tucker before last season, so last year was his first Tucker-Marist game.) Pretty raucous for a high school crowd, I'd say.


The disagreement will be settled beginning at 7:30pm. Tucker's head basketball coach is heading up a tailgate starting at 4:30, and the we figure the joint will start filling up around 6:15 or so. I hope to take some pics and video to help capture the scope and atmosphere of this rivalry game.

[Ben E Lou]

Oh, and since Patrick Pass was mentioned in this thread, I should point out that Trey Pass, nephew of Patrick, is one of the stars of the 9th grade team. That's probably another name worth remembering. Also, that fast white boy that I mentioned who is QB'ing the Freshman team, Chris Beck, is looking more and more like the real deal each week. I was out of town most of last week, but his mom and the 9th grade coach both told me an identical story at different times yesterday: Last week, against Stephenson, a snap in the shotgun went over Chris's head. He went back, picked it up, put a couple of jukes on, and then took off and ran for a 70+-yard TD untouched.

Against Stephenson.

Wow.

Dat white boy run so good...

I repeat. This happened against Stephenson.

(For those not from Georgia, Stephenson is generally considered the team with the most speed in the state of Georgia. Tech QB Reggie Ball and UGA RB Kregg Lumpkin are recent grads. They have ridiculous speed. Nobody, but nobody, runs for a 70-yard TD against Stephenson. That just doesn't happen.)

I was talking with Dwayne and Donnie about Chris yesterday, and they said, "Oh, just call him Vick. We don't call him by his name any more. He wears #7, too." Dwayne apparently has been working with Chris some. I noticed the two of them talking a good bit at YL Monday night, and Dwayne said with a grin during the conversation yesterday afternoon, "Yeah, I'm trying to teach him a few things. Get him ready to take over and keep this thang goin' for me." I doubt that Chris will be big enough by next year to get significant varsity playing time, but I see him as the starter as a Junior. He never played football until last year as an 8th-grader, and he was named starting QB of the Tucker Middle Tigers after only 3 or 4 days of practice, a position he never relinquished. He grew up playing soccer, and was very good because he was (surprise) by far the fastest kid on the team. You can't coach speed. Look out, Matt Jones, Chris Beck is gunning for you.

[Ben E Lou]

FWIW, Pius added seven players to the football program, mostly freshman, due to Hurricane Katrina transfers. They added a stud, apparently, in RB/DB Ronald Cousin (http://rivals100.rivals.com/viewpros...p?pr_key=43400). According to the AJC, Cousin has a schollie offer from Miami.

[Ben E Lou]

Tucker tops gutsy Marist

By MICHAEL CARVEL
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 09/17/05 Tucker's Joe Rioux had what he called, "the biggest punt of my career," to preserve a 27-24 victory against No. 8-ranked Marist on Friday.

With less than two minutes remaining in regulation, Rioux's 52-yard punt was downed at the Marist 8-yard line. No. 3 Tucker prevented Marist from getting a first down, then ran out the clock to win DeKalb County's biggest rivalary.

"In big games like this, it just seems to come down to special teams every time," Tucker coach Bill Ballard said. "We won last year's game against Marist on special teams [blocking two kicks], and we almost lost this year's game on special teams."

Rioux's kick spoiled a valiant comeback attempt by Marist (4-1), which trailed 21-3 midway through the third quarter and appeared on the verge of being blown out. Marist's efforts were helped, however, on a critical miscue by Tucker's Donnie Hardy on special teams.

Marist lined up to punt on fourth-and- 20, and Ballard instructed his players to run "a safe return," meaning the team would watch for a fake, then run down the field and set up for blocking.

Hardy's responsibility was making sure that Marist's Keegan Keel punted the ball. However, instead of playing it safe, Hardy went for the block and collided with Keegan. He was charged with roughing the punter, which gave Marist an automatic first down. The War Eagles scored several plays later on a 4-yard run by Preston Lyons to make it 27-24 with 5:51 left.

"I felt like I let the whole team down, and I am going to apologize to the team," Hardy said after the game. "I was just trying to make a big play."

Ballard said that Hardy took it too hard: "These are high school kids and they make mistakes. Donnie otherwise played a heck of a game for us."

Tucker quarterback Dwayne Harris ran for his team's first touchdown, and then passed for two touchdowns with long passes to Chad Sims. Tucker tailback Asher Allen, who has committed to the University of Georgia, carried most of Tucker's offensive load in the first quarter, but was injured shortly before halftime.

