If I have time, I'll post more later today, but definitely a recap after tonight's opening game (which THS should win easily), but here are the AJC's previews of DeKalb County teams in Region 6-AAAA, and overall predictions. Tucker is gettin' NO love! The AJC didn't even pick them in the preseason Top Ten in AAAA.

REGION 6-AAAA

Chamblee Bulldogs

• Coach: Brent Miller

• 2003: 6-4

• Returning starters: RB-LB Marvelous Strickland (6-0, 215, Sr.), RB-DB Roddy Jones (5-9, 160, Soph.), TE-LB Charles Major (6-0, 180, Sr.), TE-LB Orzielle Frazier (5-11, 170, Soph.), OL-DL Arthur Miller (5-10, 230, Jr.), OL-DL Justin D. Smith (5-11, 265, Jr.)

• Outlook: Only an upset at the end of the season kept Chamblee, which was led by Travis Chambers (signed by Georgia Tech) and Rodney Ezzard (Duke), from making the state playoffs. It will likely be a couple of years before the Bulldogs are in postseason contention again, as they suffered heavy losses to graduation and are starting over with Brent Miller as their new coach. Miller has been coaching for 21 years in Georgia, including 14 as head coach, and has installed a pro-I formation. Jason Barcus and Brandon Gregory are battling for the QB job. Marvelous Strickland rushed for 623 yards and four TDs last year. The defense will likely carry Chamblee through the early stages of the season. Justin D. Smith is one of the area's best punters with a 38.3-yard average.

• It will be a good season if: Chamblee has a winning record.

• Chances of making the playoffs: Fair, with chances increasing every day the players become more familiar with the offense.



Lakeside Vikings

• Coach: Bill Harris

• 2003: 6-4

• Returning starters: FB-LB Gary Ogden (5-10, 205, Sr.), WR-QB Quartez Key (5-8, 170, Sr.), OG Andrew Ruzkowski (5-11, 202, Sr.), C George Reynolds (6-3, 270, Sr.), DE Nathaniel Hilliard (5-11, 183), K Greg Nicholson (5-10, 169, Sr.)

• Outlook: Lakeside was one of last year's feel-good stories, posting a 6-4 record (program's best since 1997) and closing out the season with a stunning upset over Southwest DeKalb. The Panthers suffered heavy losses to graduation, but move down to Class AAAA with a lot of confidence. Bill Harris says he has exceptional team chemistry and as much talent as last year, although many lack experience. The Vikings will be boosted by the addition of a pair of seniors who haven't played football in two years: DB-WR Drew Jones and TE Steve Jones, both of whom are among the team's top college prospects. Quartez Key will shift from WR to take over the No. 1 QB responsibilities.

• It will be a good season if: The Vikings continue to make progress as they have the past three years under Harris. Improvement this season means making the playoffs.

• Chances of making the playoffs: Good. The Vikings dropped down a classification into a tough region, but carry a lot of confidence and momentum from last year.



Marist War Eagles

• Coach: Alan Chadwick

• 2003: 14-1

• Returning starters: WR-QB Chris Ashkouti (6-0, 185, Sr.), RB Anderson Russell (6-0, 197, Sr.), TE-LB Taylor Cleveland (5-11, 172, Sr.), LB Andrew Dete (6-0, 200, Sr.), OL-DL Michael Palma (6-0, 197, Sr.)

• Outlook: On the surface, Marist's chances of repeating as Class AAAA state champion do not look good with only five returning starters. But the War Eagles have several reasons to be optimistic about making another title run: QB Chris Ashkouti is probably better at running the option than Sean McVay, who signed with Miami of Ohio; RB Anderson Russell seems poised to flourish after sharing the ball with two others last year; the team is strong again across the offensive and defensive lines. Marist's top attribute is that it expects to win the region, make the playoffs and contend for state title every year.

• It will be a good season if: Marist makes the semifinals again, and possibly the state finals.

• Chances of making the playoffs: Automatic, as it has been just about every year the team has been under the direction of Alan Chadwick — since 1985.



St. Pius Golden Lions

• Coach: Paul Standard

• 2003: 10-3

• Returning starters: TB-FS Brandon Echols (6-1, 190, Sr.), WR-DB Nick Hogan (5-11, 170, Sr.), SS-RB Joe Gibson (5-10, 170, Sr.), K Halton Williams (5-8, 150, Sr.), QB Griffin Benedict (6-1, 190, Sr.), WR-DB Kevin Ksionzyk (5-9, 180, Sr.), RB Chris McBride (5-10, 200, Sr.), LB Nathan Shaffner (5-11, 200, Jr.), OL John McGinniss (6-2, 190, Sr.), OL Jacob Longoria (6-2, 200, Sr.), OL-DL Daniel Finnerty (6-3, 245, Sr.), TE Alex Seglem (6-2, 205, Sr.)

• Outlook: St. Pius, which reached the state quarterfinals last year, is coming off its best season since 1968, and there is no reason to think the Golden Lions can match or improve on the effort. The nucleus of the team returns, led by Nick Hogan, last year's AJC Rockale/DeKalb player of the year, who blocked seven punts or kicks and intercepted seven passes. RB Brandon Echols has as much raw talent as any player in the area, and Alex Seglem is a scoring threat at TE. St. Pius lost leading rusher Evan Tighe (1,190 yards last year) to graduation, but sophomore Tyler Fish appears to be a rising star. St. Pius has 85 players, including 31 seniors.

• It will be a good season if: St. Pius beats Marist, even if it loses the rest of its games.

• Chances of making the playoffs: Excellent, and the Golden Lions are aiming to make it to the Georgia Dome for the state semifinals.



Tucker Tigers

• Coach: Bill Ballard

• 2003: 12-2

• Returning starters: RB-DB Brandyn Young (6-0, 184, Sr.), DB Trey Bice (5-10, 160, Sr.), WR Asher Allen (5-10, 170, Sr.), DE Tavares Kearney (6-1, 220, Sr.), NG-FB Hamilton Sims (5-8, 180, Sr.), SS Mike Compton (5-10, 180, Sr.), DE Tristian Solomon (5-11, 200, Sr.), OL Will Stewart (6-1, 220, Sr.)

• Outlook: Tucker lost one of the most talented senior classes in DeKalb County history last year, with 13 players signing college scholarships, including six at the major-college level. Most programs would take a nose dive after such personnel losses, but the Tigers figure to be strong again. Tucker may have as much raw talent as a year ago, but lacks experience. The Tigers are spending the preseason trying to find their own identity for this group of seniors, led by Brandyn Young, who has committed to Maryland. Young rushed for 967 yards last year after Thomas Brown (signed with Georgia) suffered a season-ending leg injury. Young is one of the state's most electrifying players and will line up at several positions on offense, including QB. Others battling for the No, 1 QB spot are Dewayne Harris and Steve McClure.

• It will be a good season if: Tucker competes for the region championship and makes it at least to the second round of the state playoffs.

• Chances of making the state playoffs: Great. The faces have changed, but Bill Ballard has guided Tucker to a 24-3 record over the previous two seasons, including a trip to the state semifinals last year. These are good times at Tucker.



Projected standings

1. Marist

2. St. Pius

3. Tucker

4. Lakeside

5. Etowah

6. North Springs

7. North Forsyth

8. Chamblee

9. Forsyth Central

6-AAAA Preview from The Insiders:



<TABLE width=490><TBODY><TR><TD bgColor=#00aa00 colSpan=2>2004 Football Preview
</TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#fd9455 colSpan=2>Class AAAA - Region 6
</TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=2>
It was an exciting season for Marist last season on the way to the state championship. The War Eagles didn’t let a loss in their regular-season finale to St. PiusX stop them. Instead, they knocked off then top-ranked Shaw in the quarterfinals, then disposed of state power Thomas County Central in the semifinals. They pounded Statesboro in the championship game. Marist lost a lot of talent off last year’s state championship team, but the War Eagles have enough to make a run at winning the region title and defending their state title. Overcoming the loss of 35 seniors is detrimental to most programs, but Marist should be fine. Some interior linemen have to be replaced on both sides as well as 2003 All-State quarterback/defensive back <!--Default For Sean McVay is to ignore-->Sean McVay. Senior running back <!--Default NodeId For Anderson Russell is 1162513,2004-->Anderson Russell (http://scout.theinsiders.com/a.z?s=37&p=8&c=1&nid=1162513) (6-0, 205) gives the War Eagles a Division I-A prospect on offense. Meanwhile, senior linebacker <!--Default For Andrew Dete is to ignore-->Andrew Dete (6-0, 200) returns to lead the defense.<?XML:NAMESPACE PREFIX = O /><O:P></O:P>

Tucker, the Region 6 runner-up to Marist last season, should make the playoffs again. The Tigers fell short of playing the War Eagles in the state championship game when they lost to Statesboro in overtime in the semifinals. But to approach last year’s success, Tucker must replace players such as quarterback <!--Default For D.T. McDowell is to ignore-->D.T. McDowell, running back <!--Default For Thomas Brown is to ignore-->Thomas Brown and linebacker <!--Default For Brandon Lang is to ignore-->Brandon Lang. Senior running back/defensive back <!--Default NodeId For Brandyn Young is 1190366,2004-->Brandyn Young (http://scout.theinsiders.com/a.z?s=37&p=8&c=1&nid=1190366) (5-11, 180) took over in the offensive backfield midway through the season and played a key role in helping the Tigers to the semifinals. Young has verbally committed to <!--Default NodeId For Maryland is 357,2004-->Maryland (http://maryland.theinsiders.com/). Linebacker <!--Default For Tavares Kearney is to ignore-->Tavares Kearney (6-1, 190) gives Tucker something to build around on defense.<O:P></O:P>

St. Pius X held the distinction of being the only team to beat Marist last year. The Golden Lions used that momentum to make it to the third round of the playoffs before losing to Statesboro. St. Pius might not be quite as talented, but they have enough to challenge for a playoff spot. Safety <!--Default NodeId For Brandon Echols is 1193803,2004-->Brandon Echols (http://scout.theinsiders.com/a.z?s=37&p=8&c=1&nid=1193803) (6-1, 183) is a solid prospect.<O:P></O:P>

Lakeside-DeKalb moves down from Class AAAAA, just missing the playoffs last year. But the Vikings could be a team to watch for. They ended last year with a big win over Southwest DeKalb. Lakeside hopes to carry that momentum into this season.<O:P></O:P>

Etowah is also moving down and should benefit. The Eagles just missed the postseason in 2003.<O:P></O:P>

North Forsyth is also a team to watch for. The Raiders showed signs of turning the corner last season but finished 4-6. With its entire offensive line returning and several talented underclassmen, North Forsyth is expected to be much improved.<O:P></O:P>

Chamblee played well in a win over St. Pius X and losses to Marist and South Forsyth, but poorly in a loss to North Springs. If the Bulldogs can stay consistent, they could make a run at the playoffs.<O:P></O:P>

North Springs and Forsyth Central struggled last season and aren’t expected to play roles in the postseason race. Alpharetta plays its first season and will struggle in a very competitive region.


</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- / message --><!-- sig -->

Tucker Tigers

• Coach: Bill Ballard

• 2003: 12-2

• Returning starters: RB-DB Brandyn Young (6-0, 184, Sr.), DB Trey Bice (5-10, 160, Sr.), WR Asher Allen (5-10, 170, Sr.), DE Tavares Kearney (6-1, 220, Sr.), NG-FB Hamilton Sims (5-8, 180, Sr.), SS Mike Compton (5-10, 180, Sr.), DE Tristian Solomon (5-11, 200, Sr.), OL Will Stewart (6-1, 220, Sr.)

• Outlook: Tucker lost one of the most talented senior classes in DeKalb County history last year, with 13 players signing college scholarships, including six at the major-college level. Most programs would take a nose dive after such personnel losses, but the Tigers figure to be strong again. Tucker may have as much raw talent as a year ago, but lacks experience. The Tigers are spending the preseason trying to find their own identity for this group of seniors, led by Brandyn Young, who has committed to Maryland. Young rushed for 967 yards last year after Thomas Brown (signed with Georgia) suffered a season-ending leg injury. Young is one of the state's most electrifying players and will line up at several positions on offense, including QB. Others battling for the No, 1 QB spot are Dewayne Harris and Steve McClure.

• It will be a good season if: Tucker competes for the region championship and makes it at least to the second round of the state playoffs.

• Chances of making the state playoffs: Great. The faces have changed, but Bill Ballard has guided Tucker to a 24-3 record over the previous two seasons, including a trip to the state semifinals last year. These are good times at Tucker.I copied and pasted this as-is, but a few comments on obvious mistakes:

1. Asher Allen and Mike Compton are Juniors, not Seniors.

2. DeWayne Harris is a transfer, also a Junior, and will definitely be the primary QB. (Note that Asher, Mike and DeWayne will be the starting backfield in 2005 as well. Asher and Mike will back up B.Y. and Hamilton this year at TB and FB respectively, but expect both of them to get significant playing time on offense--to the point of almost splitting time.)

3. There ain't no WAY that Hamilton is 5'8" tall.

4. DeWayne is D.T.'s cousin.

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/0804/20weather.html

You didn't think my dad was going to miss this one, did you?

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/0804/20weather.html

You didn't think my dad was going to miss this one, did you?:)

As I mentioned in my newsletter, the last conversation I had with your dad was about signing Bill up for our trip to SharpTop. However, the last LONG conversation I had with your dad was on the bus ride to Forsyth Central. I sat directly across from him, and we chatted some about Amy being a YL leader, a little about you, but mainly about a special ed kid who was making his first trip that game as a ball boy. He was really excited about this kid and how much progress he was making. You could tell he was really proud of him. Well, tonight that same kid was a ball boy......and he was wearing a gold #58 jersey. It brought a smile and tears simutaneously.

