2005 Tucker Tigers Real-Life Dynasty

[Ben E Lou]

2003 Season
2004 Season

Well, here we go. Spring practice begins tomorrow, and the elusive search for Tucker's first-ever state championship begins once again. Several key pieces were lost from last year's 12-1 team, but some big-time players return, and some youngsters should step up to the plate. Tucker's 2004 9th grade team in particular provided lots of promise for this year in beyond, finishing 6-0 with four shutouts, and an aggregate score of 179-21. A quick run-down of the key players lost to graduation:

RB/CB Brandyn Young--leading rusher and shutdown corner heading to USC to play for Spurrier
DE/OLB/TE Tavares Kearney--Nicknamed "TKO" for his habit of sending opposing QB's to the sidelines for the duration of the night, Tavares will be putting on the red and black in Athens in the fall.
DB/WR Trey Buice--Trey bounced back from his nightmare in the Dome (read the 2003 thread for details) to have a strong 2004, and signed with Ball State.
LB Chris Parker--This very bright Tiger is heading off to Georgetown.
FB/MG Hamilton Sims--5'7", 185-pound spark plug will likely be playing tailback at a small school next year..yeah, from the d-line in high school to tailback in college. Tucker has ridiculous team speed for a high school.
C Will Stewart--Will was in many ways the heart and soul of the offensive line.

We also lost two other starting offensive linemen: Marcus Brazil and Johnathon Whitman, key WR/DB's in Quinton Heard, Jarrod Slappy and Quin Robinson, and big defensive lineman Dez Williams.

RETURNING KEY PLAYERS

First off, I'm making guesses on how some of the guys will be used, but those could well change as early as tomorrow when I see where they are on the field. That being said, here we go:

QB Dwayn Harris (Sr.)--Dwayn's family moved to Tucker from Lithonia (another suburb of Atlanta in DeKalb County) after his sophomore year so that he'd be able to showcase his talent at a marquee program. He's got a strong arm, throws a very catchable ball, and is a big, strong, physical QB. He weighed every bit of 190 pounds last season, and probably can put a scare into 4.5 in the 40. He makes good decisions, and is very coachable. As of this writing, Rivals.com is reporting that he has offers from Maryland, Memphis, UNC, Ball State, and Kent. As a Junior, his stats were: 69 for 111, (62.2%), 1310 yds, 9 TD's, 5 INT's. Here is his profile on rivals.com.

RB/DB Asher Allen (Sr.)--Asher is the marquee name on this team. I've already put detailed info about him in this thread, but suffice it to say here that I wouldn't be surprised if he's listed in the Top 100 prospects in the nation. He's a true stud.

FB/DB Myke Compton (Sr.)--Anywhere else, Myke would be a tailback, but Tucker has been Tailback High for the last decade. (Going all the way back to the mid-90's, every Tucker starting tailback has gone on to play in D1.) Rivals is reporting that Myke has offers from Memphis, UNC and Kent to date. I'll get more details tomorrow. Myke is probably a sub-4.5 guy, and he's strong and solid. I woudn't be surprised if I learn tomorrow that he's benching over 300 these days. I also wouldn't be surprised if he moves from FB in high school to TB in college. Rivals profile of Myke.

OL/DL Jotis Head (Sr.)--Jotis is the first true stud lineman that we've had at Tucker in quite some time, and Memphis and UNC have already offered schollies to him. He was weighing around 255 at the beginning of last season, and Rivals reports that he's carrying 270ish on his 6'3" frame now. He's very athletic for a guy his size, too. I'm thinking a school fond of quick DTs will use him there. Rivals profile of Jotis.

OG/MG Anthony Cloud (Sr.)--Tucker seems to always start a lineman or two who are 5'7" or shorter, but who are strong and solidly built, and Anthony is cut from that mold. Anthony is a real spark-plug: a VERY vocal player who can always be counted on to help fire up the rest of the team. He might have a shot at a small-college scholly.

WR/OLB Chad Sims (Sr.)--Chad is another fireball. He's a very good all-around athlete. Kamikaze player on special teams last year, and got some work at LB and WR. Chad's probably 6'0", 180 pounds, pretty cut, sub-4.6, and could play a number of different positions, depending on where they most need him. I suspect he'll be one of the starting WR's this year, and play either LB or SS on defense. I'm not sure who is set to be the backup QB this year, but I'm thinking that he is probably in the mix for that as well.

FB/LB Donnie Hardy (Sr.)--Donnie is a similar player to Chad, but I don't think he's as fast. My best guess is that he'll start at LB, and be the #2 FB.

LB Charles McCoggle (Sr.)--Solidly-built player who got more and more playing time as the year went along last year. He's probably right around 6'1", 190 pounds. I'm thinking that he'll start at LB, and perhaps on the offensive line. However, if some of the big ol' boys I'll mention later get it done in the weight room this summer, Charles would probably only play LB.

RB/CB Tracy Lewis (So.)--Tracy was probably the best player on the dominant freshman team this fall. I saw him working out yesterday, and he looks like he's ready to get some playing time. He's up in the 165-170 range, and I'd imagine he could get some work at WR/RB/DB.

DE/OLB Randie Bourne--Randie got a good bit of playing time this fall, and could be ready to step up. He's been working out since the season with a trainer who has trained several NFL players.

VARIOUS BIG OL' BOYS--We've got at least five players who were in the 240-280 range last year returning, none of whom got much playing time last year on Varsity. They were all more heavy than they were strong. They've been served notice that could be the key to Tucker winning it all. One of them is the son of a former NFL lineman. I'll let y'all know which ones end up looking good. The coaches must have noticed some motivation in one of them, Marquis Harris, as he has a listing on rivals. The good news for Tucker is that four of the five guys mentioned will only be Juniors next year.

TRANSFERS--Rumors always abound of stud athletes moving to Tucker. The only one I've heard from someone who would know is that a big, bad 250+ pound tight end is either moving or has already moved. If that's true, a guy like that would probably also be used on the defensive line as well.

COACHING STAFF--My understanding is that football programs in DeKalb County are only given money for 6 coaches per school for all three programs (V/JV/9th). Tucker had 14 in 2004, and I've heard we've only lost one, and are gaining three new ones. Every one of the new coaches we've gotten in the last 2 or 3 years played at the collegiate level or higher.

PRELIMINARY OUTLOOK: My best guess right now is that everything really depends on the "various big ol' boys" mentioned above. If they are diligent in spring practice and in the weight room this summer, then Tucker is one of the best 2 or 3 teams in the state. If they're not ready to be solid starters in the fall, Tucker will still contend for the Region Championship, but probably won't be much more than a quarterfinal team.

[Ben E Lou]

151 kids showed up yesterday to get equipment for Spring Practice. A very reliable source told me yesterday that we'll be dressing around 90 players for Varsity games this year.

[Ben E Lou]

DATE	OPPONENT	LOCATION	TIME	HOME/AWAY
5-Aug	Clarke Central	Athens	7:00pm	Away
12-Aug	Buford	Buford	7:00pm	Away
19-Aug	Cedar Grove	Avondale Stadium	7:30pm	Away
26-Aug	Americus	Georgia Dome	7:30pm	Away
2-Sep	Lakeside	Adams Stadium	8:00pm	Away
9-Sep	OPEN
16-Sep	Marist	Adams Stadium	7:30pm	Home
23-Sep	Etowah	Etowah	7:30pm	Away
30-Sep	Chamblee (HC)	Adams Stadium	7:30pm	Home
7-Oct	St. Pius X	Adams Stadium	8:00pm	Home
14-Oct	Forsyth Central	Forsyth Central	7:30pm	Away
21-Oct	North Forsyth	Adams Stadium	7:30pm	Home
28-Oct	North Springs	North Springs	7:30pm	Away

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by SkyDog

151 kids showed up yesterday to get equipment for Spring Practice. A very reliable source told me yesterday that we'll be dressing around 90 players for Varsity games this year.