Allen, who missed the last two games with a separated right shoulder, reaggravated the injury and was taken off the field. He is unlikely to return to action until the state playoffs.

Since 1998, the winner of the Marist-Tucker game has won the the region championship every year. Marist coach Alan Chadwick was encouraged with his team's rally in the second half.

"We came up a little too short," he said. "We got ourselves in too big of a hole early, and had to score too many points. There were two plays that really hurt us in the second half — a holding penatly that eventually stalled a drive and obviously the long punt [by Rioux] that pinned us back."

Rioux is one of Tucker's most inspirational stories. He played quarterback in the ninth grade and suffered a broken arm in two places. He did not go out for football the last two years, but decided to return as a senior.

TUCKER 27, MARIST 24


Tucker 6 8 13 0 — 27


Marist 0 3 14 7 — 24


T - Dwayne Harris 15 run (kick failed)


M - Colin Gallagher 39 FG


T - Chad Sims 31 pass from Dwayne Harris (Chad Sims pass from Joe Rioux)


T - Chad Sims 56 pass from Harris (McClure kick)


M - Gary Marshall 3 run (Gallagher kick)


T - Jarvis Reid 25 run (kick failed)


M - Preston Lyons 75 run (Gallagher kick)


M - Lyons 4 run (Gallagher kick)

Comments...

1. We are very young, especially on defense, hence the penalties/lack of discipline. We played a bunch of sophomores. Jarvis Reed, the fullback who came in when Asher went down, is only soph. Also, after Asher left, both CB's and two LB's were sophs. (Last year's Tucker freshman team went 6-0 and Marist was the only team to score on them.)

2. Asher most likely has a third-degree separation, and probably won't require surgery. Tucker has a top-of-the-line team doctor in Jon Hyman.
Jon specializes in shoulders and knees. His initial on-field evaluation is that he'll be out four to six weeks. Considering that Tucker only has one other game remaining that might be close, I'd imagine Asher will be shelved until the playoffs. Before he went down, it was very clear that he was the best player on the field.

3. Dwayne Harris had his best game of the year on his 18th birthday. Happy b-day, Dwayne!!!

4. Chad Sims finally had the game everyone thought him capable of having. He has oodles of talent, but hadn't really put it together before tonight. If he can have a few more games like this one, he'll be playing on Saturdays.

5. Thomas Brown was on the sidelines, even though UGA plays tomorrow. He usually comes on off weeks, with another UGA player (often his roomie, Keelin Johnson). With a game tomorrow, guys who are playing can't leave town on Friday night. He was accompanied by none other than the venerable Reverend Doctor Thomas Brown, Senior. Father and son confirmed that TB will not play at all tomorrow against Louisiana Somethingoranother, and seeing Asher re-injure himself seemed to make Thomas feel quite a bit better about that decision.

6. I'm NOT looking forward to facing Preston Lyons again next season (the fullback). That boy is a beast.

7. All in all, a win over Marist is always something to celebrate. Playing the War Eagles every year makes us better and helps us grow up.


And since the cat is out of the bag...

8. Joe Rioux can throw the ball again!!! [img]../../%7Efof/forums/images/smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]As mentioned earlier, Joe (last name pronounced like "Rio") destroyed his elbow and had to have multiple surgeries. (Three, if I recall.) He missed too much time to be seriously considered a candidate for starting QB, but Jon Hyman is an outstanding young up-and-coming orthopedist, and he did a coup[le of radical surgeries to help bring Joe back. They've practiced that play that got the 2-point conversion a good bit, and the throw has been on the money every time. Of course, the coaches were quite content for people to know Joe's story and think that all he could do was hold the ball, and that he wouldn't even run with it for fear of getting hit. Pscyhe.

Tucker's Myke Compton (29) is brought down by a host of Marist defenders after a big gain at Adams Memorial Stadium.




Tucker's Asher Allen (21) eludes the tackle of Marist's Jason Garofalo in the first quarter.









Tucker's Jotis Head pumps up his team before they took the field against Marist.





Tucker's quarterback Dwayne Harris looks down field during the first quarter.






Marist's Preston Lyons is stopped by Tucker's Donnie Hardy (34), Asher Allen (21) and Cody Davis.

[Ben E Lou]

For these rivals, it’s titles or bust

By Curtis Bunn| Friday, September 16, 2005, 11:27 PM

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution


So Marist and Tucker battled it out Friday night at Adams Stadium, a game that annually weighs heavily in Region 6 AAAA playoff positioning and holds a special place to both communities.

