Real-Life 2003 Tucker Tigers Dynasty

[Ben E Lou]

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

Well, for those who have been following on, looks like there's a special treat in store. I just found out from JonInMiddleGA that any of you can watch the game LIVE via webcast!!!! Here is the link: http://www.gptv.org/gptv/programs/ghsa/football.htm

--Ben

[Ben E Lou]

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

[Ben E Lou]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[Ben E Lou]

....from tomorrow's AJC:

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

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

[Ben E Lou]

Also from tomorrow's AJC:

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS: SEMIFINALS
3 teams continue seasons in Dome

By MICHAEL CARVELL
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[Ben E Lou]

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

Statesboro High School fired Head Football Coach Buzz Busby today.

[tucker342]

Any word on why?

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

[Ben E Lou]

Here's the rumor:

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

[Ben E Lou]

From this morning's AJC:

Statesboro's coach fired in middle of playoff run

By DARRYL MAXIE
Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writer

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

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

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

Dupree was unavailable for comment.

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

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

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

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

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

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

[Ben E Lou]

Another article. (The hype is REALLY starting to begin now...)

Fan roots for an all-Region 6-AAAA final

By CARLOS FRÍAS
Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writer

Count Brock Ballard among the most devoted of Marist fans.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[Breeze]

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

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

[Ben E Lou]

The AJC ran the following info about the Marist-TCC game in this morning's paper. I'd imagine we'll see the same thing tomorrow about Tucker-Statesboro.

]CLASS AAAA (6 p.m.): THOMAS CO. CENTRAL VS. MARIST

By BYLINE
Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-- Jay Stone / [email protected]

TCC (12-1)

The skinny

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

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

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

AJC rating: 39

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

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

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

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

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

Need to know basis

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

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

MARIST (12-1)

The skinny

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

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

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

AJC rating: 36

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

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

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

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

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

Need to know basis

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

[Ben E Lou]

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

The first half of The Monumental Rematch is now set. Marist defeated TCC 35-21 tonight. I was at the Tucker basketball game tonight. One of the football assistants was there. He said, "Well, I guess our pregame motivational speech for tomorrow is prepared now."

Y'all want another shot at Marist???

The prospect of the biggest of arch-rivals playing a rematch for all the marbles.... WOW!!!

[Ben E Lou]

Marist finally gets past Thomas County Central

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

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

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

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

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

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

[Ben E Lou]

The AJC has now posted the Statesboro-Tucker preview.

CLASS AAAA (6 p.m.): STATESBORO VS. TUCKER

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-- Michael Carvell / [email protected]

STATESBORO (10-2-1)

The skinny

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

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

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

AJC rating: 36

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

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

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

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

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

Need to know basis

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

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

TUCKER (12-1)

The skinny

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

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

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

AJC rating: 39

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

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

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

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

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

Need to know basis

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

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

[The_herd]

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

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

[Ben E Lou]

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

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

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

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

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

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

[Ben E Lou]

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

'Big hearts' finally climb that mountain

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[Ben E Lou]

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

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

I want to expand on my response to this.

STATESBORO WINS IF...

• their physical running game can get rolling early and wear down Tucker's 2-way players
• they force Tucker to turn the ball over multiple times
• they can find a way to contain Tucker's speed, particularly in the passing game

TUCKER WINS IF...

• they can take a lead and force Statesboro to throw the ball
• D.T. McDowell and the receiving corps can exploit Statesboro's supposed weakness, their secondary
• they can avoid costly interceptions

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

[Ben E Lou]

Heh.

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

[FargoFreez aka fof playa]

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

[FargoFreez aka fof playa]

Good Lawd!...

[FargoFreez aka fof playa]

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

[The Afoci]

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

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

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

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

[JonInMiddleGA]

re: McDowell's athleticism

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

[JonInMiddleGA]

And Brandon Young straps the Tigers to his back

[JonInMiddleGA]

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

[JonInMiddleGA]

Okay, now that was stupid

[mckerney]

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

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

[JonInMiddleGA]

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

[Ben E Lou]

Gamble ends roller-coaster game, week

By MICHAEL CARVELL
Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Another heartbreaking play for the Tigers was quarterback D.T, McDowell fumbling into the end zone for a touchback with 24 seconds left in the first half.

However, despite all the mistakes, Tucker was able to push the game into overtime, a fact that was not lost on coach Bill Ballard.

"We just kept trying to give the game away and we made some critical errors that hurt us bad," Ballard said. "But we still had a chance to win in overtime, and that's all you can ever ask for . . . a chance to win."