We now have 167 kids out for football. Not everyone has a helmet yet, but the booster club is coming up with the cash.

[Ben E Lou]

RECRUITING UPDATE
From the looks of things, Asher might be more heavily recruited than Thomas even, and might commit later than Thomas did. Pete Carroll from Southern Cal called Asher's dad on Sunday with a "Visit Request." Also, based on my conversation with an assistant coach from Tech yesterday, RB/DB Compton, QB Harris, FB/LB Hardy, OL/DL Head, and WR/LB Sims all will get multiple D1 offers before all is said and done. Add Notre Dame to Asher's list of written offers. Bill Lewis, I think, brought one with him to practice yesterday. Asher also has nearly 40 verbal offers now.

[Ben E Lou]

Spring practice is rolling along very well. It looks like at least two of the "various big ol' boys" are going to make an impact this fall. Marquis Harris and Cedric Penn both appear to be stronger and slimmer than they'd been, but both are easily topping 260.

As far as the transfers, three in particular have caught my eye. The big, bad tight end from Southwest DeKalb is bigger and badder than I'd heard. He's around 6'4" or 6'5", in the 240-250 range, and is currently only a rising Junior. He's got great feet and provides a nice big target for Dwayn in the middle of the field. Another kid, whose name I haven't pick up, is wearing #24 in practice. He's 5'10-180lb versatile athlete. He could play WR/DB/OLB/RB, depending on the need. He'll be a Junior, also. Finally, there's a rising Senior lineman named Jose. Jose's not very tall, but he's quite strong and has good technique. He probably won't be a starter, but he could give some quality minutes on the o-line and d-line.

Other tidbits...

OL/DL Anthony Cloud, who grew up playing fullback, has been carrying the ball some (and looking quite good) during Oklahoma drills. Short-yardage back?

RB/DB Tracy Lewis (who is Thomas Brown's cousin, by the way), is working with the first team offense at Z. I mentioned the rising sophomore earlier, but I wanted to highlight him again, because the only sophomores to be on the first team offense at Tucker in the last few seasons have been named Thomas Brown, Asher Allen, and D.T. McDowell.

The college scouts have gotten too numerous to count and identify. With spring practices going on all over metro Atlanta, some are coming and going, just getting a glimpse at a prospect, saying hello during a break, or having a quick conversation with his dad on the sidelines. There were a dozen or so in and out of practice yesterday. Kentucky and UTC stayed for pretty much all of practice.

Note on the schedule above: the Buford and Clarke Central games are both preseason scrimmages. Cedar Grove is the first game of the regular season. The Americus game got moved to the Georgia Dome as part of an early-season showcase of big-time players called the "DeKalb County Classic." My guess is that the games against Americus and Marist have the best chances of being televised. The Marist game, as always, will be available live on internet radio.

The numbers have topped 170 now. That's unreal. It is official that we're going to dress 92 for Varsity games this year. Plus, Ballard is trying to figure out a way to also dress every freshman who works out at least three times a week this summer and misses no fall practices for the Americus game in the Dome. Smart move. In most seasons, we add 10-15 more freshmen once school starts. I wouldn't be shocked if there are 80 kids on the freshman team by the time their season starts. By comparison, most of the freshman teams they play against will have less than 30.

Speaking of numbers, Georgia re-classifies every other year. Tucker is one of the smallest AAAA schools right now, and, wtih the 2006-'07 season numbers, is slotted to drop down to AAA, as is Marist. There are some truly horrid teams in the AAA region that Tucker and Marist would be in. Their only Region competition would be one another, plus they'd have some even bigger blowouts than they already have now. The AD's from the two schools talked last week, the conversation basically being, "Hey, are y'all gonna play up? We'll play up if you play up." The plan is for both schools to petition to continue to play in AAAA in 2006-'07.

[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?

[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?

No. My understanding is that only two other schools in Georgia have that many kids out there--both of which are *much* larger than Tucker. Most teams we play against this year will dress 40-50 kids for Varsity games. Some will have as few as the six county-provided coaches--and that's for FOUR teams (Varsity/JV/Freshman/Middle School).

[DeToxRox]

Five away games to start the year?

Brutal.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by DeToxRoxDVHStyle

Five away games to start the year?

Brutal.

Not really. The only one of those games that is truly "away" is the first one, which is only a preseason scrimmage. Buford (also a preseason scrimmage) is maybe 15 miles up I-85 from Tucker. Avondale Stadium (regular season opener vs. Cedar Grove) might be closer to Tucker High School than to Cedar Grove High School. Either way it is only around 15-20 minutes from THS. (DeKalb County's 18ish football-playing public schools share five stadiums.) We are the "Away" team for Game 2 in the Georgia Dome only because the game was originally scheduled to be in Americus, GA--which is around 3 1/2 hours away from the T-U-C. Americus agreed to move it to the Dome as part of the "DeKalb County Classic"--a four-game set showcasing DeKalb's best public school programs. Americus is still designated as the "Home" team, but we're *much* closer to the Dome (30ish minutes) than they are. Then, in game 3, we play Lakeside at Adams Stadium, which is the "home" stadium for both Lakeside and Tucker. It is closer to Lakeside than Tucker, but it is where we play almost all of our Home games anyway, so it is very familiar to our players and fans.

I was just over at practice (came home for a sec, and headed back over in a sec). Because of Balldog's comment, I paid a little closer attention to the player/coach ratio when they were doing positional drills. They had the Freshmen on the other field doing large-group drills with their three main coaches, and then the other coaches were doing by-position drills with Varsity and JV players. No coach had more than a dozen or so guys to instruct. Nice!

[Ben E Lou]

There may be some frustrated coaches/scouts this afternoon, if they haven't done their homework. Asher, Myke and Donnie will all be out of town, running in the state track meet today. That's three of our five likely D-1 kids.

[Ben E Lou]

The Spring Game was this afternoon. The scouts there were too numerous to count or keep all in my head. I saw Mike Bobo (QB's) and Kirby Smart (RB's) from UGA. I heard that Willie Martinez (DB's) may have been there as well, but I didn't see him if he was. Several other SEC and ACC schools were present, along with a few others from outside the SEC. LSU was the only school other than UGA that sent more than one coach that I noticed.

The coaches split the squads for this one, rather than running #1 offense vs. #2 defense, etc. It made for more competitive matchups than in past years, but the "cohesion hit" was obvious, too. Jotis Head, who has been playing center most of the spring, injured his toe (probably dislocated it), so his team in particular *really* struggled. They fumbled 3-5 snaps after Jotis left, and also had two shotgun snaps go over the QB's head. Asher was on that team, so that really hurt his offensive production. He probably only got 6 or 8 carries when all was said and done, but he did rip off one nice run of around 30-40 yards. The most fun matchup of the day was watching Asher vs. Myke. They were on opposite teams. Both played safety and tailback for their respective squads, and were moved to the slot a few times each, so they covered each other man-to-man in those situations. Lots of good-natured smack talk came there. Neither caught a pass from the slot, but Asher did pick one off that was intended for Myke, which made for some fun smack between Asher, Myke and Dwayn at the post-game cookout. If I had to name an offensive POG, it would definitely be Myke. He had 10-15 carries for 100ish yards and a TD on the day.