Oh yeah. Tucker won 35-6. DeWayne looked *really* good at QB, and Mike Compton had a very strong game at FB. Hamilton Sims had a slight injury, and sat this one out. More details tomorrow.

--Ben

Lucky. Marist will whup'em


"Tucker Hater"



P.S. Somebody around here has to yin the yang.

What?! No word on Brandyn Young? He's our ticket to a national championship :).

Note: Friedgen just got a new contract today - guaranteeing him $1.5M a year through 2012. Yay!

Looks like it's gonna be an interesting year for football, with some traditional powers struggling to stay at the top & some other powers looking even stronger. What the heck am I talking about? Well, let's see here ...

-- Camden's 12-10 win over Parkview certainly goes a long way toward legitimizing their claim that the balance of power in AAAAA has shifted south. At least, it's no longer Gwinnett's classification to dominate.
-- LaGrange's 35-7 demolition of AAAA #1 Newnan was impressive. The Cougars were overrated badly IMO, but the Grangers have served notice on the rest of AAA.
-- How about Greene County (AA) knocking off Lincoln County (A) 21-6? Never mind the classifications, that's an upset of major proportions in the middle of the state. And not just the win, but the way they did it -- on the road & by pushing Lincoln around in the 4th qtr. I listened to some of this one on WDDK-FM (103.9), very impressive by the Tigers.
-- Nevermind the 14-0 loss to NS-WR, I believe Peach County is going to be right in there. With Peach, LaGrange, and Shaw, I believe AAA might turn out to be the most interesting classification to watch all year, even if WaCo's loss to Hawkinsville (kudos to the little school for a huge win too) might be an indication that they're not quite what they've been in the past.
-- Okay, the AJC says St.Pius is a Top-10 team ... and they promptly struggle in their opener against Hiram (3-7 last year). Makes me wonder if the "resurgence" is more myth than reality.
-- Other odds & ends from the state's opening weekend: Congrats to Pike County & new HC Buzz Busby (ex-Statesboro), a 60-0 win over Central-Talbotton. After years of struggles, any win for the Pirates is a good win ... Monticello hung in there against Appalachee, losing 12-0 ... Piedmont Academy got their butts handed to them, 32-0 loss at Nat Greene (in Siloam). I gotta be honest here, with the peckerhead they've got as a new HC, if they go 0-10, I'm not exactly gonna be disappointed.

I'm a slacker. However, Tucker (3-0) is off this weekend, meaning I have this evening free. I plan to fully update this thread then, and then be able to move forward. This is a VERY interesting team this year.

I'm a slacker. However, Tucker (3-0) is off this weekend, meaning I have this evening free. I plan to fully update this thread then, and then be able to move forward. This is a VERY interesting team this year.
Sure you do. ;)

BTW, it looks like at least Susan and my step-brother Eddie will be at the Marist game next Friday. With my changing jobs in progress, I can't get away next weekend, but I will be in Atlanta the weekend of the Chamblee game.

Sure you do. ;)

BTW, it looks like at least Susan and my step-brother Eddie will be at the Marist game next Friday. With my changing jobs in progress, I can't get away next weekend, but I will be in Atlanta the weekend of the Chamblee game.Working on it now, smart-@#$! ;) I ended up beign asked to play guitar at a Habitat for Humanity fund-raising lock-in last night. I haven't picked that sucker up in nearly two months, so I needed to brush up on a few songs, especially the newer ones.

Thanks for the heads-up, because with the madhouse that game will be, no guarantees that I would have run into Susan and Eddie. The Chamblee game will be a complete cakewalk. They're *really* down this year.

MEET THE 2004 TIGERS

QUARTERBACK

First off, there's starting QB DeWayne Harris (Jr.).

http://benelou.com/tuckerdynasty/pics/tnV03.JPG

DeWayne is a cousin of last year's QB, D.T. McDowell. His family moved into the Tucker district this year so that he could take over the vacated position. DeWayne played for two years at a weak program in DeKalb County, but he'll be a Tiger for the final two years of his high school career. DeWayne is a big, strong kid, right at 6'0", 190 pounds. He's similar to D.T. in terms of physical tools: a strong arm and good speed. His arm is not AS strong as D.T.'s (Whose is?), but he's probably just as fast, and already makes better decisions on the option. Also, he has a *great* demeanor and is very much coachable. He'll likely be getting some D-1 looks next season. Brandyn Young ("B.Y."), the starting tailback, will serve as the primary backup QB. B.Y. started one game last year when D.T. was serving a one-game suspension. He threw two passes in that one, completing both of them.



BACKS AND RECEIVERS

Tucker has over a dozen former skill position players at the college level right now, and this year's crop maintains that tradition nicely. First off, there's Brandyn Young (Sr.), the starting tailback.

http://benelou.com/tuckerdynasty/pics/tnV04.JPG



B.Y (http://scout.theinsiders.com/a.z?s=73&p=8&c=1&nid=1190366)., as he is known to everyone in Tucker, stepped it up last year after blue-chip prospect Thomas Brown (now the #2 tailback at UGA as a true freshman) went down with a broken leg. B.Y. is a sub-4.5 kid with decent size (185-190 pounds currently) and a nice frame. He could probably carry 210-215 pounds without losing much, if any, of his speed. He has given a verbal commitment to Maryland. He could play RB or DB in college.



Starting at fullback is everyone's favorite little guy, 5-foot-6-inch-185-pound Hamilton Sims (Sr.):

http://benelou.com/tuckerdynasty/pics/tnV30.JPG



Hamilton is starting to get some serious-sounding D-1 inquiries. Iowa and Army in particular seem very interested. Ham is lightning quick, and strong as an ox. He benches over 350, and squats over 500. He has a chance to break most of Thomas Brown's Tucker weight-room records before he graduates this spring. When he plays nose guard on defense, most centers can do absolutely nothing with him. Ham is a good blocker, and with his speed (in the 4.5 range), he can take off if he gets into the secondary. He played a good bit on offense last year, but did not start due to the presence of FB Jimmy Coleman (now red-shirting at Tulane). Hamilton is a well-disciplined pastor's son, and unquestionably is the most popular Tiger among all those Southern dads in the stands, due to the hard-hitting grit that he brings to the table on every play.



The drop-off at both tailback and fullback is very minimal this year, with Juniors Asher Allen (21) and Mike Compton (29)

http://benelou.com/tuckerdynasty/pics/tnV21.JPGhttp://benelou.com/tuckerdynasty/pics/tnV29.JPG



Honestly, I think both of these guys will end up being better than the guys they are playing behind this season. Asher is a little faster than B.Y., but not as big (probably around 170-175 right now). Of course, the kid is barely 16 years old, so he's still got some filling out to do. One long-time Tucker fan said that no one, including Thomas Brown, dominated the Tucker Youth Football League like Asher did. With his speed, he'll start at receiver most of the time this year, and get some carries at tailback as well. His natural position is tailback, though. Compton is a big ol' man-child who seems to be growing every day. I wouldn't be shocked to see him become one of those 225-pound bruising tailbacks. He's got Earl Campbell thighs and sub 4.5 speed.



Believe it or not, there's yet ANOTHER back worth mentioning, Jr. Bryant Flenoury. Bryant is a little scat-back, probably in the 5'8"-160 pound range, but he's the fastest kid on team, running right around 4.40 in the 40. He'll start in the secondary, run back kicks, play some receiver and also get some carries at tailback.



Seniors Trey Buice and Quinton Heard will get their shares of playing time at receiver. Both are solid players with decent speed. Neither is a big-time prospect, though.



Finally, there's the versatile TE Tavares Kearney (http://scout.theinsiders.com/a.z?s=73&p=8&c=1&nid=1201644).

http://benelou.com/tuckerdynasty/pics/tnV23.JPG

Tavares will play primarily at TE on offense, but can play virtually anywhere on the defensive side of the ball. He's a big, strong wrecking force. He's a good blocking and pass-catching TE. Tavares has not committed, but has offers from Clemson, Tech and Mississippi State, among others.



OFFENSIVE AND DEFENSIVE LINEMEN

Once again, Tucker is patching together an offensive line. The only returning starter is C Will Stewart (Sr.).

http://benelou.com/tuckerdynasty/pics/tnV57.JPG

Will is around 6'2", weighs around 225 pounds, and is a good enough athlete to be a SF/PF on the varsity basketball team. The other two most promising-looking linemen are Juniors Jotis Head (79) and Anthony Cloud (59).

http://benelou.com/tuckerdynasty/pics/tnV79.JPGhttp://benelou.com/tuckerdynasty/pics/tnV59.JPG

Jotis looks like he has the size and athleticism to be a legit D-1 lineman. He's around 6'3", 250 pounds right now, and is quite athletic. He's playing offensive tackle. Anthony is primarily a defensive lineman. He's cut from the Hamilton Sims mold--around 5'7" tall. Also, there's Sr. Tristian Solomon. Solomon started some at LB last year, and will play on both sides of the ball on the line this year. As mentioned earlier, Hamilton Sims is a key player on the defensive line. There are other decent linemen as well this year. All-in-all, Tucker has a chance to be better at the line of scrimmage than in any season in recent memory.



LINEBACKERS AND SECONDARY

Most of the key LB's and DB's have already been mentioned. Tucker has so many talented players who are in great shape in the 175-200 pound range that will rotate in and out here. Tavares Kearney is the key LB, and the rotation of Compton, Asher, B.Y., Trey and Bryant in the secondary makes it very difficult to pass on the Tigers.





OVERALL

Once again, Tucker has a very fast, very well-coached team. The only mild concern is at the line of scrimmage. Tucker should easily defeat 6 of their opponents this year (Cedar Grove, Lakeside, Etowah, Chamblee, Forsyth Central, North Springs) just on the major talent gap. Those six teams have virtually no chance of winning, and Tucker could pretty much name their score against any of them if they so chose. North Forsyth should have a decent team, but Tucker should still defeat them by 3 TD's or more. Americus-Sumter, Marist, and St. Pius should be the games that present a challenge this year. Pius has always struggled mightily against Tucker, as they don't handle teams with speed very well. Americus-Sumter is a newly-combined school, consisting of two traditional AA powers. Of course Marist is the rivalry of all rivalries. Last year's Tucker-Marist game boasted a crowd upwards of 11,000, and this year's should be similar. Marist is defending state champs, and Tucker would like to be the team to knock 'em off that pedestal.



My overall outlook is that the state playoffs are an absolute lock. Four teams from each region make the playoffs, and Tucker's second-string would probably finish no worse than third in Region 6-AAAA. That's not to say that the region is soft--just EXTREMELY top-heavy. There is a WIDE WIDE gap between Tucker/Marist/Pius, and everyone else.



As far as how far Tucker can go this year, that remains to be seen. Most of the traditional AAAA powers lost large senior classes last year, and three strong AAAAA teams dropped down to AAAA (Northside, Warner Robins, Southwest DeKalb). At this point, it is still anyone's guess as to who the front-runners are. Marist is undefeated and ranked #1 due to their championship last year. The big test for both Tucker and Marist will take place this Friday night at Hughes-Spalding Stadium.

WEEK 1
As mentioned earlier, Tucker swamped Cedar Grove in a non-region game. The Saints were very much outmanned, as most of Tucker's opponents will be this year.

WEEK 2
As expected, this one was a test. We traveled over three hours down to South Georgia to play Americus-Sumter, a newly-combined school that should be a force in AAAA. We came out of there with a hard-fought 27-19 win. Interesting note: Tucker turned down an invitation to play in the Corky Kell Kickoff Classic in the Georgia Dome this year, and decided to play this game as well. The coaching staff likes to play a "travel game" during the regular season to get the players familiar with that drill when it ends up happening in the playoffs.

WEEK 3
Tucker played Lakeside this week. LHS is less than five miles from THS, and up until this year, most of the kids went to middle school together under a split-feeder system. Tucker and Lakeside are long-time traditional rivals due to proximity. LHS has been in AAAAA the last two seasons, so they hadn't played since '01. LHS dropped back down to AAAA this year, and the rivalry resumed, as such. The problem is that the once-proud Lakeside program (state title in '91, state finals in '96) has fallen on VERY hard times. Tucker rolled to a 37-0 halftime lead en route to a 44-0 shellacking of Lakeside. What is worse for Lakeside is that the JV and Freshman teams from the two schools also played this week. Tucker's JV won 45-6, and the Freshmen won 41-0. This "rivarly" isn't gonna be much for at least a few seasons.

COMING UP.....

TUCKER VS. MARIST!!!

I'm sure this one will be carried live via internet radio once again. I'll be copying the hyped-up news stories into this thread as the week goes along.

One other thing is that it looks like North Forsyth has emerged as the front-runner for the #4 playoff spot in the region. Here are results of in-region action so far:

WEEK 3
Marist 44, Etowah 14
Forsyth Central 15, North Springs 7
St. Pius 33, North Forsyth 20
Tucker 44, Lakeside 0
Chamblee won 46-18 in a non-region game against Dunwoody.

WEEK 4
Marist 56, Chamblee 20
Lakeside 24, Forsyth Central 8
St. Pius 31, Etowah 7
North Forsyth 38, North Springs 8
Tucker: Off.

Based on the first two weeks of region play, it looks like the North Springs vs. Lakeside game will determine the #4 team in the region.