Statesboro 7 7 0 7 6 -- 27
Tucker 7 0 7 7 3 -- 24

T -- Brandyn Young 65 run (Blake Harr kick)
S -- Charles Rock 2 run (Zach Sanders kick)
S -- Tavius Roberts 1 run (Sanders kick)
T -- D.T. McDowell 11 run (Harr kick)
S -- Nick Wedlow 2 run (Sanders kick)
T -- Brandon Lang 2 pass from McDowell (Harr kick)
T -- Harr 32 FG
S -- Roberts 1 run (no kick attempted)

[Nyarlahotep]

Between this and my school's loss in the Indiana State Championship, I have decided domes are cursed.

[Ben E Lou]

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

It looks like it, based on some of the quote posts. What's the deal?

[Ben E Lou]

A few game notes/comments from Ol' SkyDog...

• DE/TE #19 Brandon Lang (3 sacks, 1 TD catch) had the flu. He struggled even to stand up in the locker room at halftime. What a gutsy performance.
• Give Statesboro credit for playing 10 yards off of Swinton and thereby taking the deep ball away.
• Obviously, you just don't win big games with five turnovers.
• The Tucker players were very down at halftime, coming on the heels of the fumble into the end zone for a touchback. Give BIG credit to the coaching staff for getting them back up. I personally overheard Ballard's one-on-one conversation with D.T., who was really brooding and beating himself up for the fumble. Great job getting him ready to play in the second half.
• Next year should be interesting in AAAA. Tucker, Shaw, Marist, Ware County and TCC probably were the "best" five teams this year in the classification, and all were heavily senior-laden teams.
• I was looking forward to getting to see the locker rooms in the G-dome. Unfortunately, with so many teams playing, we didn't use the real locker rooms, but just some sort of big meeting room. Oh well.
• There's nothing quite like the excitement of high school football in the Georgia Dome. Riding MARTA to the game and seeing all of the maroon and gold was just big fun.
• Having done YL for 7 years at Tucker, it was great to see SO many alumni there last night. I'm estimating that we had 6,000-10,000 Tucker supporters there last night.

Specifically for Tucker, a very nice nucleus of backs and receivers returns. Having Brandyn Young at RB and Hamilton Sims at FB will match Tucker up favorably with anyone in the state. Likewise, Asher Allen and Trey Buice will be very solid receivers. QB is a bit of a question at this point. There's a soph. named Chad Sims who (imho) is the leading candidate right now. Chad is a hard-nosed, hard-working kid who is an all-around athlete. He doesn't have DT's arm (but who does?), but he's got good speed and lots of fire in his belly.

On the line of scrimmage, it looks like once again Tucker will have four or five horses who will have to go both ways in the big games. Guys who got significant playing time who will return include starting C Will Stewart, starting OLB/DE Tristian Solomon, OT/DT Desmond Williams and OG/DT Jonathan Greer.

Defensively, CB/SS Mike Compton will be a Junior next year, and that kid is the REAL DEAL. I think he'll end up being a D-1 kid. I haven't heard anything, but Mike is getting bigger and stronger every day. With all of the speed and talent Tucker has at the skill positions, I could see Mike having the potential to move to LB on defense, and maybe even the offensive line (like Will Stewart did successfully), if needed.

Tavares Kearney will also be a stud as a Senior next year. I'd imagine he'll end up being one of the better LB/TE/DE's in the state.

I'm guessing that Tucker will at least contend for the Region Championship again next year. I'll probably update this thread when spring practice rolls around.

[JonInMiddleGA]

SD -- It appears the "Fargo Freeze" decided to delete several of his posts after the game ended.

Meanwhile, looking ahead to 2004 ...

We know for sure that Region 6-AAAA will have at least one new playoff representative next year, courtesy of re-alignment.

While Tucker, Marist, & St.Pius all return, South Forsyth moves up to AAAAA (while Dunwoody & Riverwood both drop to AAA)

Chamblee, North Forsyth, North Springs, and Forsyth Central all remain, joined by Etowah, Lakeside, and the new "Northpoint area" school.

BTW, re-alignment also creates a AAA powerhouse region,
matching Peach County, Washington County & Spalding in 4-AAA, along with long-time power Mary Persons. Also loaded up is 2-AAA, with LaGrange, Shaw, and Troup County all together. And that means that the AAA final four will look quite different next year, since these regions will meet in the round of 16 & 8 instead of
4.

[digamma]

Back in LA after my whirlwind trip to Atlanta for the game and back.

Can only echo what da' Dog has said in analyzing the game. Tucker was the better team, I think without question, but they made too many mistakes to win.

Brandon Lang probably played the gutsiest second half of football I've ever seen. He probably needed to be hooked up to an i.v. during the half, yet he came out and had three sacks in the second half and 2 HUGE catches for about 45 yards. If Georgia doesn't have a ship available for him, then the Dawgs must have some kind of recruiting class brewing. Incidentally, Brandon was probably the last person out of the Tucker dressing/meeting room and UGA recruiter Rodney Garner waited the whole time for him.