[Celeval]

SD -

There was an article run recently (yesterday, I think) on scout.com talking about Asher Allen and Morrice Richardson (WestLake); implying pretty strongly that they would likely choose the same school.

You have the same thought?

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by Celeval

SD -

There was an article run recently (yesterday, I think) on scout.com talking about Asher Allen and Morrice Richardson (WestLake); implying pretty strongly that they would likely choose the same school.

You have the same thought?

I get the impression that is the right thing to say in public, but that it may not happen.

[Ben E Lou]

Rivals.com releases their Georgia Top 75 today....Asher is ranked the #3 prospect in the state, QB Dwayne Harris is #37, and FB/DB Myke Compton is #48. That's a pretty impressive starting backfield...

[Ben E Lou]

Updates...

• RB/WR/DB Tracy Lewis moved up north to live with his dad. I wouldn't be shocked if he's back in the T-U-C before he graduates, though, so you may hear his name again in a year or two.
• OL/DL Cedric Penn is looking very, very good. He's probably down around 250 now.
• Jotis Head's toe injury has continued to bug him. We *really* need him to be 100% if we're going to make a run at a state title.
• Asher tweaked his hammy trying to break TB's school record in the 40. He should be ready to go when the season starts, but he probably won't be playing in this evening's scrimmage in Athens. That actually probably is good for the Dawgs. UGA starts practice this afternoon at 3pm, so I'd assume that they'll be done in time to get over to Clarke Central. I'm guessing that Thomas, Tavares, Darius, and a few other Dawgs will be on the sidelines recruiting Asher tonight.
• That big, bad TE I mentioned did move to Tucker. Brandon Lampkin is his name, and he's got great feet for a kid who is barely 16 years old and is 6'4"-6'5". He could be a real force this season.
• As mentioned, the first scrimmage is tonight in Athens. I've been under the weather recently, so I'm not sure I'm going to make the drive up. We'll see.
• Rivals.com released their 3-star players a few days ago. QB Dwayne Harris got 3 stars. Compton did not. Mark it down, folks: Myke will be a *steal* for whichever team signs him.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by SkyDog

• Mark it down, folks: Myke will be a *steal* for whichever team signs him.

...and Compton got some very nice footage on film for the scouts at the scrimmage. Tucker wins 35-7 as Myke, in Asher's absence, carries the load, tallying right around 150 yards in the first half. He was breaking tackles left and right, and generally looked like a man among boys. Dwayne looked sharp at QB as well. This team is going to be very, very fun to watch this year. A Clarke Central fan commented yesterday on the UGA Boards that "I've never seen a high school team as fast as Tucker, and AA, supposedly their fastest guy, didn't even dress out!" True dat. True dat.

In next week's scrimmage, we'll be facing traditional power Buford. (ND's Darius Walker is a former Buford Wolf.) That should be a competitive matchup. It is good to play one solid team (Clarke Central) and one powerhouse like Buford before the parade of cupcakes that is the regular season commences. Other than Americus and Marist, Tucker shouldn't be seriously challenged in the regular season. Marist defeated all-world Stephenson 13-12 on Friday night. Something like 8 or 9 of Stephenson's starting 11 on defense will be D-1 kids.

[GoldenEagle]

Any word on where some of these players are leaning? I would love to see a couple end up at Memphis. I think someone like Asher is out of the equation for us but I think we could end up with a player like Harris or Compton.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by GoldenEagle

Any word on where some of these players are leaning? I would love to see a couple end up at Memphis. I think someone like Asher is out of the equation for us but I think we could end up with a player like Harris or Compton.

Yeah, it sounds like Asher has basically narrowed it down to Georgia, LSU, Florida and ( ) Notre Dame. As far as Memphis, Tim comes to Tucker games whenever Memphis is off, and he is very well-respected and looked up to by the kids there now, so that definitely can't hurt. No word really on any leanings for either of Myke or Dwayne. I had a long conversation with Myke's uncle (who Myke lives with) about a week or so ago. As of that conversation, Kent was his only *written* offer. UNC and Memphis had verbally offered. Myke is pretty wide open, hoping for some better offers, but I could see him ending up at a place like Memphis if some of the bigger schools don't wise up. To give you a comparison, he's a significantly better player than Tim was in high school, no question about it.

Dwayne is an interesting case. I had a long conversation with a Clemson scout about him one day during spring practice. Basically, he said that Dwayne is a recruiter's nightmare. He said that Dwayne's got the size and athletic ability to play WR, RB or S at a Top 25-type program, but because he wants to play QB in college, he presents a difficult decision to college coaching staffs. He's a little too short (a hair under 6", probably) for the Clemsons and the Georgias and the LSUs to offer him as a QB, though. His arm strength and all of that are good enough, though, according to this scout. He said, "Harris is the kind of kid that you decide not to offer a scholarship to, or only offer him as a receiver, then he ends up starting at QB for South Carolina or NC State or Maryland and beating you in the fourth quarter, and all your alumni yell and scream, 'Can you believe our coaches were too stupid to even OFFER this kid????'" This scout felt like *someone* would take a flier on Dwayne as a QB. It probably all depends on if he wants to go somewhere like Memphis where he *knows* he'll play pretty quickly, or throw his hat in the ring at whatever SEC or ACC school might decide to take a risk and promise him he can play QB.

[illinifan999]

Just tell him to join Zook in Illinois.

[Ben E Lou]

Rivals.com released their more-in-depth position rankings today. They've got Dwayne listed as the #14 dual-threat QB in the nation. Tebow and Stafford, of course, are #1 dual-threat and drop-back respectively.

[Ben E Lou]

AP PRESEASON TOP TEN--CLASS AAAA

1. Warner Robins (16) 160

2. Statesboro 122

3. Rome 107

4. Ware County 94

5. Tucker 90

6. Griffin 69

7. Northside-Warner Robins 46

8. Marist 44

tie Salem 44

10. Lee County 22

Others receiving votes: Northwest Whitfield 16, Thomas County Central 16, Washington 14, Westside 8, Creekside 7, Baldwin 6, Bainbridge 4, Douglas County 3, Heritage 3, St. Pius X 3, Jones County 2.

[Ben E Lou]

More kinks got ironed out in last night's 14-7 win over AA power Buford. Dwayne in particular looked very, very good. He showed off great escapability against an athletic defense, good running power as he broke several tackles in the backfield and on scrambles, and accurate passes, including a perfect bomb, thrown about 50 yards in the air, that hit the receiver dead in stride, but was dropped. Compton had another good night running the ball. It looks like we're still trying to figure out the center position, though. One of the candidates snapped a ball over Dwayne's head in the shotgun tonight, and we had one bobbled snap. The good news on the line is that Jotis Head (he of the bad toe) looked very good tonight, and showed few signs that the toe was still bothering him. He's really stepping up as a vocal leader of this team, too. As far as blocking at the point of attack goes, having Jotis, Anthony Cloud, and Cedric Penn up front in particular gives us a very, very formidable bunch. If one or two more guys can step up, we'll be in very, very good shape. Asher dressed last night, but I don't think he played. It was a little hard to tell who was who until I moved to the sideline in the second half, because we were wearing the Atlanta Falcons' practice jerseys from a couple of years ago last night. Former Tiger Brandyn "B.Y." Young has an uncle who is the equipment manager for the Falcons, and B.Y.'s uncle hooked us up.

According to Ballard's post-game speech to the team, Cedar Grove is much improved from last year. We'll see if that was just a little coach-speech. My best guess is that they might have some better athletes, but they probably don't have the resources to get the players cocahed up to Tucker's level. I don't expect the opener to be close.