Blah, blah, blah.

For these programs, Tucker in particular, essentially it’s championship or bust. The regular season is a necessary distraction, a process that has to be endured.

In the end, though, it is what happens in the playoffs that make the season. The Tigers and War Eagles represent two fine, well-coached and consistent programs. Their seasons are not made by a victory against the other, no matter how important the game is to the postseason seedings and the communities.

They play for championships. Marist has two state titles, the more recent one captured in the magical 2003 run. En route to the title, the War Eagles finally defeated their nemesis, Thomas County Central, which had knocked off Marist five times in the playoffs, three in the state semifinals at the Georgia Dome, twice in overtime.

It was all set up for Tucker to meet Marist in that championship game, but the Tigers were felled by their nemesis in the semis, Statesboro. Tucker lost in overtime in ‘03 and had to endure a long regular season for a chance to finally handle Statesboro in the playoffs.

That chance came on Nov. 19, 2004, at the site of Friday’s clash with Marist, Adams Stadium. Once again, Tucker was dismissed in cruel fashion, losing 15-14 on a field goal as time expired.That night began the long wait for the playoffs and another opportunity at redemption.

To get that shot, though, the Tigers must get through the tortuous regular season. By the looks of things, if Friday night was an indicator, they are primed to be in stellar position for another extended run.

How Tucker continues to come up with such outstanding athletes year after year is remarkable. Quarterback Dwayne Harris (two touchdown passes, one rushing score), receiver Chad Simms (two touchdown receptions), running back Myke Compton — just a trio of the super players on the roster. The sensational running back and cornerback Asher Allen, coming back from a shoulder injury, impressed in his limited duty Friday. But he re-injured the shoulder in the second quarter and did not return.

No worries. The Tigers are stacked with talent on both sides of the ball. They were too big for Marist, too skilled, too good.

At the half, Tucker led 14-3, a margin that was far more significant than it appeared. For all its fundamental excellence, the War Eagles were not physically able, during the course of the game, to hold up against the relentless attacking of the Tigers.

But the lessons learned in meeting Tucker, however hard, certainly will advance Marist’s cause. Hardly is there a team around the War Eagles will have to face that will be as difficult to defend and tough to elude. So, even in defeat, Marist nets a gain.

Meanwhile, for Tucker, the convincing victory against a tough rival was tasty, but not sweet. Rightfully, the Tigers have a championship-or-bust mentality. Sweetness comes with a state title — and whipping Statesboro along the way.

Bunn pretty much hit the nail on the head. Pius, with their new transfer, North Forsyth, who put up 42 against Lakeside last night in a surprise, and Chamblee, with stud RB Roddy Jones, should make Tucker break a sweat and perhaps make the starters have to play 3 quarters, but that should be all for the rest of the season. Tucker should run their regular season winning streak to 26 games without much of a problem, and should dispatch the first playoff foe or two without much more of a problem (especially if Double-A is back). Then, if I'm reading the bracket right, Tucker-Statesboro IV will take place on November 18th.

[Ben E Lou]

WEEK FIVE RECAP

Tucker 27, Marist 24--As has been said before, this one pretty much assures that Tucker will finish #1 in the region, and Marist at #2, meaning Marist will probably have to go on the road for the second round of the playoffs.

North Forsyth 42, Lakeside 20--This is a shocker to me. North has never handled speed well, but obviously they handled LHS pretty well. I'll have to get the scoop on what happened later on. North plays Marist in two weeks, and will probably enter that game at 6-0.

Chamblee 14, Etowah 0--Looking at the scores of their games, it is likely that Etowah is the best 0-5 team in the state. Etowah is now virtually eliminated from a shot at the playoffs. Chamblee plays Pius next week, and that one now has a pretty good chance of determining the #4 seed.

St. Pius 42, North Springs 21--No surprise here. Pius appears to be making a move for the playoffs.

Forsyth Central won a non-region game against a new school.

2005 Football Region Standings: 6-AAAA

School	Region	Overall	Reg Pct	Overall Pct
North Forsyth	4-0	5-0	1.000	1.000
Tucker	2-0	4-0	1.000	1.000
Marist	2-1	4-1	0.667	0.800
St. Pius X	2-1	3-2	0.667	0.600
Chamblee	1-1	3-1	0.500	0.750
Lakeside	1-2	3-2	0.333	0.600
Forsyth Central	1-2	2-3	0.333	0.400
Etowah	0-3	0-5	0.000	0.000
North Springs	0-3	0-5	0.000	0.000