Elsewhere, some names we'll be seeing in this thread eventually

Associated Press CLASS AAAA Top Ten Results
1. Marist (4-0) beat Chamblee, 56-20
2. Statesboro (3-0) idle this week
3. Northside-Warner Robins (3-0) beat Stockbridge 62-6 on Saturday
4. Ware County (4-0) beat Savannah, 50-0
5. Tucker (3-0) idle this week
6. Westside-Macon (3-0) beat Eagle's Landing, 37-0
7. St. Pius X (4-0) beat Etowah, 31-7
8. Sandy Creek (3-0) beat McIntosh, 33-3
9. Thomas County Central (2-1) beat Early County, 37-13
10. Rome (3-0) beat Ringgold, 38-10

In other classifications ...
Central Gwinnett ended Buford's state-record 48 game winning streak with a 20-14 win ... Class AAA #1 LaGrange routed 2nd-ranked Shaw 37-10 in a week that saw 5 of the classification's top ten teams lose ... Piedmont Academy remained winless, falling 6-0 to their archrivals from Gatewood (Eatonton) ... Monticello traveled into northwest Georgia to take on smaller, but ranked, Trion & lost 28-21. Trailing 22-21 in the 4th, Monticello was stuffed three times inside the five & then allowed Trion to march 99 yards for a game-sealing TD in the final minutes.

Good news for this thread! Tucker-Marist does not have to compete with Brookwood-Parkview this year for top billing in the metro area. In the last 3-4 years, they've been the same week. This year they are not. The only other matchup of highly-acclaimed teams this week as far as I can tell is down in South Georgia, so Tucker-Marist will likely receive most of the AJC's hype this week. First mention in today's paper:

ajc.com (http://www.ajc.com/) > Sports (http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/index.html) > High School (http://www.ajc.com/highschool/content/sports/highschool/index.html)
<!-- CONTENT AREA BEGINS --> Tucker's turn to chase after payback

The Age of Settled Accounts dawned at Marist last season, with no payback being more satisfying to the War Eagles than when they took out years of frustration by walloping Thomas County Central in a semifinal playoff. Marist's only price, in keeping with the payback theme, was to suffer an upset at the hands of St. Pius in the regular-season finale after the decades of pain it had inflicted on the Golden Lions. But since the War Eagles' season resumed with a march to the Class AAAA championship, all was well that ended well.

Nearly lost in Marist's avenging run was the War Eagles' 31-19 win over Tucker -- repayment for two consecutive losses to the Tigers.

The payback burden will be on No. 7-ranked Tucker when it visits the No. 1-ranked War Eagles at Hughes Spalding Stadium on Friday. Both are unbeaten, but Marist hasn't played a game decided by fewer than 19 points.

Other games of note this week include:

• Buford vs. Gainesville: Who would have believed this game would be accurately summed up as the Battle for the One-Game Winning Streak?

That's what this amounts to after Central Gwinnett snapped Buford's 47-game winning streak Friday with a 20-14 victory. And once North Hall whipped Gainesville 28-0 Friday, ending the Red Elephants' run of 22 consecutive regular-season victories, it ensured there wouldn't be a double-digit winning streak anywhere near Buford's Tom Riden Stadium on Friday.

• South Gwinnett at Berkmar: Berkmar is a surprising 3-0 but faces its toughest opposition to date Friday when South Gwinnett drops in. A victory would equal Berkmar's total from last season and actually give the Patriots a share of the Region 8-AAAAA lead.

• Lincoln County at Commerce: It's a showdown between two traditional Class A powers who have struggled against higher-classification competition in the early going.

No. 6-ranked Lincoln County lost its opener to Class AA Greene County, barely got by Class AAA Burke County and then properly disposed of Class AAAA Greenbrier.

Commerce just broke a two-game skid -- losses to Class AAA Franklin County and Class AA Morgan County -- by whipping Class AA Banks County.

Due to Ivan, the game may end up getting moved to Saturday. At any rate, here's a nice article that will run in tomorrow's AJC:

A battle of region titans
Still plenty of firepower at Marist, Tucker



So much for all the talk about Marist and Tucker being a little bit down this year.

The two teams play at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Marist. While it is true that neither Marist nor Tucker features the marquee names or offensive firepower from a year ago, both teams are still two of the Atlanta area's best and likely to make it far into the playoffs.

<!--endclickprintinclude--><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" width="175"><tbody><tr><td>http://img.coxnewsweb.com/B/03/89/87/image_887893.jpg (http://www.ajc.com/highschool/content/sports/highschool/0904/a0805spot3.html)
JB REED / Staff
(ENLARGE) (http://www.ajc.com/highschool/content/sports/highschool/0904/a0805spot3.html)
</td></tr><tr><td class="caption">Marist coach Alan Chadwick says, 'You've got to approach this game [with Tucker] as a big one.' The victor has gone on to win the region every year since 1998.
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</td> </tr> </tbody></table></td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td><td width="5">http://www.ajc.com/shared-local/images/1pix_trans.gif</td></tr><tr><td><table bgcolor="#cccccc" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" width="170"><tbody><tr><td><table bgcolor="#ffffff" border="0" cellpadding="9" cellspacing="0" width="168"><tbody><tr><td class="body">GAME OF THE WEEK
• Who: Tucker at Marist • When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Marist's Hughes Spalding Stadium, Atlanta.
• Records, rankings: Marist is 4-0 and ranked No. 1 in Class AAAA. Tucker is 3-0 and ranked No. 7.
• Last meeting: Marist won 31-19 in 2003.
• Three things to watch: 1. Will the Tucker defense be ready when Marist runs one of its trick plays? 2. Marist quarterback Chris Ashkouti has earned rave reviews through four games, but will be asked to do more as the season goes along. 3. Who is the best tailback in DeKalb County, Marist's Anderson Russell or Tucker's Brandyn Young?</td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><!--startclickprintinclude--> Marist is 4-0, ranked No. 1 in Class AAAA, and appears poised to defend the state championship it won a year ago. Tucker is 3-0 and holds down the No. 7 spot in the state rankings.

"Let's make no mistake about it: This is a big game," Tucker coach Bill Ballard said. "You can't count out St. Pius and some of the other teams, so I'm not going to say this one will decide the Region 6-AAAA championship.

"However, the winner of this game will control its own destiny and have a great shot at region."

The winner of the Tucker-Marist game has gone on to win the region every year since 1998. Marist coach Alan Chadwick knows it's still early in the season, but he does not hesitate to stress the importance of Friday's game to his players.

"You've got to approach this as a big one," he said. "You've got to put pressure on your coaches and players because you've want to win this one if you want to do well later on in the season.

"Games like this are why you play football at Marist. You live to play in big games like this in a great atmosphere. Our team knows the significance of this game, as I'm sure Tucker does."

Marist does not have the same kinds of scoring threats that it had a year ago, but the War Eagles are actually averaging more points (41.7) after four games than the state championship squad (38) did last season.

One of Marist's biggest surprises has been at fullback, which was a primary concern for Chadwick entering the year. Preston Lyons, one of the few players to start as a sophomore at Marist in the past decade, has won the job and is averaging 131 yards rushing.

Other Marist players who have turned heads this year are wide receiver Allen Parker, who is in his first season as a starter as a senior, and Brent Ducote, who is undersized (6-foot, 175 pounds) for a defensive lineman but has above-average quickness.

Quarterback is always the high-profile position at Marist, and the team has made a smooth transition from Sean McVay (signed with Miami of Ohio), last year's Class AAAA offensive player of the year, to senior Chris Ashkouti.

"Chris does not have the same speed as Sean, but I will be darned if he is not better at executing the offense," Chadwick said. "Chris is just terrific at making the reads and running everything."

Tucker returned only nine of 22 starters this year and has found itself entering games in the unusual role as underdog. However, it is a role that the Tigers have embraced.

"We don't have superstars like Thomas Brown [signed with Georgia] and D.T. McDowell [Troy State] like we did last year, but I think this year's team has better chemistry," Tucker fullback Hamilton Sims said.

"Everything we do this year is a team effort and not individual effort. We like that everyone thinks we are down this year because it just gets us motivated to prove them wrong."

Sims realizes that Tucker is the underdog Friday, especially with the game at Marist: "I'm not going to lie, those boys at Marist are good competition. We've got to come out and play hard if we want to have a chance to win."

Marist and Tucker have met 12 times, and each school has won six games.

DeKalb County schools are closed Thursday and Friday. Per my conversation with Tucker's head coach yesterday afternoon (which was before the decision was made to close schools), a decision was supposed to be made on Friday morning on when to play the game. I don't know how the closing, announced late last night, might change that. My guess is that it would automatically push the game to Saturday. At any rate....

Marist-Tucker develops into marquee matchup in 6AAAA

Thursday, September 16, 2004 4:04 AM EDT
E-mail this story (http://www.neighbornewspapers.com/articles/2004/09/16/328/10156008.eml) | Printable Version (http://www.neighbornewspapers.com/articles/2004/09/16/328/10156008.prt)

<table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="288"> <tbody><tr> <td class="photo-right">http://www.neighbornewspapers.com/content/articles/2004/09/16/328/10156008.jpg</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="photo-right" align="center" width="288">
</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> By Scott Blusiewicz

DeKalb Neighbor Sports Editor

As football season approaches its halfway point, local fans will descend upon Marist's Hughes-Spalding Stadium to catch one of DeKalb County's top gridiron rivalries.

Marist and Tucker do not have the lengthy history that is commonly found in most great high school football rivalries, but the game has evolved into one of the most anticipated games each year, due in large part to the tremendous success of each school's program.

"The two schools had not played [each other] a whole lot until the early '90s," Marist coach Alan Chadwick said. "Prior to the '90s, they had not played but two or three times." <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr> <td class="photo-right" align="center">
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Since 1990, Marist and Tucker have played each other 10 times, with each school winning five games. When the Georgia High School Association realigned in 1998, the two schools were both placed in Region 6AAA, which later became 6AAAA after another realignment in 2000. As a result, the game has become an annual affair, which usually has major ramifications at the top of the region standings.

The success of each program in recent years has amplified the atmosphere surrounding the game. Last year, Tucker advanced to the Class AAAA state semifinals and Marist won the state championship. The War Eagles bring a perfect 4-0 record and the No. 1 ranking in the AAAA state poll into Friday's game, while Tucker enters the contest with a 3-0 record and a No. 7 ranking in the state poll.

"The difference in this rivalry is there is a great deal of mutual respect for each other," Chadwick said. "And there's not this intense hatred that you find with some of the other rivalries we've had over the years."

Both squads enter this year's contest with a host of first-year starters in key positions. Marist has a new starting quarterback (senior Chris Ashkouti), a new starting fullback (senior Preston Lyons) and several new starters on the offensive line. Tucker lost 12 players from last year's team to the ranks of college football, including six players who signed with Division I schools. The Tigers also have a new quarterback in junior Dwayne Harris.

"We lost pretty much our whole line on offense and defense," Tucker coach Bill Ballard said. "We're the team that's real young. We've got a lot of guys that have little to no game experience other than the three games we've played this season. We've played pretty well so far as a team, but we've still got a long way to go."

Chadwick believes each team's large number of first-year starters has added a little more intrigue to this year's game.

"This year, I guess at this point we're both still kind of unknowns," he said. "The importance of the game is every bit as important as it's been in the past. It's a big early season matchup with playoff implications." <table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width=""> <tbody><tr> <td class="photo-left">
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The one thing fans can count is that both teams will try to establish an effective running game on offense. Marist continues to operate a variation of the wishbone offense with Ashkouti, Lyons and senior tailback Anderson Russell receiving the bulk of the carries. Tucker employs a multiple offense, consisting of the I-formation, play-action passing and the option. Senior tailback Brandyn Young leads the Tigers' rushing attack, which also features Asher Allen and Myke Compton.

Since 2000, the average margin of victory in the series has been just under 10 points. Both coaches expect another close game this year with plenty of big plays from each team.

"It's a real close series [and] it's one of those games that's always fun," Ballard said. "It's just a great high school football game pretty much every time we play it."

The game has officially been moved to Saturday at 5pm.

Tucker at #9 in Georgia, #4 in 4A, in Massey's ratings for Georgia (http://www.mratings.com/rate/hsfGA-m.htm).

ajc.com (http://www.ajc.com/) > Sports (http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/index.html) > High School (http://www.ajc.com/highschool/content/sports/highschool/index.html)

For all the marbles
Tucker-Marist winner usually takes region title

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 09/16/04

Saturday's game between Marist and Tucker will not be the star-studded affair that it was a year ago, but it still likely will help decide the Region 6-AAAA championship and, more importantly, who has the inside track on contending for the state title.

Marist, ranked No. 1 in Class AAAA with a 4-0 record, plays host to No. 7 Tucker (3-0) at 5 p.m.

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</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD><TD width=5>http://www.ajc.com/shared-local/images/1pix_trans.gif</TD></TR><TR><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=1 width=170 bgColor=#cccccc border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=9 width=168 bgColor=#ffffff border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=body>TUCKER AT MARIST
• When, where: 5 p.m. Saturday, Marist's Hughes Spalding Stadium, Atlanta.
• Records, rankings: Marist is 4-0, 2-0 in Region 6-AAAA and ranked No. 1. Tucker is 3-0, 1-0 and ranked No. 7.
• Last meeting: Marist won 31-19 in 2003.
• Parking: Spaces will be very limited at Marist. The school is operating free shuttles starting at 3:30 p.m. from the Lowe's on Peachtree Industrial Boulevard and the Ashford Green office complex on Ashford-Dunwoody Road inside the perimeter.

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!--startclickprintinclude-->The winner of this game between schools in DeKalb County has gone on to win the region every year since 1998.

The Marist-Tucker game used to draw heavy interest only within the metro Atlanta area. However, after Marist won the state championship last year, the series has drawn interest from across the state.

"This has turned into a pretty good rivalry," Marist coach Alan Chadwick said. "Both teams seem to enter this game every year with an undefeated record. Both teams have had a sustained level of success during both the regular season and playoffs. [Saturday] should be another classic."

Said Tucker coach Bill Ballard: "It's still very early in the season, but you wouldn't be telling the truth if you said this game didn't have high stakes. It does, just like always seems to be the case."