[Ben E Lou]

Ah. no surprise here, but Double-A will be named one of the AJC's "Super 11" tomorrow--the 11 best Seniors in Georgia. Also of interest to those who have followed the last two Tucker seasons, Statesboro QB David Cone is also on the list. He has committed to Michigan.

Here's a link to Asher's Super 11 profile:

http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sp...005/allen.html

JENNI GIRTMAN / AJC Grandma, how you doin'? With a 1400 SAT score under his belt, Tucker's Asher Allen is only menacing the schools unlikely to sign him. Super 11 photos JUST THE FACTS Did you know... As a junior, returned four punts for touchdowns, caught 18 passes for 383 yards for five touchdowns, ran for 626 yards on 46 attempts for four touchdowns, returned one interception for a touchdown and had 81 tackles. Bench presses 350 pounds, squats 440, power cleans 280. Runs the 40-yard dash in 4.4 seconds.

ALL ABOUT ASHER Position: Cornerback Vital statistics: 5-11, 185 pounds Scholastics: Qualified 3.4 GPA, 1400 SAT Colleges: Georgia, Florida, LSU and Georgia Tech lead the way. If I weren't an athlete, I'd probably be: A head football coach or an ESPN sportscaster My ideal car: 2004 Black Impala. That will be my graduation gift. Favorite team, player: Chicago Bulls, Champ Bailey Favorite actor/movie role I would like to play: Shawn Wayans in "Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood." He was just so funny. The best was when he was with his grandmother and she called him a punk and tried to hit him and he reacted and threw her across the room.

[DeToxRox]

SD -- Can ya fill me in on Cone?

I am a huge Wolverines fan and I am interested in someone whos seen hims thoughts

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by DeToxRoxDVHStyle

SD -- Can ya fill me in on Cone?

I am a huge Wolverines fan and I am interested in someone whos seen hims thoughts

Well, Cone is an interesting case. His team runs an *OLD*-school wishbone. When I say old-school, I mean as in before the triple-option. Yeah, they run a wishbone with no QB keeper or even fullback option. If I had to guess, I'd say that 80% of the time, they give it to one of the two halfbacks, 10-15% of the time to the fullback, and they pass 5-10% of the time. I haven't watched the 2003 finals against Marist, but apparently they ran the majority of the time in the 2nd half even though behind 20-0 at halftime. So, even though I've seen him twice in person, I can't really say much about how he is as a passer. They threw some in their final drive against us in 2004, but he wasn't particularly impressive. That being said, I subscribe to two different recruiting services, and both had articles over the summer about him being very impressive at summer camps. He's listed at 6'6" most places I've seen, and I'd say that he's at *least* 6'5", maybe even a true 6'6".

[Ben E Lou]

The AJC released their preseason rankings in this morning's paper:

CLASS AAAA

1. Warner Robins (14-0-1), at Houston Co.

2. Statesboro (14-1) at SE Bulloch

3. Tucker (12-1) at Cedar Grove

4. Griffin (11-2) at Heritage

5. Northside-WR (10-2) at Peach County

6. Rome (12-1) Murray County

7. Washington (11-2) Douglass

8. Ware County (12-2) at Coffee

9. Creekside (10-2) at Alexander

10. Marist (10-2) at Benedictine Others to watch: Bainbridge, Heritage, Gordon Central, Mays, North Clayton

[Ben E Lou]

Nice to see a little love for a metro Atlanta team this year, after leaving Tucker inexplicably UNRANKED to begin 2004. I'm still somewhat miffed about that obvious slight.

[DeToxRox]

Originally Posted by SkyDog

Well, Cone is an interesting case. His team runs an *OLD*-school wishbone. When I say old-school, I mean as in before the triple-option. Yeah, they run a wishbone with no QB keeper or even fullback option. If I had to guess, I'd say that 80% of the time, they give it to one of the two halfbacks, 10-15% of the time to the fullback, and they pass 5-10% of the time. I haven't watched the 2003 finals against Marist, but apparently they ran the majority of the time in the 2nd half even though behind 20-0 at halftime. So, even though I've seen him twice in person, I can't really say much about how he is as a passer. They threw some in their final drive against us in 2004, but he wasn't particularly impressive. That being said, I subscribe to two different recruiting services, and both had articles over the summer about him being very impressive at summer camps. He's listed at 6'6" most places I've seen, and I'd say that he's at *least* 6'5", maybe even a true 6'6".

Excellent, thanks.

One last Q .. Does he have potential to be a TE?

I am assuming he can't be a statue running the wishbone but ya never know.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by DeToxRoxDVHStyle

One last Q .. Does he have potential to be a TE?

I seriously doubt that. He's pretty skinny. 6'6", 201 pounds.

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David Cone

Pro-style quarterback Statesboro (GA) Statesboro Height: 6-foot-6 Weight: 201 pounds 40-yard dash: 5.12 seconds Bench max: 240 pounds Bench reps: 12 Squat max: 300 pounds Vertical leap: 27 inches Shuttle time: 4.5 seconds 57.5

RIVALS.COM RANKINGS NR Position Ranking: NR Previous: NRRivals.com preseason Georgia Top 75 2006 (75)

Looking at those numbers above from the NIKE camp he attended, and compared to the NIKE camp in Atlanta on 5/8, where there were 15 TE's attending, Cone would have stacked up:

...13th in the 40, with several kids in the 220-240 range running sub-5.0's.
...T10th in bench reps
...9th in vertical leap
...7th in shuttle run speed

Generally speaking, at a camp that small, he'd need to be in the top 5 in multiple categories to be considered a serious prospect.

I am assuming he can't be a statue running the wishbone but ya never know.

Don't be so sure. I'm not sure you're following me. It is *not* the wishbone of Oklahoma from the 80's. They *never* run the option play. All he does is turn around and hand the ball off. He didn't look like he had much mobility at all when we played him. Those numbers in the 40, shuttle, and verticle leap indicate much more of a statue than a mobile QB.

[digamma]

Oh, SkyDog, you're selling Statesboro short. They have the one QB play-action option. You remember, the play Cone broke about a 25 yard run on the first time they ran it. And then, when they tried to run it again, Brandon almost broke him in half.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by digamma

Oh, SkyDog, you're selling Statesboro short. They have the one QB play-action option. You remember, the play Cone broke about a 25 yard run on the first time they ran it. And then, when they tried to run it again, Brandon almost broke him in half.

Hehehe. I remember that play well. They also ran it once last year, and Tavares almost broke him in half on that one, too.

Detox:

The play that our sarcastic friend is mentioning is really a trick play that they tried twice in 2003 against us, and once in 2004. Cone fakes the handoff to the left halfback, I think, and the play looks to be going off of right tackle, the LHB following the FB and RHB into the hole. This is what they do the vast majority of the time--one halfback following the FB and the other HB off the opposite tackle. However, on this play, Cone fakes the handoff, then just stands there a good 10 yards behind the line of scrimmage for a couple of seconds holding the ball behind him, and finally takes off down the left sideline when just about all of the other 21 players on the field are in a big pile somewhere near right tackle. If the defense is duped (like ours was the first time they saw it) Cone is running by himself until someone breaks free from the pile and runs him down. If the defense is not duped (like the other two times they ran it), it is a 10-yard loss and a potential injured QB, because the backside OLB (Brandon Lang in '03 and TKO in '04) has an unimpeded path to Cone.

[DeToxRox]

Gotcha.

Thanks for all the info, SD.

Appreciate it.

[Ben E Lou]

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.

[Ben E Lou]

MY 6-AAAA PREDICTIONS FOR THE SEASON

REALER THAN "REAL DEAL" HOLYFIELD...



