Real-Life 2003 Tucker Tigers Dynasty

[Ben E Lou]

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

[Ben E Lou]

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



Chamblee Bulldogs
Coach: Wade Beale
2002: 6-4

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dunwoody Wildcats
Coach: James Teter
2002: 0-10

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tucker Tigers
Coach: Bill Ballard
2002: 12-1

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Riverwood Raiders
Coach: Harris Rainbow
2002:1-9

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[The Afoci]

Do they play tonight?

[Ben E Lou]

Originally posted by The Afoci
Do they play tonight?

Nope. Tomorrow night. Tonight I'll be posting a schedule, and profiles of the key players.

[FBPro]

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

[tucker342]

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

[Ben E Lou]

Originally posted by tucker342
Good luck to Tucker during their season! How many students does Tucker have?

Between 1200 and 1300.

[Ben E Lou]

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

[Ben E Lou]

MEET THE OFFENSE


QUARTERBACKS


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


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

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

RUNNING BACKS



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

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

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

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

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

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

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

RECEIVERS
WR: As you’ve probably picked up by now, Tucker has an abundance of speed, and therefore never is rarely lacking talent at WR. This year is no different. The top two guys are Raejon (mentioned above at backup QB) and James Swinton (Sr, pictured below)

Swinton is the fastest player on the squad, even slightly faster than Thomas. Suffice to say that no team wants to kick it deep against Tucker, with Thomas and Swinton back there. Swinton is a track guy turned football player. Auburn has offered a football scholarship, and he has accepted. He’s got pretty good hands as well. He’ll be the deep threat, and the more experienced and polished Raejon will be the possession receiver. Raejon is considered a potential D1 kid at WR.

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

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

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

OFFENSIVE LINE
OK, I can’t give you as detailed a report on all the linemen, but I can tell you about the key guys. We’ll start with the tackles, Steven Roche (pictured) and Clay Muirhead.


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

I’m only sure of one of the starting guards, and he is the best of the linemen, Senior Andrew McKain (the one on the right in the pic below, with his best friend, FB/LB/DE Jimmy Coleman at the Young Life Halloween Hoedown last year)

“Insane McKain” passed the 300-pound bench press mark early this summer. This will be his third year as a starter. He’s 6’1” tall, and weighs 215-220 pounds. Andrew will likely play at a smaller D-1 school next year. He’s in GREAT condition, and will play nearly every play at LB and at G. Insane is an all-around athlete, starting at 3B on the baseball team, and a varsity basketball player as well.

At center, Tucker will use Junior Will Stewart.

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

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

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



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

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

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

[Ben E Lou]

MEET THE DEFENSE

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[Ben E Lou]

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

This is the only week of non-region action.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

[dacman]

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

[Ben E Lou]

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

Actually no, it is usually written out the way I've written them. Despite our status as #50 in SAT scores, we still know how to count our A's.

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

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

--Ben

[Ben E Lou]

Dola--

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

[Ben E Lou]

Quick Update:

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

[JonInMiddleGA]

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

In short, there was little reason to worry.

[Ben E Lou]

JON:

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

ALL:

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

[Ben E Lou]

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

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

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

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

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

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

[digamma]

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

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

[Ben E Lou]

WEEK 2 RECAPS FROM THE AJC

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

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

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

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

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

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

[Ben E Lou]

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

Link

Tucker holds upper hand over Marist in recent matches

By JOHN MANASSO
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MARIST AND TUCKER THROUGH THE YEARS

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

[Ben E Lou]

Video of Thomas Brown running a TD against Griffin.

[JonInMiddleGA]

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

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

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

[Ben E Lou]

Ahhh...we now have video of DT's jaunt against St. Pius. Click here to see DT run and run and run. The file is rather large.

[digamma]

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

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

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

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

[digamma]

Dola...

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

[Ben E Lou]

The AJC is running an article about the game in tomorrow's (Thursday's) paper. Link

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

By MICHAEL CARVELL
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


GAME OF THE WEEK

• Who: Tucker vs. Marist

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

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

• Last meeting: Tucker 27-14 in 2002.

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

[Ben E Lou]

GAME DAY! There's an article in the AJC today about all of Tucker's major-college talent: Link

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

By MICHAEL CARVELL
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

All that having been written, AJC writer Darryl Maxie is picking Marist over Tucker:

Salmon swim against the stream and die at the end of the process. What do they expect?

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

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

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

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

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

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

[Ben E Lou]

REGION 6-AAAA WEEK 3 SCHEDULE AND SKYDOG'S PICKS

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

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

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

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

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

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

[Alf]

Go Tucker !

[Ben E Lou]

The internet radio broadcast of the game begins at 7:15PM EDT tonight, and can be accessed at this link.

[Ben E Lou]

Dola:

And LAST year's Tucker-Marist game can still be listened to at this link

[Breeze]

SkyDog,

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

Keep it up.

Breeze

[Buzzbee]

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

[Ben E Lou]

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

Parkview-Brookwood will be on TV.

[Buzzbee]

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

I should have known.

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

[Ben E Lou]

Originally posted by Buzzbee
I should have known.

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

Nah. No biggie there at all. My contention has never been that Parkview-Brookwood doesn't deserve the hype it is getting, but that Tucker-Marist is NOT getting the hype it should get. If there is ONE game of the week to get on TV, it should be Parkview-Brookwood.

[digamma]

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

[Ben E Lou]

THE MARIST PERSPECTIVE ON TONIGHT'S GAME

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tiger Coach Bill Ballard has 14 returning starters.

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

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

FROM THE PRACTICE FIELD
There is a large banner hanging in the Marist locker room that is seen by everyone who enters. It has one word on it, TUCKER. The Tucker Tigers have been in the back on every player and coaches’ mind since last year’s game. The War Eagles did not play well in that game, but feel they ‘gave’ the game to the Tigers, they did not ‘win’ it. The War Eagles want redemption.
The coaching staff has talked all week at practice that the 3 keys to beating the Tigers are:

• Stop Tucker’s Big Plays
• Establish Who Is the Tougher Team
• Show Who Wants Victory More

Despite the lofty ranking of the Tigers (#3 in AAAA), the number of college prospects on their roster and the numerous media articles centering on senior running back Thomas Brown, the War Eagles match up quite well. Last season, Marist was “rebuilding” and errors were the main factor in the loss to Tucker. The banner in the locker room reminds the players everyday and ‘Doc’ Spurgeon said it best, “I am tired of losing to Tucker.”

[digamma]

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

First Quarter

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

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

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

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

End of First Quarter.

[digamma]

Second Quarter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Marist 24, Tucker 10

[digamma]

Halftime stats:
Marist 237 rushing yards
Tucker 126 rushing yards

Thomas Brown has 102 yards

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

[digamma]

Third Quarter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Marist 24, Tucker 10

[cthomer5000]

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

[digamma]

I had a laugh at that one too.

[digamma]

Fourth quarter

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

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

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

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

Final: Marist 31, Tucker 19

[cthomer5000]

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

[digamma]

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

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

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

[Ben E Lou]

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

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

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

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

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

[tucker342]

tough loss