Last year's meeting featured nine players who ended up signing with major colleges. Tucker's group included tailback Thomas Brown (signed with Georgia), receiver James Swinton (Auburn) and tight end Brandon Lang (Georgia), while Marist's list included lineman Matt Rumsey (Duke), cornerback Chris Davis (Duke) and quarterback Sean McVay (Miami of Ohio).

This year's contest does not have nearly the marquee names but does feature an ample amount of college material. Tucker tailback Brandyn Young has committed to Maryland, while linebacker Taveres Kearney has a dozen scholarships offers. Marist is led by tailback Anderson Russell, who is a primary target of Duke.

"They are not the same team from a year ago and neither are we . . . which should make for a more interesting matchup," Chadwick said. "Tucker doesn't have all the big names from a year ago, but they still have a ton of athletes and great team speed.

"Both teams were full of young and inexperienced players going into this season. We've both gotten better and better, and I really think it's going to be a good matchup."

Marist enters Saturday's game with soaring confidence: This year's team is averaging more points (41.3) than last season's state championship squad (38), and the War Eagles scored the first seven times they had the ball against Chamblee last week.

Links to broadcasts of the last two Tucker-Marist showdowns....


2002: http://www.broadcastmonsters.com/../GeorgiaSports/gasports091302-1.asx
2003: http://www.broadcastmonsters.com/GeorgiaSports/gasports091203-1.asx

Link to listen live this year: http://www.gaprep.com/

Leaving for the big war in a few minutes. If anything the postponement should work in Tucker's favor. It is a GORGEOUS day today--not a cloud in the sky. It was also clear for the 2nd half of yesterday. Hopefully their field has dried a good bit. Tucker has a decided speed advantage in this one. I'd hate to see it neutralized by a wet field.

Update:

At the half, Tucker leads Marist 9-0.

Tucker blocked a field goal on the final play of the half and returned it for a touch down. They missed the PAT. Tucker had kicked a field goal on its first drive. Tucker's defense shut Marist down in the first half. The final Marist drive was really their only threat.

Touchdown Marist, with about five minutes left in the fourth quarter. Extra point is good. Tucker still leads 9-7.

Tucker begins its drive at its own 18. Marist has two time outs remaining.

First down...two yard gain. Second and eight.

Second down...pitch to the outside for a five yard gain. Third and three.

Under four minutes to go.

Third down...big run by Brandyn Young. Flag on the play. Holding on Tucker. Third and 10.

Incomplete pass. Fourth and 10. Tucker will punt.

Poor punt. Marist will take over at the Tucker 32 yard line.

Come on Tucker.. hold on.. how good is the Marist Kicker?

Marist at the Tucker 31... 3:01 to play

First down. Gain of 2. Second and 8. 3 minutes left.

Second down. Fullback to the 23 yard line. 3rd and 2.

Under two minutes.

First down run by Marist. Down to the Tucker 16. Hold that line.

No FG is a chip shot, but they are at the 14, with about a minute to play

Inside the 10.. they could punch it in..

:35

First down. Gain of 2. Second and 8 from the 14. One minute left.

2nd down. Gain of 7. 3rd and 1. 27 seconds.

Ten seconds left. It will come down to a kick.

:10 to play. 1 timeout, 4th and 1.. Block that kick. MISS IT!

Us up here in the MA, rooting for the Tucker in the GA :D

They are not setting up for a kick.

Here comes the kick team after another Marist time out.

They called a 2nd TO (didn't think they could call consecutive TO's) and now are set up

It's a 25 yard field goal attempt.

Tucker calls a time out to ice him.

Tucker uses THEIR final time out before this 25 yard FG attempt. The tension, you can cut it with a knife.

Tucker's blocked two kicks so far.. make it three

HE MISSED IT! TUCKER WILL WIN!

NO GOOD. NO GOOD. NO GOOD.

FLAG.

after the play. unsportsmanlike conduct. Tucker will get the ball.

Unsportsman like on tucker in the celebration. Tucker STILL WINS! :D

Ball game. BIG WIN for Tucker.

Have a feeling that Tucker will see these guys again on the road to the Dome

Have a feeling that Tucker will see these guys again on the road to the DomeWell, the way the Georgia playoff brackets work, you can't meet another team from your Region until the Dome. Theoretically, one Region could put all four teams in the Dome. (Our region came pretty close to getting three in last year, as a matter of fact.) The #1 and #2 teams from the same Region can't meet until the State Championship game--which would have happened last year if we hadn't turned the ball over five times in the Dome. I look for deep playoff runs by both teams once again.

Oh...Trey Buice (the kid who ran back the blocked FG for a TD, and the same kid who fumbled two punts in the Dome last year) was in the hospital on Wednesday after having a seizure.

It so happens that the guy who normally writes our game recaps was out of town this weekend, and asked me to do the writeup this week in his stead. I have copious notes, and will post a copy of the full writeup some time tomorrow. For now, here's the rather sparse AJC article:

Tucker takes down No. 1 Marist

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No. 1-ranked Marist had two field goals blocked, including one that was returned 43 yards for a touchdown by Tucker's Trey Buice, in a stunning 9-7 loss to the seventh-ranked Tigers on Saturday.

Marist had a chance to win when Mike Mattimoe lined up to try a 25-yard field goal with 10 seconds remaining. However, Mattimoe, undoubtedly shaken by the two earlier blocks, rushed the kick and had it miss both low and outside.

After the game, Mattimoe remained in the middle of the field, crying out of control as he was consoled by a friend. Said Mattimoe through the tears: "I let all of my teammates down."

The Tucker players danced on the other end of the field for about 10 minutes until coach Bill Ballard ordered them to the team bus. Tucker (4-0) handed the first loss of the year to Marist (4-1).

"This was a big game, so you just knew it was going to come down to the last play of the game," Tucker tailback Brandyn Young said.

Young said he could look into Mattimoe's eyes before the final attempt and knew that he would miss: "That last time-out really iced him up. He had too much time to think about the two earlier blocks. We were going to block this one, too, and the only reason we didn't get it is because he rushed it."

The fact that Tucker-Marist would come down to breakdowns on Marist's special teams was surprising considering Mattimoe has one of the strongest legs in the state and had been enjoying a banner senior year. However, Marist's line was vulnerable the entire game. Tucker came very close to blocking three punts.

With 12 seconds left in the first half, Mattimoe lined up to try a 54-yard field goal. Chris Parker blocked the kick and Buice gathered up the loose ball and rambled 43 yards for the touchdown.

In the third quarter, Mattimoe set up to attempt a 43-yard field goal and it was blocked by Tucker's Myke Compton.

Despite all the special teams woes, Marist had a chance to pull out the victory in the final seconds of its homecoming game.

"Thank gosh [Mattimoe] missed that kick because we played way too hard to lose that game," Tucker linebacker Tavares Kearney said.

Since 1998, the winner of the Tucker-Marist game has gone on to capture the region title.

Gutty win, congrats Dog & Tigers.

Oh, by the way. Not that this should come as any surprise, but the youngsters showed us all that this rivalry is going to remain close for at least the next several years. The JV and Freshman teams also played Marist this week. The results?

JV: Marist 17, Tucker 14
Freshmen: Tucker 21, Marist 14

Marist's Freshman Team becomes the first team to score against Tucker's Freshman team all year long. The freshman team is led by yes, yet *another* stud tailback. Barring injury, Freshman Tracy Lewis is looking like he'll follow in the D-1 footsteps of Thomas Brown, Jabari Davis, Terrell Jordan, Patrick Pass, et al. This is getting borderline absurd. The way things are looking right now, in the fall of 2006, Tucker will have SIX backs on D-1 teams. :eek:

Sorry for letting this drop the past couple of weeks. Here's what's happened since:

Tucker 34, Etowah 14.
The Tigers came out flat as a pancake after the big win over Marist, and spotted Etowah a 14-0 lead before waking up. A 21-point second quarter made it 21-14 Tucker, and the Tigers coasted to the victory from there. Tavares had a MONSTER game, despite playing with some obvious pain from a sprained knee. He was all over the place on defense. Etowah is new to Region 6-AAAA, and at first look, I'd give them the nod as the odds-on favorite to grab the #4 playoff spot, rather than North Forsyth or Lakeside as I'd said earlier.

Tucker 40 Chamblee 7
For the first time in about five years, Ol' SkyDog had to miss a Tucker game for non work-related reasons. I was in bed Saturday night (actually all weekend and today as well, but improving today) with cold and flu symptoms. I was planning going to the "Battle Of Five Forks Trickum" on Friday night (Brookwood vs. Parkview), and missed that as well. C Will Stewart's father kept me apprised of the Tucker game with a phone call at the end of each quarter, though. Tucker rolled up a 34-0 halftime lead, if I recall correctly, and coasted to a 40-7 win. I *think* Tavares sat this one out to give his knee a chance to fully recover in time for St. Pius. At least, that was the plan as of Wednesday, which was the last time I was out at practice last week. According to my contact, all of the usual suspects got into the end zone during this one. Asher ran back a punt all the way. Dwayne threw one TD pass, and ran for another.



THIS WEEK: TUCKER AT ST. PIUS
This oughta be another GOOD one! Both teams are undefeated and ranked in the Top 5 in AAAA. Tucker is either ranked #2 or #3, depending on which poll you prefer, and Pius is ranked 5 in everywhere. Talk about a tough region: Both the AJC and AP have Tucker-Marist-Pius ranked 3-4-5. The Coaches' Poll has Tucker ranked #2, Statesboro 3, and Marist-Pius rounding out the top five. Northside-Warner Robins is everyone's #1 team at the moment.

Looking ahead, if Tucker beats Pius and sews up the Region's #1 seed, the brackets would set us up for a rematch with Statesboro in the q-finals, the winner going to the Dome. We wouldn't face Northside-Warner Robins (or whoever can upset them; they'll likely have to beat Marist to get to the Dome) until the finals.

I was at the Tucker game Saturday night. I looked for you, Ben, but soon realized you weren't there. I sat up in the press box with Coach Roman for most of the game. Tucker was pretty sloppy throughout the game, but got the job done.

Actually, given how bad I felt on Sunday morning after having rested, I'm glad you didn't tell me you were coming to town. :p That would have increased the likelihood of me making a bad decision Saturday night (which I almost did anyway), and I probably would have felt even worse yesterday and today.

Yeah, now that you mention it, Davis said that we had a number of penalties. (I was pretty out of it by his end-of-game call, having taken my "go-to-sleep" drugs.)

Current Region Standings...


<TABLE id=Default1__ctl0_grdList1 style="WIDTH: 405px; BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse; HEIGHT: 50px" cellSpacing=0 rules=all border=1><TBODY><TR class=DGHeader><TD>School</TD><TD align=middle>Region</TD><TD align=middle>Overall</TD><TD align=middle>Reg Pct</TD><TD align=middle>Overall Pct</TD></TR><TR class=DGItem><TD style="WIDTH: 140px">St Pius X</TD><TD style="WIDTH: 60px" align=middle>5-0</TD><TD style="WIDTH: 60px" align=middle>7-0</TD><TD style="WIDTH: 60px" align=middle>1.000</TD><TD style="WIDTH: 80px" align=middle>1.000</TD></TR><TR class=DGAlternatingItem><TD style="WIDTH: 140px">Tucker</TD><TD style="WIDTH: 60px" align=middle>4-0</TD><TD style="WIDTH: 60px" align=middle>6-0</TD><TD style="WIDTH: 60px" align=middle>1.000</TD><TD style="WIDTH: 80px" align=middle>1.000</TD></TR><TR class=DGItem><TD style="WIDTH: 140px">Marist</TD><TD style="WIDTH: 60px" align=middle>4-1</TD><TD style="WIDTH: 60px" align=middle>6-1</TD><TD style="WIDTH: 60px" align=middle>0.800</TD><TD style="WIDTH: 80px" align=middle>0.857</TD></TR><TR class=DGAlternatingItem><TD style="WIDTH: 140px">North Forsyth</TD><TD style="WIDTH: 60px" align=middle>3-2</TD><TD style="WIDTH: 60px" align=middle>4-3</TD><TD style="WIDTH: 60px" align=middle>0.600</TD><TD style="WIDTH: 80px" align=middle>0.571</TD></TR><TR class=DGItem><TD style="WIDTH: 140px">Etowah</TD><TD style="WIDTH: 60px" align=middle>2-3</TD><TD style="WIDTH: 60px" align=middle>2-5</TD><TD style="WIDTH: 60px" align=middle>0.400</TD><TD style="WIDTH: 80px" align=middle>0.286</TD></TR><TR class=DGAlternatingItem><TD style="WIDTH: 140px">North Springs</TD><TD style="WIDTH: 60px" align=middle>1-3</TD><TD style="WIDTH: 60px" align=middle>1-5</TD><TD style="WIDTH: 60px" align=middle>0.250</TD><TD style="WIDTH: 80px" align=middle>0.167</TD></TR><TR class=DGItem><TD style="WIDTH: 140px">Lakeside-DeKalb</TD><TD style="WIDTH: 60px" align=middle>1-4</TD><TD style="WIDTH: 60px" align=middle>2-5</TD><TD style="WIDTH: 60px" align=middle>0.200</TD><TD style="WIDTH: 80px" align=middle>0.286</TD></TR><TR class=DGAlternatingItem><TD style="WIDTH: 140px">Forsyth Central</TD><TD style="WIDTH: 60px" align=middle>1-4</TD><TD style="WIDTH: 60px" align=middle>1-6</TD><TD style="WIDTH: 60px" align=middle>0.200</TD><TD style="WIDTH: 80px" align=middle>0.143</TD></TR><TR class=DGItem><TD style="WIDTH: 140px">Alpharetta</TD><TD style="WIDTH: 60px" align=middle>0-0</TD><TD style="WIDTH: 60px" align=middle>0-7</TD><TD style="WIDTH: 60px" align=middle>0.000</TD><TD style="WIDTH: 80px" align=middle>0.000</TD></TR><TR class=DGAlternatingItem><TD style="WIDTH: 140px">Chamblee</TD><TD style="WIDTH: 60px" align=middle>0-4</TD><TD style="WIDTH: 60px" align=middle>1-5</TD><TD style="WIDTH: 60px" align=middle>0.000</TD><TD style="WIDTH: 80px" align=middle>0.167</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

Etowah plays North Forsyth this weekend. The winner takes the inside track to the #4 playoff spot. Etowah has already run the Tucker/Marist/Pius gauntlet. North Forsyth still has Tucker looming in the final week of the regular season. North Springs has already gotten blown out by North Forsyth, plus they still have to play Tucker and Marist. The winner of the North Forsyth-Etowah game therefore is the only team likely to have three Region losses. Should Tucker win this week, Marist vs. Pius (the last week of the regular season) will be the battle for 2nd seeding. At this point, I'm predicting Tucker over Pius, and Marist over Pius.