1. TUCKER--This team looks *loaded* this year, especially on offense. It is going to be *very* difficult for teams that aren't full of top-tier talent to stop a Tucker attack that will have *EXTREME* versatility this year. Asher and Myke can run with power up the middle. They can run with speed to the outside. They're stronger than most teams' defensive linemen, and quicker and faster than most DB's. Ditto Dwayne, who can run over most LB's, run around most DB's, and, oh yeah, happens to also have a D-1-level strong and accurate arm. Lampkin, the new TE, is a stud and a big target at 6'5". The only slight concern is at WR, where we'll have plenty of speed, but not much experience. Still, most defenses simply aren't going to have the talent to have any hope of stopping Tucker, and with a large coaching staff, Offensive Coordinator Patsy Gliatta only has to focus on calling plays to exploit the weaknesses of the better defenses we'll face. Tucker is a threat to win the whole shebang.

PREDICTION: 10-0 (8-0 Region) regular season

Best-Case Scenario: State champs

Worst-Case Scenario (barring major injury troubles for this category for every team): 2nd in Region, loss in state Q-finals or Dome

Playoff Chances: 100%



2. MARIST--The War Eagle option attack is still run to near-perfection, and they're still good enough defensively, too. They defeated AAAAA power Stephenson in a scrimmage, and look to be a state championship contender again this year. As was the case in '03 and '04, a Tucker-Marist state final is not out of the question. The Region title will be decided on Friday, September 16th, at Adams Stadium, when Tucker and Marist square off. The top four teams from the Region make the playoffs. The brackets are already drawn up. If the seedings hold, the winner of Region 6AAAA will play the winner of Region 2AAAA in the Quarterfinals. Statesboro will win Region 2AAAA, without question. The 6-AAAA runner-up should be the favorite to make it at least to the q-finals as well, where they'd probably be playing either Sandy Creek or Creekside. In all honesty, right now it looks like the #2 team in the Region will have an easier road to the semis in the Dome than the #1 team will, but that could change as the season develops.

PREDICTION: 9-1 (7-1)

Best-Case Scenario: State champs

Worst-Case Scenario: An emotional Pius team wins rivalry game, dropping the War Eagles to 8-2 in the regular season, and a loss in the state Q-finals.

Playoff Chances: 100%



PLAYOFF CONTENDERS...



3. NORTH FORSYTH--I'm going with the word I've heard that North is returning a good core of players from last year, and that last season's 6-5 playoff season with help build excitement and dedication up there. Forsyth is one of the five fastest-growing counties in the *country*, and a lot of the growth is in the northern part of the county. This sounds like a program on the rise to me. I don't think they'll seriously challenge the Big Two, but I'm thinking they're the best of the rest.

PREDICTION: 7-3 (6-2)

Best-Case Scenario: Win both non-region games to finish 8-2, and catch a flat Marist or Tucker and play with them for a half. Win one playoff game.

Worst-Case Scenario: Losses to Pius, Chamblee, Etowah, Hiram (non-region), Tucker and Marist. They finish 4-6 and miss the playoffs.

Playoff Chances: 70%



4. CHAMBLEE--Chamblee features, believe it or not, ANOTHER stud running back who lives in Tucker. Jr. Roddy Jones grew up playing in the Tucker Youth Football League. He's in the magnet program at Chamblee, but rumors continue to swirl that he's going to transfer back to his home district next year when Asher and Myke are gone. He attended the Tucker spring game this year, and didn't rule out the possibility, although the word is that his mom wants him to stay at Chamblee. At any rate, Roddy returns, along with most of the starters from last year's 4-6 team. They're a long way from Tucker and Marist, but last year's young squad played everyone else in the Region pretty tough.

PREDICTION: 7-3 (5-3)

Best-Case Scenario: Upset win at North Forsyth on 10/14 propels them to 8-2 record. Avoid getting blown out in first round of the playoffs.

Worst-Case Scenario: After two opening wins against cupcakes, the young team is riding high emotionally, then gets blown out by Marist and goes into a tailspin against Etowah and Pius the next two weeks. End up going 3-5 in the Region.

Playoff Chances: 55%



5. ST. PIUS X--The Golden Lions started off 7-0 and ranked in the Top 5 in the state, but were exposed as pretenders by Tucker and Marist, losing to the Big Two by a combined 69-17 score. They then bowed out in the first round of the playoffs and finished 8-3. They probably have the third-best coaching staff in the Region, but they graduated nearly all of their big guns from last season.

PREDICTION: 6-4 (4-4)

Best-Case Scenario: Run the table against Chamblee/North/Etowah and go 8-2. Avoid blowout in first round of playoffs.

Worst-Case Scenario: 0-3 against Chamblee/Etowah/North gives them a 4-6 finish

Playoff Chances: 45%



6. ETOWAH--They caught a flat Tucker team the week after Marist, and rolled to a 14-0 lead before falling 34-14. They finished 4-4 in the Region, 4-6 overall. They blew out Central and North Springs. They're a decent, but not great team, with several key players returning, but they lost some, too.

PREDICTION: 3-7 (3-5)

Best-Case Scenario: Etowah wins 2 of 3 against Pius/Chamblee/North, wins one of two tough non-region games, finishing 6-4 and earning the 4th playoff spot, but gets blown out in round one of the playoffs.

Worst-Case Scenario: They go 0 for 3 against the the other "playoff contender" teams, and Lakeside upsets 'em, too, for a 2-8 Etowah finish.

Playoff Chances: 25%



BOTTOM FEEDERS...



7. LAKESIDE--Oh, how the mighty have fallen. The Vikings won it all in '91, made it to the championship game in '96, but lost in a scrimmage to hapless Druid Hills last week. Trust me when I say that is really pathetic. LHS only has around 50 kids out for football this year--that's Varsity, JV and Freshman combined. Still, they have a few athletes on the team. QB Rob Pope, a kid I know pretty well, grew up starting at QB in the TYFL, so he's no slouch. The problem is that he's really only got one decent lineman, Anthony Buda. They've got a few pretty good athletes, one of whom will be the primary ball carrier, but his name escapes me at the moment. Rob started at QB, and also at point guard on the B-ball team, as a sophomore and is a very good athlete, but he can't do it all by himself. I don't expect much improvement from last year's 2-8 record.

PREDICTION: 3-7 (2-6)

Best-Case Scenario: LHS pulls upsets of two of the four "playoff contenders" and finishes 5-5 (4-4).

Worst-Case Scenario: They're even worse than I thought they were, and finish 1-9, only defeating hapless Avondale in their opener.

Playoff Chances: 5%



8. FORSYTH CENTRAL--They haven't done much of anything since joining the region, and went 1-9 last year, only defeating North Springs. Tucker and Marist both could have probably put up around 100 against Central and North Springs had they tried.

PREDICTION: 1-9 (1-7)

Best-Case Scenario: LHS is worse than I thought they were, and Central also wins against both of the bad teams they play in non-Region action, for a 4-6 (2-6) finish.

Playoff Chances: None.



9. NORTH SPRINGS-- The Spartans finished 1-9 last year, and were the worst team I saw last year. North Springs is in an area that is becoming more and more transient lately, and I have a feeling they'll get worse before they get better. As recently as 2002, North Springs presented a challenge for even Tucker and Marist, but no more.

PREDICTION: (0-10) (0-8)

Best-Case Scenario: They defeat non-Region foe Berkmar, and then Lakeside and Central in Region play, for a 3-7 (2-6) finish.