Unfortunately, this adds to the list of cruel play-off losses for Tucker. We've mentioned the 2000 loss to Statesboro 8-7 in this thread before, but other than that, we've had:
1993--Lost to Columbia by one point in overtime, after Tucker scored with 38 seconds left in OT, and could have won the game by downing the ball. Tucker was ahead on penetration and Columbia was down to their last time out. Tucker decided not to down the ball, however and scored. Columbia threw two bombs, scored with one second left and then converted a two point try to win the game.
1994--Lost to Dublin in overtime in the state semi-finals before they were played in the Dome.
1998--Lost to Creekside in the closing seconds after rallying for two late touchdowns to take the lead. Creekside ran its own two minute drill and scored with under a minute left.

The dome experience yesterday was one of the coolest things I've done in my life. I can only imagine what it must have felt like to be in between the lines.

Also, the emotions of those final five minutes of the game plus overtime were almost too much for me to take and, while I certainly have a relationship to the team and was disguised in coaching gear last night, I cannot imagine what it must be like to have those kinds of ups and downs in the span of such a short time as a high school kid.

I've been around the Tucker program for about 15 years now. I've seen Tucker lose some tough play-off games (as noted above) and for a variety of reasons, last night's was the toughest. Even so, being there to see my kid brother play and my dad coach in the dome is something that I will always treasure.

It was also a really neat experience to get on-line here today and see the interest this team has generated here. Comforting, in a way. Kudos to SkyDog for keeping this up, and thanks to everyone for following along.

[digamma]

I guess I'm not ready to have this thread slip away yet and admit that the season is over....

So, finals predictions?

I'll say Marist 24-6.

[tucker342]

Marist will crush 'em......

24-6 sounds about right

[Ben E Lou]

Marist 35, Statesboro 10.


Which is about what the Tucker-Statesboro score would have been had we been able to hold on to the ball....

[digamma]

Well, Marist wins it 21-6. Congrats to the War Eagles.

Tucker would have given them a much better game.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally posted by digamma
Well, Marist wins it 21-6. Congrats to the War Eagles.

Tucker would have given them a much better game.

Indeed. It was 21-0, and pretty much over, by halftime.

[tucker342]

Congrats to Marist..... To bad Tucker didn't get a chance to put them in their place....

[Ben E Lou]

The Marist-TCC semifinal game is now archived online. Tucker-Statesboro says "coming soon". Here's a link to Marist-TCC: http://www.gpb.org/gptv/programs/ghsa/asx/Class4A-ThomVsMar-h.asx

[Ben E Lou]

The Tucker game in the Dome is now archived, if you missed it live: http://www.gpb.org/gptv/programs/ghsa/football_semifinals_2003.htm

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by digamma

Brandon Lang probably played the gutsiest second half of football I've ever seen. He probably needed to be hooked up to an i.v. during the half, yet he came out and had three sacks in the second half and 2 HUGE catches for about 45 yards. If Georgia doesn't have a ship available for him, then the Dawgs must have some kind of recruiting class brewing. Incidentally, Brandon was probably the last person out of the Tucker dressing/meeting room and UGA recruiter Rodney Garner waited the whole time for him.

I've been out of town for a few days, and didn't talk to many kids over the break, so I'm just getting this news myself, but the Dawgs finally came around. Sounds like that performance in the Dome made the difference. Brandon will be joining Thomas in Athens next year.

[Breeze]

SkyDog,

I heard on the radio this morning that a scumbag broke into the home of Bill Venable last night, shooting and killing him and his 17 year old son, Bill Jr. God, I hope I'm wrong, but I though Bill was the wrestling and football coach at Tucker. If I'm right, my condolences to you, the school, the football and wrestling teams and especially to his family.

Regards,
Breeze

[dixieflatline]

Just a quick followup. Thomas Brown ended up rated as the 33rd best prospect in the nation even with the injury acording to Lemming. Here is the link:

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/recru...ory?id=1597879

Hopefully he will be able to come back 100% and make an impact next year.

[Ben E Lou]

FWIW, he has now been cleared to resume full work-outs, and has started doing so. He'll be heading to Athens for summer school.

[dixieflatline]

That's good to hear. Have you heard anything about DT commitment to Nebraska? ESPN still has him listed as going there but the page hasn't been updated since the coaching change. I also looked for his name on some lists for the MLB draft and couldn't find it so maybe that means football for him.

[Ben E Lou]

Commitment Updates:

FB/LB Jimmy Coleman committed to Tulane this weekend. They're talking OLB/SS as his position.

G/LB Andrew McKain is very close to committing to Air Force. He's visting the Jan. 30-Feb. 2 weekend.

We're gonna have a big ol' signing day party in Tucker on Feb. 4!