Congrats to Tucker on having such a good season so far.:)

Oh and Skydog, send Hamilton Sims Iowa's way:D

A year late, but from the CNNSI College Football Power Rankings:

4. Georgia (4-0)
One out of every two passes David Greene threw Saturday went for a touchdown. Not too shabby. But the real key to the Dawgs' improved offense is the emergence of freshman running backs Danny Ware and Thomas Brown.

A nice interview in today's newspaper with Coach Ballard...

Out-takes: Tucker football coach Bill Ballard

Published on: 10/06/04
Ballard has led the Tigers to a surprising 6-0 start and No. 3 ranking in Class AAAA. Tucker plays fifth-ranked St. Pius on Friday. He spoke with staff writer Michael Carvell.

• On whether it's true that a coach from rival Marist is one of his biggest influences: "Yes, Tommy Marshall, the Marist athletics director. He was the special teams coordinator when I played at Furman, and I was a special teams captain. He's a great guy and an outstanding person. He is just full of energy and really fired me up all the time. I think the world of him."

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• On his coaching motivation despite all the long hours: "I really enjoy seeing young men involved in a program for a long time turn out to be fine citizens. Some of them arrive in our program needing a lot of help; others don't need any. However, it is rewarding seeing them turn into productive young men, whether it be in college football or the business world."

• On playing in the state semifinals last year: "It was a good achievement for our program. We enjoyed playing in the Georgia Dome. We would've liked the outcome to have been different, as it was tough losing in overtime."

• On the perception that Tucker is overloaded with athletes: "We have a world of talent in DeKalb County, but not just at Tucker. You can take our fastest guy from last year, Thomas Brown, who plays tailback this year at the University of Georgia. He was ninth in the 100 meters at the county meet last year. We have most of our football players participate in track, and not a single one of them made it to the state meet in a sprinting event."

• On remembering former Tucker assistant Bill Venable, who died last spring: "It is something I and the rest of our coaches deal with on a daily basis. It's hard. There are things I see every day that remind me of him. We work so many hours together that we're like a family. We feel like we're missing a family member."

• On whether this year's team has better overall chemistry than last year's star-filled squad: "There is not as much overall attention on individuals as there was last year. We don't have a bunch of flashy players like last year. This team really has come together and played together like a team."

Nice article that will be in tomorrow's paper on Tavares....

Tucker senior hammers home rep as hard hitter

By JEFF HOOD ([email protected])
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 10/05/04

Halftime music isn't the only sound Tucker fans have become accustomed to hearing this season.
Tucker senior defensive end Tavares Kearney's bone-bruising tackles regularly make the highlight reels in both a video and audio capacity. Kearney sat out last week's game with some nagging injuries, but will return to the lineup in Friday's contest at St. Pius.

<!--endclickprintinclude--><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=2 width=175 align=left border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>http://img.coxnewsweb.com/B/08/16/26/image_926168.jpg (http://www.ajc.com/highschool/content/sports/highschool/1004/HSADV10014.html)
RENEÉ HANNANS HENRY / Staff
(ENLARGE) (http://www.ajc.com/highschool/content/sports/highschool/1004/HSADV10014.html)
</TD></TR><TR><TD class=caption>Defensive end Tavares Kearney, who leads the Tucker High football team's defense with five sacks and nine tackles for losses, is being heavily recruited by several colleges.
</TD></TR><TR><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=1 width=170 bgColor=#ffffff border=0><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle width=170 bgColor=#cccccc><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=10 width=168 bgColor=#ffffff border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width=148> (http://www.ajc.com/highschool/content/sports/highschool/1004/07dekaspot.html#)</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD><TD width=5>http://www.ajc.com/shared-local/images/1pix_trans.gif</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!--startclickprintinclude-->
"I just like to hit," Kearney said. "I know I don't want to be hit, so I know I need to hit somebody."

Kearney takes pride in being regarded as one of the hardest hitters in the state. He made believers of the folks in South Georgia during the Tigers' 27-19 victory over Americus-Sumter County in August.

"In the Americus game, Tavares was playing outside linebacker some and catching their quarterback from behind," Tucker coach Bill Ballard said. "He was a real key in that game by just keeping their quarterback in check."

The 6-foot-1, 208-pound Kearney, who leads the Tigers' defense with five sacks and nine tackles for losses, offered a more specific perspective.

"[The quarterback] was fast," Kearney said. "But I caught him and he ended up with a bruised shoulder. He couldn't play the following week."

Kearney, who is being heavily recruited by Mississippi State, North Carolina, Ole Miss and Maryland, enhanced his reputation the following week in the Tigers' 44-0 win over Lakeside-DeKalb.

"I hit the Lakeside quarterback so hard that his [rear] pad and his ear pad both came out," Kearney said.

Kearney's assault on signal callers continued two weeks later during Tucker's emotional 9-7 victory over rival Marist.

"I had a big hit against their quarterback," Kearney said. "He ran the ball up the middle but I hit him hard enough that he had to take off his helmet to fix it."

Ballard said Kearney's game is much more than being able to deliver a hard hit against the opposition. He listed Kearney's speed, versatility and desire to be a team player among his contributions.

"He's a guy with an incredible amount of speed for his size," Ballard said. When Thomas Brown suffered a season-ending injury last season, Ballard chose to move Kearney from linebacker to safety. It didn't take Kearney long to feel at home in the Tucker secondary.

"I had some pretty good hits," Kearney recalled. "I like catching people in the air. I got a couple of highlights from [playing safety]."

Ballard, who believes Kearney will play linebacker or safety in college, said he's most impressed with his prized player's "team first" attitude. "Wherever we ask him to play, he just steps right in and does the best he can," Ballard said.

...and an article on the big show-down!

6-0, 7-0 teams to face off
Pius coach says Tucker game trumps Marist

If St. Pius fans have any confusion about the importance of Friday's game with Tucker, the Golden Lions' coach clears it up quickly.
Paul Standard says it's bigger than the annual rival game with Marist — a statement that may catch some St. Pius supporters off guard. Let the coach explain:

<!--endclickprintinclude--><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=2 width=175 align=left border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=1 width=170 bgColor=#ffffff border=0><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle width=170 bgColor=#cccccc><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=10 width=168 bgColor=#ffffff border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width=148></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD><TD width=5>http://www.ajc.com/shared-local/images/1pix_trans.gif</TD></TR><TR><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=1 width=170 bgColor=#cccccc border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=9 width=168 bgColor=#ffffff border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=body>GAME OF THE WEEK
• Who: St. Pius vs. Tucker
• When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, St. Pius
• Records, rankings: Tucker is 6-0 and ranked No. 3 in Class AAAA; St. Pius is 7-0 and ranked No. 5.
• Last meeting: Tucker won in 2003, 28-3
• Coaches: Tucker, Bill Ballard; St. Pius, Paul Standard
• Three things to watch: 1. Which will be more important — Tucker's speed or St. Pius' disciplined style of play? 2. Both schools have two of the state's top special teams units. 3. Can St. Pius handle the pressure of a big game when it's not against Marist?

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"Yes, this is our biggest game of the season because, No. 1, it is our next game, and No. 2, it gives us a chance to win the region. That is something we certainly have not done at St. Pius in a while."

Is Standard serious about any non-playoff game being bigger than the one against Marist? "Look, I graduated from St. Pius," he said. "The Marist game is big for the alumni, not me. To me, our next game is always the most important.

"You've got to understand some things: In past years when our program was down, Marist was our only big game of the season. Beating them was our season because we weren't often in playoff contention.

"OK, maybe this is a better way to explain it: Marist is a big game, but one of our big games. Fortunately, our program is now in a position where a lot of games mean a lot, especially the one against Tucker. Marist will always be a big game, but no one is talking about it now . . . and they won't say anything until we play in two weeks."

Last year St. Pius snapped a 21-year losing streak against its arch-rival. St. Pius has not defeated Tucker since the 1960s, but the two schools have not been in the same region until recently.

Who will win Friday? Lakeside coach Bill Harris has already faced both teams this season. "Tucker has more speed and is absolutely explosive on offense," he said. "St. Pius doesn't have equal speed, but they are a very disciplined team. They don't make many mistakes. They run basically the same plays, but out of a ton of different formations. If I had to choose a winner, I'd take Pius because I think discipline wins over athleticism in this situation."

Lakeside fullback Garry Ogden differs with his coach on the prediction. "I think Tucker will win, and they will do it by two touchdowns," he said. "Tucker just has too many athletes, too much firepower."

From the Friday AJC:

Dueling underdogs play for first place



St. Pius coach Paul Standard and Tucker's Bill Ballard cannot agree on which team is the favorite for tonight's showdown.

No. 3 Tucker (6-0 overall, 4-0 in Region 6-AAAA) plays at No. 5 St. Pius (7-0, 5-0) at 7:30 p.m. in game that could decide region supremacy. The winner has the inside track to the championship in arguably the state's toughest Class AAAA region.

<!--endclickprintinclude--><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" width="175"><tbody><tr><td><table bgcolor="#ffffff" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" width="170"> <tbody><tr> <td align="center" bgcolor="#cccccc" width="170">
</td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td><td width="5">http://www.ajc.com/shared-local/images/1pix_trans.gif</td></tr><tr><td><table bgcolor="#cccccc" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" width="170"><tbody><tr><td><table bgcolor="#ffffff" border="0" cellpadding="9" cellspacing="0" width="168"><tbody><tr><td class="body">TUCKER AT ST. PIUS
• When, where: 7:30 p.m. today, George Maloof Stadium, Atlanta.
• Records, rankings: Tucker is 6-0, 4-0 in Region 6-AAAA and ranked No. 3; St. Pius is 7-0, 5-0 and No. 5.
• Last meeting: Tucker won 28-3 in 2003.
• TV: Comcast Sports Southeast.</td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><!--startclickprintinclude--> "On paper, this doesn't appear to be much of a matchup — Tucker has great speed and too many weapons," Standard said. "Teams that we have beaten, Tucker has destroyed.

"However, if the truth be known, our kids don't mind being the underdog because that is usually where we have been in the big games over the years. Our kids are comfortable playing in the underdog role."

St. Pius has not won a region championship since 1968. Tucker last captured the region title two years ago, and Ballard said his team will have to "upset" St. Pius to have a chance this season.

"I'm telling you, we are the underdog this year," Ballard said. "They've got us at No. 3 in the rankings only because we beat Marist, but we weren't even ranked at the start of the season and St. Pius was. We shouldn't have been moved ahead of St. Pius because they haven't lost a game.

"St. Pius has earned the right to be the team to beat in the region this year. There is no more of them sneaking up on anybody. They made it one round less far than us in the state playoffs last year, but they have just about everybody coming back. They are loaded."

Last year, St. Pius was one of the state's Cinderella stories, rallying from halftime deficits in eight of the 10 victories and advancing to the state quarterfinals. The Golden Lions have had a less stressful time this year, trailing at halftime in only the season-opener.

Standard says the outing against Tucker is a barometer to show where his team stands among the state's elite. St. Pius has clinched a spot in the playoffs, and Tucker will do the same with two more victories.

Tucker had arguably the most star-studded team in the state last year, with six players signing with major colleges, including University of Georgia tailback Thomas Brown and Troy State quarterback D.T. McDowell. The team has fewer big names this year, but it also may have more overall team chemistry.

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(http://www.ajc.com/highschool/content/sports/highschool/1004/08hsgame.html) RENEE HANNANS HENRY / AJC
http://img.coxnewsweb.com/B/05/64/27/image_27645.gif
Tucker's Tavares Kearney hopes his Tigers can remain undefeated while handing St. Pius their first loss of the season. Story (http://www.ajc.com/highschool/content/sports/highschool/1004/08hsgame.html) </td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody> </table>

Massey's Ratings (http://www.mratings.com/rate/hsfGA-m.htm#4A) predict a ~23-15 Tucker win.

I'll go beyond that. If Tucker avoids copious penalties/turnovers, the Tigers pull away late in the third quarter and win 31-10. Pius has never dealt with Tucker's speed, and I have my doubts that they'll start dealing with it tonight.

Other Region Games This Week:

Etowah at North Forsyth--The winner is odds-on favorite for #4 playoff slot. I'm thinking Etowah.

Chamblee at Forsyth Central--Two weak teams fight over table scraps. This may be Chamblee's best chance to win their first region game this year.

Marist at North Springs--Marist can name their score in this one.

Live radio broadcast of Tucker-St. Pius can be heard on the 'net at this link: http://www.790thezone.com/Programs/Program.aspx?ProgramID=74

Let's go Tigers!!!