Worst-Case Scenario: They can't even compete with Central and Lakeside, getting beaten by at least three TD's in every game this year.

Playoff Chances: None

[Ben E Lou]

And...my predictions for this Friday night for 6-AAAA teams.

Chamblee vs. Wesleyan
Wesleyan has a new coach this year and I've heard he likes to throw the ball. This squad should be no match for Roddy Jones, though.

Chamblee 28, Wesleyan 13



Etowah vs Sequoyah
Etowah threw a scare into Tucker last year, and is said to have a pretty good group of returning players, but Sequoyah is a state power in AAAAA.

Sequoyah 24, Etowah 7



Forsyth Central vs. North Forsyth
Central has consistently had one of the worst teams in the Region, and I've heard nothing to think that won't be any different this year. North will probably challenge for a playoff spot.

North 31, Central 6



Lakeside vs. Avondale
Oh, how the mighty have fallen. LHS has fallen on hard times. However, Avondale is so bad that they lost by 30 to Druid Hills last season. Their new coach isn't going to help 'em that much. LHS still has some athletes.

Lakeside 28, Avondale 7



Marist vs Benedictine
Benedictine is an AAA school who went 2-8 last season. They should have no hope of competing with the War Eagle juggernaut.

Marist 42, Benedictine 7



North Springs vs Berkmar
North Springs was AWFUL last season. Truly awful. Six of their 9 losses were by 4 TD's or more. Berkmar isn't really a good team, but they're better than North Springs.

Berkmar 24, North Springs 6



Pius vs Hiram
Pius was exposed as a fraud by both Marist and Tucker last year, and lost most of their top talent. I don't know much about Hiram, but Pius only beat 'em by seven last year. That's all I need to know.

Hiram 24, Pius 14



Tucker vs. Cedar Grove
I did a little snoopin' around, and it turns out that Ballard may not have been blowing smoke, after all. Cedar Grove returns most of their starters from last season, and is sure to be improved. Still, this Tucker team is loaded. I don't see a non-top-tier team stopping this offense on a regular basis.

Tucker 38, Cedar Grove 14

[Ben E Lou]

The AJC previews the 6-AAAA teams in DeKalb County...

REGION 6-AAAA

Chamblee Bulldogs

• Coach: Brent Miller

• 2004: 4-6

• Returning starters: LB/TE Kelvin Davis (6-1, 190, Sr.), QB Jason Barcus (6-1, 170, Sr.), DB Elliot Tarplin (5-11, 170, Sr.), WR Barry Huntley (6-0, 175, Sr.), LB/FB Josh Williams (5-10, 180, Sr.), RB Roddy Jones (5-9, 185, Jr.), OL/DL Art Miller (6-1, 255, Sr.), OL/DL Ivan Sharpe (6-0, 230, Jr.), LB/OL Chris Parks (5-11, 200, Jr.), LB Osagied Uzzi (6-1, 220, Sr.), DL Taylor Loftely (6-0, 235, Soph.), OL/DL Rick Toerney (6-2, 230, Jr.), OL/DL Amir Nga (6-4, 250, Sr.), OL/LB Justin Smith (6-2, 290, Sr.), TE/DE Nicolai Scharzkopf (6-4, 190, Jr.).

• Outlook: Miller is in his second year at Chamblee and is ready to reap the fruits of the growing pains of last year, when 18 out of 22 players were first-year starters. The Bulldogs return all but three starters, including tailback Roddy Jones, who led the county in rushing last year as a sophomore. Every member of the offensive line benches 300 pounds or more.

• Chances of making the playoffs: Decent.

Lakeside Vikings

• Coach: Bill Harris

• 2004: 2-8

• Returning starters: WR Jake Baker (5-9, 170, Sr.), DL Anthony Buda (6-2, 222, Jr.), DB Thai Ford (5-6, 160, Sr.), TE/LB Mike Gandy (6-1, 210, Sr.), DB Dwight Hooker (6-0, 175, Sr.), DB Marwin Hooker (6-2, 180, Jr.), LB Ty Huff (5-10, 190, Jr.), DL Ladarrius Jackson (5-11, 222, Jr.), OL Archie Japaridze (5-11, 215, Sr.), TB Branden Little (5-7, 160, Sr.), QB Rob Pope (6-0, 175, Jr.), OL Kevin Roden (6-3, 280, Jr.), LB Brian Salino (6-2, 190, Soph.), OL/DE Ivan Yavtushenko (6-2, 220, Sr.).

• Outlook: Lakeside is ready to avenge last year's performance. The Vikings were young and inexperienced, but the growing pains appear to have subsided. Lakeside returns all but three players from last year. Harris has turned his attention to the offense and plans to run some option. He has two QBs, Rob Pope and Dwight Hooker, who can score from anywhere on the field. The roster has 85 players and lots of speed.

• Chances of making the playoffs: Decent if the Vikings stay healthy.

Marist War Eagles

• Coach: Alan Chadwick

• 2004: 10-2

• Returning starters: WR/DB Jason Garofalo (5-9, 160, Sr.), RB/DB Matthew Husak (5-8, 175, Sr.), RB/DB Wyatt Middleton (6-2, 190, Sr.), RB Preston Lyons (6-1, 203, Jr.), OL Patrick Holloway (6-3, 250, Sr.), OL Michael Gann (6-3, 240, Sr.), TE Gamble Cleveland (6-1, 195, Sr.), DB Gary Marshall (5-9, 165, Jr.), DL Brent Ducote (5-10, 185, Sr.), DE Taylor Rhett (6-2, 196, Sr.), P Keegan Keel (6-2, 180, Sr.).

• Outlook: Marist has made the playoffs 22 straight years and should have no problem doing so again this season. The War Eagles were hit hard by graduation, but still have Chadwick and a veteran staff. Lyons may be the team's top offensive weapon, while Marshall will be a first-year starter at quarterback.

• Chances of making the playoffs: Excellent.

St. Pius Golden Lions

• Coach: Paul Standard

• 2004: 8-3

• Returning starters: LB/FB Nathan Shaffner (5-11, 215, Sr.), DB Kevin Cone (6-3, 190, Sr.), PK John Charles White (6-2, 185, Sr.), DE/FB Tyler Fish (5-11, 200, Jr.), DT-OL Shawn O'Toole (5-11, 235, Sr.).

• Outlook: St. Pius is coming off two of the best years in the program's history, posting an 18-6 record with two playoff appearances. The Golden Lions lost 32 seniors, including 18 starters. It would seem the Golden Lions would be rebuilding, but they have a lot of young talent that could surprise.

• Chances of making the playoffs: Fair.

Tucker Tigers

• Coach: Bill Ballard

• 2004: 12-1

• Returning starters: QB Dwayne Harris (6-0, 197, Sr.), WR/OLB Chad Sims (6-0, 197, Sr.), RB/DB Asher Allen (5-11, 193, Sr.), FB/SS Myke Compton (5-10, 195, Sr.), FB/LB Donnie Hardy (6-2, 200, Sr.), OL/NT Anthony Cloud (5-9, 235, Sr.), OL Jotis Head (6-2, 260, Sr.).

• Outlook: Tucker has received a ton of preseason publicity due to having five players who already have been offered scholarships, including Allen, with his 50 offers. After the high-profile players, Ballard will be counting heavily on a lot of inexperienced but talented players. Harris threw for 1,310 yards and nine touchdowns last year.

• Chances of making the playoffs: Excellent.

Projected standings

1. Marist

2. Tucker

3. Etowah

4. Lakeside

5. Chamblee

6. St. Pius

7. North Forsyth

8. North Springs

9. Forsyth Central

[digamma]

Let's get it started!!!