Tucker's first drive: 14 plays 92 yards, capped by a Brian Flenourey 17 yard touchdown run. 7-0 Tigers.

Tucker's first drive: 14 plays 92 yards, capped by a Brian Flenourey 17 yard touchdown run. 7-0 Tigers.
Tucker stops St. Pius on its first drive, but fumbles the ball at midfield on the ensuing series. St. Pius goes deep on its first play--touchdown. 7-7.

Tucker answers with a long drive, largely on the legs of Brandyn Young, but a holding penalty on first and goal stifles the drive. The field goal is no good. Still 7-7 midway through the second.

Tucker holds after a decent St. Pius drive. The Pius punt is a good one and Tucker takes over inside its own 10.

St. Pius holds...but Tucker fakes the punt from its own 11. First down to the Tucker 25. Tucker runs a last play at the end of the half. Dewayne Harris breaks it to the St. Pius 19. A personal foul penalty gives Tucker the ball at the Pius 9. The field goal is no good.

Half time. 7-7. Tucker has a huge lead in total yardage, but not where it counts.

I have to run. We'll have to wait for the post-game report.

Back.

Tucker wins 28-7. St. Pius never stopped us all night long. Tucker had over 400 yards rushing, and never punted. Bill Ballard must have the biggest pair of testicles in the freakin' Southeast. Fake punt from our own 11??? Yowza! :eek: This one should have never been this close. We had a key fumble in the first half that set up the TD pass, and missed two field goals. B.Y. was huge all night long. He had around 160 yards rushing, I think. Asher and Bryant were great change-of-paces at tailback. Bryant had a TD run, and Asher probably had 50-70 yards rushing as well.

The defense struggled to put pressure on the QB early in the third quarter. Pius took the first possession of the 2nd half deep into Tucker territory, but Trey Buice picked off a pass at the goal line, and weaved his way for a 100-yard TD return, which was called back due to a block from behind--one that occurred 10 yards *behind* Trey. :mad: However, Tucker drove it down the field on that possession for a TD, so ultimately nothing was lost. After that, Tucker's defense got very pumped up, and the pass rush became ferocious. Pius QB Griffin Benedict (son of former Braves' catcher Bruce) got knocked out of the game late in the third quarter due to taking a one too many hits, mainly from Tavares, Hamilton and Tristian. I'm not sure that we ever bothered to throw the ball in the entire second half. The offensive line came up huge against a bigger, supposedly-better-coached St. Pius squad. (Yeah, Tucker wins just because of athletes... :rolleyes: )

All-in-all, despite the emotional upset of Marist that Pius pulled off last year, they didn't look like a state power tonight. Looks like Region 6-AAAA is still a Tucker-Marist party. The War Eagles should beat Pius handily. Of course, this was Pius' first difficult game all year. It surprises me, in a top-heavy Region like we have, that Pius and Marist don't schedule a tough away game early in the season like Tucker does.

The atmosphere in this one was *ELECTRIC*. Pius upgraded their stadium to seat 5,000 people, and it wasn't nearly big enough. If seating capacity was 5,000, there must have been around 7,000 there. Former Tigers D.T. McDowell and Tim Goodwell joined us on the sidelines for this one, as both Troy and Memphis are off tomorrow. The Pius crowd was *very* loud all night long.

With this win, Tucker pretty much assures itself of the Region title. I examined the brackets a bit closer today, and if I'm reading everything right, this is pretty big. Our Region got a lucky draw this year: as far as we go in the playoffs, we will not have to leave home, other than for the semis in the Georgia Dome.

7-0 Tucker clinches playoff berth

Tucker linebacker Tavares Kearney showed why he earned the nickname "TKO" in the 28-7 win over St. Pius on Friday.

With the outcome of the game still in doubt in the third quarter, Kearny caused St. Pius quarterback Griffin Benedict to leave the game twice with a possible concussion after bruising hits. After Benedict departed for the second time, he did not return and St. Pius failed to gain another first down.

<!--endclickprintinclude--><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=2 width=175 align=left border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=1 width=170 bgColor=#ffffff border=0><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle width=170 bgColor=#cccccc><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=10 width=168 bgColor=#ffffff border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width=148></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD><TD width=5>http://www.ajc.com/shared-local/images/1pix_trans.gif</TD></TR><TR><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=1 width=170 bgColor=#cccccc border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=9 width=168 bgColor=#ffffff border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=body>TUCKER 28, ST. PIUS 7
Tucker 7 0 7 14 — 28
St. Pius 7 0 0 0 — 7 T- Bryant Flenoury 17 run (Brad Daniel kick)
S - Nick Hogan 48 pass from Griffin Benedict (Halton Williams kick)
T - Dwayne Harris 1 run (Daniel kick)
T - Harris 4 run (Daniel kick)
T - Flenoury 32 run (Daniel kick)

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With the win, No. 3 Tucker (7-0) clinched a spot in the Class AAAA playoffs and provided itself with inside position on the Region 6-AAAA championship with three games remaining.

"We're in the driver's seat right now for the region championship," Tucker coach Bill Ballard said. "I'm real proud of the kids. They really turned up a notch in a second half to take control of the game.

Tucker was led by tailback Bryant Flenoury and quarterback Dwayne Harris, each of whom ran for a pair of touchdowns. However, it was Kearney who turned the game in Tucker's favor with his physical style of play.

With Tucker clinging to a seven-point advantage in the third quarter, Kearney was pushed by a St. Pius blocker and inadvertently had his knee strike the helmet of Benedict as he was being tackled by some other players.

"I got pushed, I did knee [Benedict] in the back accidentally, and I apologized to him for it — I hope he gets better," Kearney said.

Benedict appeared woozy after the play and had to be helped off by two trainers. He insisted on returning in the next St. Pius offensive series and lasted two plays. Kearney rocked Benedict with a brutal hit just as he threw the ball.

This time, Benedict stayed on the ground for a few minutes and did not return. It was one of many big hits during the game for Kearney, who was dubbed "TKO" or "Total Knockout" by the Tucker staff.

After playing in the shadows of several heralded teammates last year, Kearney has had a productive senior year. He has been offered scholarships by Georgia Tech, Clemson, Ole Miss, and Mississippi State, among others.

"Tavares is fast and very physical . . . he goes after it hard every single play," Ballard said.

Kearney returned to the starting lineup at both linebacker and tight end after sitting out last week's game with a minor injury. He said he felt "99.9 percent" healthy in Friday night's game.

The loss was the first of the season for No. 5 St. Pius (7-1). Said coach Paul Standard: "We were a different team after Griffin left the game, but that is not to take anything away from Tucker. They really played well against us.

"We are disappointed to lose, but our kids will bounce back like they always do. We're focused on earning that No. 2 spot in the region right now."

Large gap here, while the board was down. Go to http://www.benelou.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?;act=ST;f=2;t=43 to read what transpired during that time.

Leaving in a few minutes for Tucker vs. Clarke Central, 1st round of playoffs. Tucker *should* win this one by a couple of TD's.

Tucker's bracket is, by far, the toughest. Tucker, Statesboro, and Northside-Warner Robins are all considered top-tier teams (although I don't think Statesboro IS a top-tier team), and North Clayton isn't far behind. My picks for the Dome are

Upper Left: Marist
Lower Left: Warner Robins
Upper Right: Tucker
Lower Right: Sandy Creek

http://www.gasports.com/images/brackets/fb_2004_4A.png <script type="text/javascript"><!-- google_ad_client = "pub-6228038625183442"; google_ad_width = 468; google_ad_height = 80; google_ad_format = "468x60_as"; google_ad_channel =""; google_color_border = "FF0000"; google_color_bg = "EEEEEE"; google_color_link = "0000FF"; google_color_url = "000099"; google_color_text = "000000"; //--> </script> <script type=\"text/javascript\" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script><iframe name=\"google_ads_frame\" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/ads?client=ca-pub-6228038625183442&dt=1099697345772&lmt=1099697345&format=468x60_as&output=html&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gasports.com%2Ffiles%2Fbrackets%2Ffb_2004.php%3Fclassf%3D4A&color_bg=EEEEEE&color_text=000000&color_link=0000FF&color_url=000099&color_border=FF0000&ref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gasports.com%2Ffiles%2Fbrackets%2Ffb_2004.php%3Fclassf%3D5A&u_h=768&u_w=1024&u_ah=740&u_aw=1024&u_cd=32&u_tz=-300&u_his=50&u_java=true&u_nplug=23&u_nmime=77" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" vspace="0" hspace="0" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="80" scrolling="no" width="468">&lt;img&gt;</iframe>

http://www.ajc.com/local/images/pixels/clear.gif
<!--startclickprintinclude--> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="654"> <tbody><tr> <td valign="top" width="654"> <!-- CONTENT STARTS HERE --> <table bgcolor="#ffffff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr><td colspan="4">http://www.ajc.com/local/images/x.gif</td></tr> <tr align="center"> <td valign="top">http://alt.coxnewsweb.com/ajc/js/clickability/h-e-icon-l.gifEMAIL THIS (http://www.ajc.com/highschool/content/sports/brackets/highschool/2004/4a.html#)</td> <td valign="top">http://alt.coxnewsweb.com/ajc/js/clickability/h-p-icon-l.gifPRINT THIS (http://www.ajc.com/highschool/content/sports/brackets/highschool/2004/4a.html#)</td> <td valign="top">http://alt.coxnewsweb.com/ajc/js/clickability/h-mp-icon-l.gifMOST POPULAR (http://www.ajc.com/highschool/content/sports/brackets/highschool/2004/4a.html#)</td> <td valign="bottom">SUBSCRIBE TO AJC (http://www.ajc.com/services/content/services/subscribe/index.html)</td> </tr> <tr><td colspan="4">http://www.ajc.com/local/images/x.gif</td></tr> </tbody></table> <!-- last updated Fri Nov 05, 11:46:40 PM --> [ The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: 11/01/04 ]

Class AAAA Football Playoffs


Class AAAAA (http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/brackets/highschool/2004/5a.html) | Class AAAA | Class AAA (http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/brackets/highschool/2004/3a.html) | Class AA (http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/brackets/highschool/2004/2a.html) | Class A (http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/brackets/highschool/2004/1a.html)

<table> <!-- row one--> <tbody><tr> <td> Ware Co. 14 (http://www.ajc.com/highschool/content/sports/highschool/football/teams/warecounty/)



Upson-Lee 7 (http://www.ajc.com/highschool/content/sports/highschool/football/teams/upson-lee/)


</td> <td rowspan="2"> Ware Co.



Baldwin


</td> <td rowspan="4"> Nov. 19



------


</td> <td rowspan="9"> <table style="font-size: 1em; text-align: center;"> <tbody><tr> <td style="border-style: solid solid solid none; border-color: black black black -moz-use-text-color; border-width: 1px 1px 1px medium; padding-right: 3px;"> Nov. 26

---

</td> <td style="padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;" align="center"> Dec. 3
----

</td> <td style="border-style: solid none solid solid; border-color: black -moz-use-text-color black black; border-width: 1px medium 1px 1px; padding-left: 3px;"> Nov. 26



-----

</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
</td> <td rowspan="4"> Nov. 19



------


</td> <td rowspan="2"> Tucker



NW Whitfield


</td> <td> Tucker 44 (http://www.ajc.com/highschool/content/sports/highschool/football/teams/tucker/)



Clarke Central 14 (http://www.ajc.com/highschool/content/sports/highschool/football/teams/clarkecentral/)


</td> </tr> <!--row two--> <tr> <td> Baldwin 12 (http://www.ajc.com/highschool/content/sports/highschool/football/teams/baldwin/)



Northgate 0 (http://www.ajc.com/highschool/content/sports/highschool/football/teams/northgate/)


</td> <td> North Clayton 27 (http://www.ajc.com/highschool/content/sports/highschool/football/teams/northclayton/)

<!--Game story (/highschool/content/sports/highschool/1103/22mlk.html)-->

NW Whitfield 28 (http://www.ajc.com/highschool/content/sports/highschool/football/teams/northwestwhitfield/)


</td> </tr> <!--row three --> <tr> <td> Washington 32 (http://www.ajc.com/highschool/content/sports/highschool/football/teams/washington/)



Gordon Central 16 (http://www.ajc.com/highschool/content/sports/highschool/football/teams/gordoncentral/)


</td> <td rowspan="2"> Washington



Marist


</td> <td rowspan="2"> Statesboro



Northside-WR


</td> <td> Statesboro 12 (http://www.ajc.com/highschool/content/sports/highschool/football/teams/statesboro/)



Douglas Co. 7 (http://www.ajc.com/highschool/content/sports/highschool/football/teams/douglascounty/)


</td> </tr> <!--row four --> <tr> <td> Marist 38 (http://www.ajc.com/highschool/content/sports/highschool/football/teams/marist/)



Cedar Shoals 7 (http://www.ajc.com/highschool/content/sports/highschool/football/teams/cedarshoals/)


</td> <td> Bainbridge 13 (http://www.ajc.com/highschool/content/sports/highschool/football/teams/bainbridge/)



Northside-WR 44 (http://www.ajc.com/highschool/content/sports/highschool/football/teams/northside-warnerrobins/)


</td> </tr> <!-- row five --> <tr> <td colspan="7"> </td> <!-- row six--> </tr><tr> <td> Warner Robins 38 (http://www.ajc.com/highschool/content/sports/highschool/football/teams/warnerrobins/)

<!--Game story (/highschool/content/sports/highschool/1103/22aaaa.html)-->

Americus-Sum 21 (http://www.ajc.com/highschool/content/sports/highschool/football/teams/americus-sumtercounty/)


</td> <td rowspan="2"> Warner Robins



Creekside


</td> <td rowspan="4"> -----



-----


</td> <td rowspan="4"> -----



-----


</td> <td rowspan="2"> Salem



Lakeview-FO


</td> <td> Salem 41 (http://www.ajc.com/highschool/content/sports/highschool/football/teams/marist/)



N. Forsyth 6 (http://www.ajc.com/highschool/content/sports/highschool/football/teams/northforsyth/)


</td> </tr> <!--row seven--> <tr> <td> Creekside 34 (http://www.ajc.com/highschool/content/sports/highschool/football/teams/creekside/)



Evans 6 (http://www.ajc.com/highschool/content/sports/highschool/football/teams/evans/)


</td> <td> Lakeview-FO 19 (http://www.ajc.com/highschool/content/sports/highschool/football/teams/lakeview-fortoglethorpe/)



Mt. Zion-Jonesboro 0 (http://www.ajc.com/highschool/content/sports/highschool/football/teams/mtzion-jonesboro/)


</td> </tr> <!--row eight --> <tr> <td> Rome 24 (http://www.ajc.com/highschool/content/sports/highschool/football/teams/rome/)



Stone Mountain 21 (http://www.ajc.com/highschool/content/sports/highschool/football/teams/stonemountain/)


</td> <td rowspan="2"> Rome



----


</td> <td rowspan="2"> Sandy Creek



Griffin


</td> <td> Sandy Creek 28 (http://www.ajc.com/highschool/content/sports/highschool/football/teams/sandycreek/)



Jones Co. 0 (http://www.ajc.com/highschool/content/sports/highschool/football/teams/jonescounty/)


</td> </tr> <!--row nine --> <tr> <td> at Heritage (Sat.) (http://www.ajc.com/highschool/content/sports/highschool/football/teams/heritage/)

<!--Game story (/highschool/content/sports/highschool/1103/23tucker.html)-->

St. Pius X (http://www.ajc.com/highschool/content/sports/highschool/football/teams/stpius/)


</td> <td> Griffin 49 (http://www.ajc.com/highschool/content/sports/highschool/football/teams/griffin/)



Thomas CC 48 (http://www.ajc.com/highschool/content/sports/highschool/football/teams/thomascountycentral/)


</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
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Tucker opened up a serious can last night, winning 44-14 over a proud, but outmanned, Clarke Central squad. RB2 Asher Allen's ridiculous speed was on display tonight, as he turned a botched pitch on the option into a TD run by simply picking up the ball and outrunning everyone, then picked off a pass a couple of series' later and took it to the house, making the score 30-7 a few moments before halftime. This may sound like heresy in Tucker, but I think Asher just may have more "football speed" than even Thomas. :eek: I'm not sure Thomas was as dangerous as Asher. It'll be fun to watch him as the feature back next year. B.Y. had a very good game as well, rushing for over 100 yards and 2 TD's. QB Dwayne Harris had a very off day throwing the football. It speaks pretty highly of your team, though, when your QB has a bad day and you still put up 44 points against a playoff team.

NW Whitfield upset undefeated North Clayton in the game that matters most to Tucker right now. From what I understand, Northwest has a big and strong offensive line and likes to run it right at you. That is *precisely* the type of team that I believe could give Tucker trouble. No one is going to have continued success against all of Tucker's speed running outside the tackles, or throwing the ball.

As expected, Marist advanced with a 38-6 win, and North Forsyth got blown out. Pius plays tonight.

NW Whitfield is coached by Mike Falleur, who was Tucker's coach from 1993-1996, better known as the "Patrick Pass Era."

That will be interesting.

I think I did this for last year's team too, but here are some stats on this year's senior class:

4 year record: 45-4 (best record can be 49-4, worst can be 45-5)
3 year record: 35-3 (best record can be 39-3, worst can be 35-4)
2 year record: 23-2 (best record can be 27-2, worst can be 23-3)

4 year regular season record: 39-1
3 year regular season record: 29-1
2 year regular season record: 19-1

3 region championships in four years.

2 state quarterfinal appearances (and counting).

1 state semifinal appearance (and counting).

I'm really concerned about a potential upset this Friday. Northwest Whitfield is, by far, the biggest team we've faced. Offensive guards and tackles average 300 pounds. Word is that we're significantly faster, but it has been raining off and on all day today, and is supposed to rain through the night and some tomorrow. The field is going to be at least somewhat wet, slowing us down. Tucker might have to dig *very* deep to pull this one out.

The size difference wasn't as great, but what you've described sounds a bit like the Sequoia game 3 years ago. Unfortunately, that night the digging wasn't very deep.

Still drizzly/rainy. http://dynamic2.gamespy.com/%7Efof/forums/images/smilies/frown.gif

Tucker leads 35-14, I think late in the second quarter.

I guess my poor-mouthing would've made Coach Dooley proud today. ;) Tucker only ran TWELVE plays from scrimmage in the entire first half, in the process of rolling to a 35-14 halftime lead. NWW played well offensively in the first half, running 35 offensive plays in the half, but they had no chance whatsoever of stopping our speed. We had four "drives" of 50+ yards in 1-3 plays in the half, and ran back a punt for a TD. The second half was more of the same: two quick drives put us up 48-14, and the coaches called off the dogs and put a bunch of clean jerseys in the game fairly early in the third quarter, and the final score was 48-14.

Elsewhere, Statesboro defeated Northside Warner Robins 12-0 to set up a rematch of last year's Dome game, and a #1 vs. #2 matchup to boot. We're #1 in the AP and #2 in the AJC, and Statesboro is flip-flopped in the rankings. Also of interest is that Marist went down 20-10 to Washington.

I'm ready to say it: this team is capable of winning the whole shebang. Right now, the offense is clicking on all cylinders: two straight 40+ point efforts in the playoffs. They're REALLY focused. After the game, Coach Bill Ballard summed it up like this to the team: "I'm very proud, but I'm NOT satisfied!"

Let the hype begin for the big showdown next week!

All the relevant scores from tonight:

Class AAAA

Ware County 31, Baldwin 13

Washington 20, Marist 10

Warner Robins 34, Creekside 21

Rome 27, Heritage 0

Tucker 48, Northwest Whitfield 14

Statesboro 12, Northside-Warner Robins 0

Salem 21, Lakeview-Ft. Oglethorpe 17

Griffin 35, Sandy Creek 28

Deleted the benelou.com thread from here, as it was causing format problems. Go to http://www.benelou.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?;act=ST;f=2;t=43 to see that stuff.

Familiar foe awaits Tucker in quarters

Unbeaten Tucker took a step closer to its first state championship by trouncing Northwest Whitfield 48-14 in the second round of the Class AAAA playoffs Friday night at Adams Stadium.

The victory, sparked by long touchdowns and scores from seven players, advanced the No. 2 Tigers to a showdown in next week's quarterfinal at home against No. 1 Statesboro, a 12-0 second-round winner over Northside-Warner Robins.

<!--endclickprintinclude--><!--startclickprintinclude--> Statesboro has beaten Tucker twice in the state playoffs — 8-7 in the 2000 quarterfinals and 27-24 in the 2003 semifinals in the Georgia Dome.

Tucker wants to avenge last year's elimination by the Blue Devils, but it also wants to get a second shot at a state championship.

The Tigers have reached the quarterfinals four times in the past five years, but they lost 13-12 to Dublin in their only title-game appearance, in 1963.

"If we play Statesboro," Tucker coach Bill Ballard said, "we know it's going to be a smashmouth football game."

Tucker entered Friday's second-round game having outscored opponents by an average of 29 points.

In contrast, Northwest Whitfield, whose 28-27 first-round win over North Clayton was its first in state play, came in with seven of its 11 games decided by six points or fewer.

Tucker (12-0) wasted little time establishing its dominance, scoring twice on five snaps. Myke Compton raced 46 yards for a 7-0 lead on the Tigers' third play from scrimmage. Two plays after Northwest's ensuing punt, quarterback Dwayne Harris raced 6 yards for a 14-0 advantage less than four minutes into the game.

Tyler Johnson's 67-yard return of Tucker's ensuing kickoff set up Northwest (9-3) at Tucker's 19-yard line, and Caleb Calahan scored eight plays later on fourth-and-goal from the 2 with 3:51 left in the first quarter.

The Tigers extended their lead to 21-7 when Harris threw a 44-yard scoring pass to Hamilton Sims on the final play of the first quarter. Northwest cut the deficit to 21-14 on Callahan's 1-yard dive with 6:17 left in the half. But Northwest would get no closer.

TUCKER 48, NW WHITFIELD 14

Northwest Whitfield 7 7 0 0 — 14

Tucker 21 14 13 0 — 48

T — Myke Compton 46 run (Brad Daniel kick)

T — Dwayne Harris 6 run (Daniel kick)

NW — Caleb Callahan 2 run (Enoc Fausto kick)

T — Hamilton Sims 44 pass from Harris (Daniel kick)

NW — Callahan 1 run (Fausto kick)

T — Trey Buice 74 punt return (Daniel kick)

T — Tavares Kearney 16 pass from Harris (Daniel kick)

T — Brandyn Young 3 run (Daniel kick)

T — Asher Allen 66 run (kick failed)

http://www.gasports.com/images/brackets/fb_2004_4A.png

Why in the heck do they have the #1 and #2 teams in the state in the same bracket?

Why in the heck do they have the #1 and #2 teams in the state in the same bracket?
The brackets are pre-set each year and based on a rotation system between the regions. There is no seeding.

Gotcha, thanks.

The only seeding is within each Region, based on regular season Region records. To elaborate, notice the little "R6-1" number next to Tucker. That means that the #1 seed from Region 6 gets that slot. If the two teams that play were different seeds within their Region, the higher seed is the home team. If they're both the same, then the home team is pre-selected by the "H" that you'll see on each game from the q-finals on.

The system is designed more to split up highly-talented Regions and rotate the bracket each year, rather than to try to set up a #1 vs. #2 matchup. You'll notice that the #1 and #2 from the same Region are always on opposite sides of the bracket, meaning they couldn't meet until the State Championship. (This almost happened with Tucker and Marist last year, and did happen with Brookwood and Parkview in AAAAA a couple of years ago.) Each year in the first round, an entire Region plays another: R6-1 vs. R8-4, R6-2 vs. R8-3, R6-3 vs. R8-2, and R6-4 vs. R8-1 were the matchups this year.

Tucker hosts Statesboro in battle of unbeatens

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 11/14/04

The way it's often drawn up in the movies, the last two unbeaten teams play for the state championship. But Hollywood has no say in the Georgia High School Association's football playoff brackets.

No. 1-ranked Statesboro and No. 2 Tucker, the only 12-0 teams in Class AAAA still standing, will find themselves on opposite sidelines in the Class AAAA quarterfinals Friday — a full two rounds before the finals. And if history comes anywhere near repeating itself, the game could be one to remember.

Statesboro has beaten Tucker in two memorable overtime playoff games in the past four years. The Blue Devils prevailed 8-7 in the 2000 quarterfinals and 27-24 in last year's semifinals under coach Buzz Busby. Steve Pennington, a Statesboro assistant for five seasons before becoming head coach this season, knows the history.

"They know what we're going to do and we know what they're going to do," Tucker coach Bill Ballard said. "Coach Pennington and I were joking that we really didn't need to trade film."

The only thing that was undecided over the weekend was which stadium Statesboro will visit. Tucker normally plays its games at Adams Stadium off North Druid Hills Road, but the turf there wasn't in optimal condition. And with the forecast for showers later this week, the last thing the Tigers want is to be stuck in the mud.

The game could be held at DeKalb Memorial Stadium in Clarkston, although that would be Ballard's second choice.

Class AAA has three unbeaten teams among its final eight, but no two have a higher profile than No. 1 LaGrange and No. 3 Carrollton, who also go head to head.

At stake, not just for these teams but for everybody playing this week: a trip to the Georgia Dome, where all the state semifinal games are held.

None of the remaining teams is closer to the Dome than Washington, 1.2 miles to the west. But few must go farther away to get there than the Bulldogs.

Rodney Cofield's team cleared a path to the Class AAAA championship Friday by sweeping aside the previous title-holders with a 20-10 victory over Marist. Their reward will be a trip to the swampland of Ware County — nearly 5 1/2 hours south by car, and doubtless even longer in a fleet of school buses.

The most challenging assignments, however, might belong to the two remaining Cherokee County schools. Sequoyah visits No. 2 Lowndes, while Cherokee visits No. 1 Camden County.

Attention Georgians: Tucker-Statesboro will be broadcast statewide on CSS cable.

Falcons give advice to Tucker standout
He's got experts on call

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 11/16/04
When Tucker's Brandyn Young needs tips on how to improve at running back or at defensive back, he just asks one of the players on the Atlanta Falcons team.

Young's grandfather, Horace Daniel, is a longtime equipment manager for the NFL franchise. When the Falcons play in town during the football season, Young works during games as an assistant to his grandfather.

<!--endclickprintinclude--><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" width="175"><tbody><tr><td>http://img.coxnewsweb.com/B/01/99/53/image_1153991.jpg (http://www.ajc.com/highschool/content/sports/highschool/1104/DKXmedia_Day__21.html)
Young
(ENLARGE) (http://www.ajc.com/highschool/content/sports/highschool/1104/DKXmedia_Day__21.html)
</td></tr><tr><td class="caption">
</td></tr><tr><td><table bgcolor="#ffffff" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" width="170"> <tbody><tr> <td align="center" bgcolor="#cccccc" width="170"><table bgcolor="#ffffff" border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" width="168"> <tbody><tr> <td width="148">http://img.coxnewsweb.com/C/08/26/62/image_262268.gifEMAIL THIS (http://www.ajc.com/highschool/content/sports/highschool/1104/18tucker.html#)
http://img.coxnewsweb.com/C/03/27/62/image_262273.gifPRINT THIS (http://www.ajc.com/highschool/content/sports/highschool/1104/18tucker.html#)
http://img.coxnewsweb.com/C/04/27/62/image_262274.gifMOST POPULAR (http://www.ajc.com/highschool/content/sports/highschool/1104/18tucker.html#)
</td> </tr> </tbody></table></td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td><td width="5">http://www.ajc.com/shared-local/images/1pix_trans.gif</td></tr></tbody></table><!--startclickprintinclude--> "It's pretty neat; I get to see how the best football players on Earth prepare and play in games," Young said.