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by digamma

Let's get it started!!!

Preach the Word! I just got back from the high school. The boys are pumped and focused, and there's excitement in the air. They seem very much ready to roll.

[Ben E Lou]

Coaches Poll Released, Tigers ranked #2.

No	School	W-L	Last
			Week
1	Warner Robins(3S-AAAA)	0-0	--
2	Tucker(6-AAAA)	0-0	--
3	Statesboro(2-AAAA)	0-0	--
4	Northside-Warner Robins(3S-AAAA)	0-0	--
5	Rome(7S-AAAA)	0-0	--
6	Griffin(3N-AAAA)	0-0	--
7	Marist(6-AAAA)	0-0	--
8	Ware County(1-AAAA)	0-0	--
9	Heritage(8-AAAA)	0-0	--
10	Washington(5W-AAAA)	0-0	--

[Ben E Lou]

REGION 6-AAAA RESULTS FROM FRIDAY NIGHT, AUGUST 19TH

Tucker 42 Cedar Grove 13
(My prediction was: Tucker 38, Cedar Grove 14)

Asher is still recovering from his hamstring injury, and played offense only tonight, but on the first play from scrimmage, he touched the football for the first time in three weeks, and carried it 18 yards. For the night, Double-A carried 13 times for 85 yards, and Myke had 12 carries for 102 yards, and we came away with a 42-13 victory. Dwayne had a solid night overall, and perhaps a new star was born: Dwayne's little brother, sophomore Derrick Harris, had several nice plays on the night, including a punt return for a TD in which he showed off some nice moves and speed. Overall, this was an encouraging night, primarily because:

1. We didn't play *nearly* as well as we think we're capable of. We made quite a few glaring mistakes that should be corrected as the season goes along.
2. Cedar Grove was clearly a team that had improved from last season quite a bit.

Taking the above into consideration and the fact that we *still* won 42-13, I can only be encouraged. Cedar Grove had some success in the second quarter when they switched to a 5-WR set, but our coaching staff made some nice halftime adjustments and held the Saints to 3 points in the second half--very late in the fourth quarter. The secondary will, of course, improve dramatically on its own when Asher is able to get back there again. We'll be replacing a Junior who has never started before with one of the nation's best. Plus, getting some young guys some valuable experience back there should help us in the long run. Cedar Grove definitely had its share of good athletes, particularly out in that 5-WR set, so it was a good experience for our corners.

North Forsyth 16 Forsyth Central 7

(My prediction was: North 31, Central 6)
By all accounts I'm hearing, this one was stunningly close. Central actually LED 7-3 with 2 minutes to play, but North threw a TD pass, then ran back an INT for a TD on the desparation final drive. There's some indication that North was missing some key players due to injury, so I'm not sure what the closeness of this one means in the long run. The middle part of Forsyth County is, like the northern end, a very fast-growing area, so it isn't terribly difficult to believe that they got a few new move-ins and stepped it up a notch. We'll have to see.


Sequoyah 24 Etowah 14
(My prediction was: Sequoyah 24, Etowah 7)

Closer than I would have expected, but to be honest, it sounds like I didn't do my due diligence on Sequoyah. Yes, they're usually a 8-2, 9-1 team in AAAAA and ranked #9 in that classification, but a little more research this morning reveals that even their own fans are saying that they lost a lot from last year and expect this to be a rebuilding year. I'm not going to read too much into Etowah playing them close.

Berkmar 23 North Springs 6
(My prediction was: Berkmar 24, North Springs 6)

If the AJC is to believed (which is ALWAYS a crap shoot...they mis-reported the Tucker score this morning...), Berkmar dominated this one from the start. Sounds like, as expected, North Springs still sucks.

Hiram 21 St. Pius 3
(My prediction was: Hiram 24, Pius 14)

This one apparently came as a bit of a surprise to many, but not to Ol' SkyDog. However, I must admit to having a trusted contact who is very close to the Pius program who told me to expect them to drop into the middle tier of the region this year.

Marist/Benedictine - Sat.
Marist head coach Alan Chadwick and several of his minions were at the Tucker game last night. That's the kind of intensity this rivalry has, and the reality of the competitive balance of this Region.

Lakeside/Avondale - Sat.
I'll probably be checking this one out tonight, but I'm not expecting much. Two LHS two-way starters were actually with me at an all-night lock-in on Friday night. Yeah--they stayed up all night the night before their opener. Several THS players were there (Compton, both Harris brothers, Randie Bourne, Donnie Hardy, Chad Sims, and a few guys who don't play often and haven't mentioned in this thread.) They were *stunned* that the LHS players were there the night before a game.

Chamblee/Wesleyan - Sat.
Chamblee's stud RB Roddy Jones was sitting in the Tucker section last night. He looks like he's gained 10 or more pounds of muscle from last year. He's going to be a beast. I wouldn't be surprised to see him in the Rivals 100 next year. Clearly, he needs to transfer to his home district to get the kind of exposure and day-to-day competition in practice that would help him take it to the next level.

[Ben E Lou]

REGION 6-AAAA RESULTS FROM SATURDAY NIGHT, AUGUST 20TH

Marist 36, Benedictine 8
(My prediction was: Marist 42, Benedictine 7)

No real surprise to see the War Eagles roll.

Lakeside 42, Avondale 0
(My prediction was: Lakeside 28, Avondale 7)

It is hard to tell much from this one. LHS won 36-0 in last year's opener over Avondale, then proceeded to go 1-8 the rest of the way. That being said, QB Rob Pope really looked good running the option last night, and RB Brandon Little showed some nice speed. The Tucker players and coaches who were there all thought that Lakeside looked better than last year, and better than we thought they'd look. They could move up from the "bottom feeder" category to "playoff contender." The jury could stay out on this team until at least September 9th, though. They play a weak Stone Mountain team next week, then face Tucker the next. A big win against Stone Mountain and a big loss against Tucker wouldn't really tell us very much, either.

Chamblee 26 Wesleyan 20
(My prediction was: Chamblee 28, Wesleyan 13)

All I got on this one was a score.


NEXT WEEK
Tucker vs. Americus-Sumter--Rumors of serious problems down in Americus look to have been confirmed by them opening with a 35-0 loss. Tucker will probably embarrass them in the Dome.

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

Woodstock at Etowah--Etowah plays their second game against a AAAAA team. It is Woodstock's opener. Last year's game was pretty close.

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.

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.

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

North Springs at Dalton--No reason not to expect pretty much a repeat of last year's 37-10 Dalton win.

Dawson County at Forsyth Central--Dawson beat Central 13-0 last year. FCHS surprised many last week by nearly beating North.

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.

[Ben E Lou]

Looking back over some results from past seasons, I noticed a couple of things worth mentioning.

1. Tucker has a current 18-game regular season winning streak.
2. The last time the Tigers lost a Region game to someone other than Marist was in 1999. That's also the only time in the last 19 years that we've missed the playoffs. Starting QB Gene Pate was injured for most of that season, and we went 6-4.

[JonInMiddleGA]

I'm just glad you got through Week One relatively healthy. Pretty bad weekend for QB's, with Griffin & Cherokee both losing their starters to broken legs (I sure hope the one in Griffin somehow sounds a lot worse than it was, I can't remember too many players being airlifted from a game, even with a compound fracture).

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

I'm just glad you got through Week One relatively healthy. Pretty bad weekend for QB's, with Griffin & Cherokee both losing their starters to broken legs (I sure hope the one in Griffin somehow sounds a lot worse than it was, I can't remember too many players being airlifted from a game, even with a compound fracture).

Yeah, I heard about the airlift thing. Scary.

I forgot to mention some fireworks that occurred in the third quarter of the Tucker game that we may be reading about in the AJC later this week. The game was played at Avondale stadium, which has a fence wayyyyyyy too close to the sidelines. (Adams and North DeKalb, the other two we play in a good bit, do not have fences between the players and the track.) An Avondale player was trying to get to the near sideline, and our young CB who starter in Asher's place was trying to cut him off. They got to the corner at the same time, and the CB, who was running almost completely East-West, pushed the Avondale player with his full momentum behind him. The contact was on the field of play, so it was completely legal. However, with both players already moving quickly, the force of the CB's shove slammed the Avondale kid into the fence VERY hard. An Avondale coach reacted to the play and shoved our kid--a HUGE no-no. He was immediately ejected, and I'd imagine we'll be hearing more about this little incident.

[Ben E Lou]

Updated AJC rankings for week 2...

CLASS AAAA
1. Warner Robins (1-0)
2. Statesboro (1-0)
3. Tucker (1-0)
4. Griffin (1-0)
5. Northside-WR (1-0)
6. Rome (1-0)
7. Ware Co. (1-0)
8. Creekside (1-0)
9. Marist (1-0)
10. Thomas Co. Central (1-0)

Compared to last week...

Originally Posted by SkyDog

[digamma]

Originally Posted by SkyDog

Looking back over some results from past seasons, I noticed a couple of things worth mentioning.

1. Tucker has a current 18-game regular season winning streak.
2. The last time the Tigers lost a Region game to someone other than Marist was in 1999. That's also the only time in the last 19 years that we've missed the playoffs. Starting QB Gene Pate was injured for most of that season, and we went 6-4.

Are you sure Tucker didn't sneak into the play-offs as the #4 seed in 99? I have to admit I'm completely blanking on that season, but I don't recall a play-off miss.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by digamma

Are you sure Tucker didn't sneak into the play-offs as the #4 seed in 99? I have to admit I'm completely blanking on that season, but I don't recall a play-off miss.

I'm going to have to double-check. I can't find that info online anywhere, so I'm going off of memory. I might have an old football program around somewhere that could help shed a little light, or ask around. I'm 99% certain that was the season that Gene got hurt. I'll try to remember to ask his dad some time this week.

Man, I'm ready for Region play to start. I can't recall a less-compelling set of non-region games than the ones this weekend, although it will be fun to win one in the Dome.

[Ben E Lou]

From today's AJC coverage of DeKalb County high school sports...
Tucker: They've got the power

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 08/25/05 Online sales

If you notice a lot of people walking by the ticket office and straight to the main gate at Adams Stadium this year, it's not because they are getting in for free. DeKalb County Athletics has formed a partnership with TicketAnnex.com for the online purchase of tickets for football games at Adams this year. The new program could be extended to all five stadiums in 2006. County athletics director Charlie Henderson said in a statement: "Fans will be able to use credit cards [and] avoid the long lines at game times."

Dome memories

A trivia question: Who was the first player to score a touchdown in a high school game at the Georgia Dome? It was Southwest DeKalb's Roscoe Harris in 1992. It was the first year of prep football at the facility, and the Wildcats were eventually edged by Newnan in the kickoff classic. Southwest DeKalb coach Buck Godfrey recalled: "Newnan was ranked No. 1 in the state, and we started 14 sophomores for that game."

Big 16 football power ratings

Class AAAAA-AAAA schools: 1. Tucker (Coach Bill Ballard keeps telling everyone that the Tigers are very young after a few big-name players but no one is buying it); 2. Marist (big road win at Savannah Benedictine); 3. Stephenson (no shame in loss to Brookwood); 4. Heritage (no shame in loss to Griffin); 5. Redan (this year's dark horse?); 6. Lakeside; 7. Salem; 8. Columbia (pulled off one of state's biggest upsets against Southwest DeKalb); 9. Chamblee; 10. Southwest DeKalb; 11. Cedar Grove; 12. St. Pius; 13. Rockdale County; 14. Stone Mountain; 15. Lithonia; 16. Miller Grove.

Little nine power ratings

Class AAA-A schools: 1. McNair (smooth transition under new head coach); 2. Decatur (plays two Class AAAAA schools in next three games); 3. M.L. King; 4. Towers; 5. Dunwoody; 6. Clarkston; 7. Druid Hills; 8. Cross Keys; 9. Avondale.

Who would've thought?

Chamblee has arguably the area's most talented player in junior tailback Roddy Jones. However, the Bulldogs went to the air in the second half of the come-from-behind win over Wesleyan, with quarterback Jason Barcus throwing two touchdowns in the third quarter.

Not according to form

St. Pius lost to Hiram 21-3, the first season-opening loss for the Golden Lions in five years.

Big-time blockers

Linemen always seem to get overlooked, so it's good to hear Salem coach Frank Caputo praising two of his blockers in the 22-18 win over Spaulding. Cesar Ortiz graded at 87-percent with one pancake and four knockdowns, while Brad Lester graded at 80-percent and had two knockdowns.


THEY SAID IT

"That is kind of early, but it's OK. We want to be the opening act for [the Classic], and then one of the closing acts for the state semifinals in December."

— RODERICK MOORE


McNair coach, on playing at 11:45 a.m. on Saturday in the Georgia Dome

BY THE NUMBERS

1-6: Record of area teams in games played in the Georgia Dome over the past two years. The only winner was Marist; the private school went on to capture the 2003 Class AAAA championship.

5-4: Record of DeKalb's first-year football coaches last week. Winners were McNair's Roderick Moore, M.L. King's Corey Jarvis, Redan's Ronnie Fleetwood, Towers' Tony McKee, Decatur's Michael Tanks.

[Ben E Lou]

A spotlight on Dwayne today from the AJC...

TUCKER'S DWAYNE HARRIS

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 08/25/05 We know about Dwayne Harris as a football player. He's the senior quarterback for No. 3-ranked Tucker. Now we learn about:

• The celebrity he most resembles: People say I look a little like Michael Vick. I don't think so, but I probably play football a little like he does.

RENEE' HANNANS HENRY (ENLARGE)
Harris (ENLARGE)

• His dog: I've got a pit bull named Missy. She likes to go walking and watch movies with me.

• His car: I drive a 1995 Mazda 626. I didn't fix it up any because it already had a CD player. Most importantly, it gets me from point A to point B.

• His dream car: Lincoln Navigator.

• His favorite movie: "The Longest Yard." That was so funny when Adam Sandler stole his wife's car and wrecked it.

• His favorite TV show: "Wild 'N Out" with Nick Cannon. He has a lot of celebrities on there, and they tell jokes off the tops of their heads.

• If he was picked for a TV reality show: I would like to be on MTV's "Real World." They seem to have the most fun.

• His favorite singer: Monica. She is cute, and I like the way she sings. She sings about unique and different things.

• His favorite outfit: White T-shirt, blue jean shorts and sandals.

• His pet peeve: My mom is always asking me to take out the trash, go to the mailbox and vacuum the living room floor. I don't like doing any of those things, but I have to.

• His best friend: Brittany Allen. I've known her since kindergarten at Stoneview Elementary. I can talk to her about anything.

• His favorite home-cooked meal: I love fried chicken, mashed potatoes, collard greens, and macaroni and cheese. I don't get it enough. My mom cooks it about once every two weeks.

• His favorite fast food: The McDonald's double cheeseburger for a dollar.

• His worst part-time job: One summer I cut grass for my uncle. It was so hot. He's tried to get me to do it again since then, but I passed.