Several of the Falcons players and assistant coaches have taken interest in Young, a high school standout. Young is a two-way starter and team captain for Tucker (12-0), which plays Statesboro at 7:30 p.m. Friday at DeKalb's Adams Stadium.

"Everyone knows Brandyn is a great football player, but more importantly he is a great leader," Tucker coach Bill Ballard said.

"He has really taken off as one of our leaders, and I think a lot of it has to do with him being around his grandfather and the Falcons. He comes to practice every day with a great attitude and great focus."

Young has been on the varsity since his freshman year, but was shoved into the spotlight last year after all-state tailback Thomas Brown broke his leg in the seventh game. Young took over for Brown, and there was little, if no, drop-off as Tucker advanced to the Class AAAA semifinals last year.

"You never want to see anybody get hurt," Young said. "When Thomas went down, the coaches turned to me, and I was glad I was able to come through for the team."

Before his senior season even began, Young said he would accept a football scholarship from Maryland. The Terrapins plan to try Young at tailback first, and then maybe give him looks at wide receiver and cornerback.

This past Sunday, Young worked with his grandfather at the Falcons game. After the game, Falcons all-pro linebacker Keith Brooking had some advice:

"[Brooking] said I should play corner in college," Young said with a smile. "He said running backs are a dime a dozen, and if you play corner, you will have 10 times the opportunities down the road."

Three teams in running for Dome semifinals
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 11/16/04

Two DeKalb County football teams and another from Rockdale County are one win away from reaching one of the ultimate goals — playing in the Georgia Dome.

The Dome is the annual site for all of the state semifinal games. Tucker, M.L. King and Salem play Friday in the state quarterfinals:

<!--endclickprintinclude--><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" width="175"><tbody><tr><td>http://img.coxnewsweb.com/B/09/95/53/image_1153959.jpg (http://www.ajc.com/highschool/content/sports/highschool/1104/MLKing_Football__5.html)
KEITH HADLEY / Staff
(ENLARGE) (http://www.ajc.com/highschool/content/sports/highschool/1104/MLKing_Football__5.html)
</td></tr><tr><td class="caption">Coach Kenneth Barrow of M.L. King, shown at an August practice, has a team that seems to be peaking in the playoffs and advancing the hard way — on the road.
</td></tr><tr><td><table bgcolor="#ffffff" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" width="170"> <tbody><tr> <td align="center" bgcolor="#cccccc" width="170">
</td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td><td width="5">http://www.ajc.com/shared-local/images/1pix_trans.gif</td></tr><tr><td><table bgcolor="#cccccc" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" width="170"><tbody><tr><td><table bgcolor="#ffffff" border="0" cellpadding="9" cellspacing="0" width="168"><tbody><tr><td class="body">FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS
Class AAAA quarterfinals
(All games at 7:30 p.m. Friday)
Griffin (11-1) at Salem (12-0)
Statesboro (12-0) vs. Tucker (12-0) at Adams Class AAA quarterfinals M.L. King (10-2) at Peach County (11-1)

</td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><!--startclickprintinclude--> Tucker (12-0) has a rematch with Statesboro, the team that last year eliminated the Tigers from the state playoffs in the Dome; King (10-2) is one of the feel-good stories of the playoffs and plays at powerful Peach County; Salem (12-0) has won a playoff game for the first time, and only Griffin stands between the Seminoles and an improbable trip to the state semifinals.

"We're not thinking about the Dome, just Peach County," King coach Kenneth Barrow said.

Tucker coach Bill Ballard echoed those sentiments: "Every team you play this deep into the playoffs is good. If you overlook anyone, you will be looking at the end of your season."

King has been one of the biggest surprises during the playoffs, upending Pickens and Oconee County.

The Golden Lions entered this year with high expectations after returning most of their starters from last year's team that reached the state quarterfinals. After going 8-2 in the regular season and narrowly avoiding a couple of other losses, King appears to be peaking in the postseason.

"The kids are playing really well," Barrow said. "The defense has been good all season, and the offense is moving the ball much better than earlier in the year."

King is doing it the hard way in the playoffs — winning on the road. Barrow said, "I tell the team to look at Statesboro last year. They lost two games in the regular season, played on the road throughout the state playoffs and made it to the state championship game."

Meanwhile, the Tucker-Statesboro game is one of the state's most intriguing matchups. Last year, Statesboro upset a Tucker team that many felt was destined to win it all. Statesboro took advantage of five Tucker turnovers and a controversial officiating call to pull out the 27-24 overtime win.

"It won't be tough to get our kids motivated for this game," Ballard said. "We won't have to convince them that Statesboro is a great team, because they know it already."

Many of the players on this year's Tucker team were so distraught after the loss to Statesboro that they began offseason training the next Monday.

"That game is still fresh in our minds," Ballard said. "We'll have to play better if we want to beat them this time around, and we will have to hold on to the football."

Buzz Busby stepped down as Statesboro's coach after last season, and was replaced by top assistant Steve Pennington. The Blue Devils look virtually the same as last year, with maybe a little more size and a little more willingness to throw the football. Statesboro still builds its game plan around running the football.

From the Statesboro Herald:



Keeping the focus


Blue Devils deal with playoff hype MICHELLE BOAEN/staffhttp://www.statesboroherald.net/entry/images/statesboro_a14_1117.jpg
The Statesboro Blue Devils run drills Tuesday for their highly anticipated matchup at Tucker Friday.

By LOGAN THOMAS


The excitement for the quarterfinal match up between the Statesboro Blue Devils (12-0) and the Tucker Tigers (12-0) is building.

Players on both sides will have to deal with photographers, television and the buzz about the Georgia Dome being one win away.

But the players were staying calm as they prepared for Tuesday’s practice, preferring to push all the hype from their minds.

“Sure, we’re excited,” said senior Tommy Watkins. “But we’re staying focused. We want to be well prepared.”

Besides, most of these Blue Devils have played on television before in year’s past.

“This is just another ballgame,” Watkins said.

Senior Leroy Ethridge agreed.

“Everybody in school is talking about how we have to win this game because it’s right before the Dome,” he said. “But we have to win this Friday first and we all know that.”

The Tucker-Statesboro quarterfinal match up is one of the most anticipated games in the state. Statesboro has defeated the Tigers in two previous playoff contests since 2000.

Both teams enter the game undefeated and as region champions. The Tigers are known for their impressive offense. The Blue Devils are known for a stalwart defense and special teams.

It’s shaping up to be a clash of the AAAA titans.

To prepare for the powerful Tucker Tigers, the Blue Devils went through a “study day” during Monday’s practice.

Offensive lineman coach David Nesmith said the team looked good Monday.

“We showed them some different looks and went through to correct some of things that went wrong against Northside last week,” he said. “We were trying to give them a look at what they might see against Tucker this week.”

Ethridge said the practice helped.

“I think we did a lot of learning [on Monday],” he said. “Tucker’s going to run through many formations so we did a lot of studying and seeing some of those formations.” Kenneth Mikell, who returned from an injury suffered in the first-round win over Douglas County, said it’s been nice to be back.

“We’re going on up there to see what [Tucker’s] got,” he said. “We’re going to go into that stadium looking for a good game.”

Tickets will be on sale at Statesboro High School until Thursday at 4 p.m. The cost is $10, as mandated by the Georgia High School Association.

Only GHSA passes will be admitted at the gate.

Two articles from the DeKalb Neighbor, a weekly newspaper that focuses on county news:

Angry Tigers rout Northwest Whitfield, advance to quarters

By Scott Blusiewicz DeKalb Neighbor Sports Editor

If the Statesboro Blue Devils are smart, they will avoid questioning the toughness of Tucker's football team before the two teams meet in a Class AAAA state quarterfinal game on Friday night. Northwest Whitfield quarterback Caleb Callahan could not resist the temptation to publicly call the Tigers out prior to his team's second round contest with Tucker last Friday, a decision he probably regretted at the end of the night.

"Nothing really intimidates me," Callahan told a northwest Georgia newspaper last week. "We're going to pound them in the mouth. One team that did that was Marist and Tucker barely won that game. Marist had a short field goal at the end but missed it. There's no doubt in our minds that we can beat them."

Needless to say, the article with Callahan's comments surfaced on the walls of the Tucker locker room after it was discovered on the newspaper's Web site Friday morning.

"No. 3 [Callahan] had said something in the newspaper," Tucker quarterback Dwayne Harris said after leading the Tigers to an impressive 48-14 rout at Adams Stadium.

"He was talking about how they were going to 'smack us in the mouth.' So, we just had to come out here tonight and prove that we weren't going to lay down. We were going to come out here and play hard like we always do."

Harris directed the Tucker offense on four scoring drives in the first half, as Tucker jumped out to a 35-14 halftime lead. The junior quarterback completed all four of his passes in the first half for 111 yards and two touchdowns, a 44-yard scoring pass to fullback Hamilton Sims and a 16-yard strike to tight end Tavares Kearney.

Additionally, Harris rushed for 59 yards and a touchdown on two carries. He scored on a 6-yard keeper on Tucker's second possession to give the Tigers a 14-0 lead with 8:15 left in the first quarter.

"I am real proud of Dwayne's effort tonight," Tucker coach Bill Ballard said.

"He's a cool customer. He doesn't give many emotions one way or the other and I think that's great for a quarterback's demeanor. He comes to practice every day [and] he's even keel in practice. He's even keel in the game and I think that helps his composure in the pocket when he gets back there and there's a lot of people coming at him. He makes good throws and really smart throws."

In addition to Harris, Tucker also received a couple of big plays from senior cornerback/kick returner Trey Buice. With Tucker leading 21-14 late in the second quarter, Buice avoided the slippery turf and eluded the grasp of a Bruin defender en route to returning a punt 74 yards for a touchdown.

On the Bruins' next possession, Buice intercepted Callahan, which ultimately led to Tucker's fifth touchdown of the half.

After the game, the Tigers were pleased to learn of Statesboro's 12-0 victory over Northside-Warner Robins, setting the stage for a rematch of last year's state semifinal game which Statesboro won 27-24 in the Georgia Dome.

"I muffed two punts against them last year in the Dome," Buice said. "I just want to get a little redemption [because] we lost in overtime."

http://www.neighbornewspapers.com/content/articles/2004/11/18/328/2558.jpg


MALE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Buice makes plays in Tucker's win

Thursday, November 18, 2004 4:07 AM EST



<table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="288"> <tbody><tr> <td class="photo-right">http://www.neighbornewspapers.com/content/articles/2004/11/18/328/2556.jpg</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="photo-right" align="center" width="288">
</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> By Scott Blusiewicz

DeKalb Neighbor Sports Editor

Although he is occasionally overshadowed by defensive standouts Tavares Kearney and Brandyn Young, Tucker senior cornerback Trey Buice has quietly put together a strong season this fall.

Buice has teamed up with Young to give the Tigers' a formidable cornerback tandem capable of shutting down the opposition's top receivers. Last Friday, Buice made two plays that significantly shifted the momentum of Tucker's second-round playoff game against Northwest Whitfield.

With Tucker leading 21-14 late in the first half, Buice returned a punt 74 yards for a score to give Tucker a two touchdown lead with 3:35 left in the first half. On Northwest Whitfield's next possession, Buice intercepted a pass near midfield. The Tigers engineered a quick drive, culminating in Kearney's 16-yard touchdown reception and the game was never in doubt from that point on. <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr> <td class="photo-right" align="center">
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>

"He's an exceptional, heady player," Tucker coach Bill Ballard said. "He makes really smart plays. He's the one that makes the adjustments in our secondary."

Buice is the son of Jeneva Buice and Welton Williams of Stone Mountain.

-- Okay, the AJC says St.Pius is a Top-10 team ... and they promptly struggle in their opener against Hiram (3-7 last year). Makes me wonder if the "resurgence" is more myth than reality.A very good early observation, Jon. Later in the season, Marist and Pius showed them to be frauds, then they bowed out in the first round of the playoffs.

From tomorrow's Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Battle of undefeateds another classic on tap

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 11/18/04

If tonight's playoff game between Tucker and Statesboro is anything like the past two, then expect a classic.

Tucker (12-0) and Statesboro (12-0) play at 7:30 at Adams Stadium in the quarterfinals of the Class AAAA playoffs. The schools have met in the playoffs twice in the past four years, with Statesboro pulling out an overtime victory both times.

<!--endclickprintinclude--><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" width="175"><tbody><tr><td>
</td><td width="5">http://www.ajc.com/shared-local/images/1pix_trans.gif</td></tr><tr><td><table bgcolor="#cccccc" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" width="170"><tbody><tr><td><table bgcolor="#ffffff" border="0" cellpadding="9" cellspacing="0" width="168"><tbody><tr><td class="body">STATESBORO AT TUCKER
• When, where: 7:30 p.m. today, Adams Stadium, Atlanta
• Records, rankings: Statesboro is 12-0 and ranked No. 1 in Class AAAA; Tucker is 12-0 and ranked No. 2
• TV: Comcast Sports Southeast
• Next: Winner plays the Salem/Griffin winner, Nov. 26, 9 p.m. at Georgia Dome</td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><!--startclickprintinclude--> "They were both great, great games to watch if you are a fan of high school football," Tucker coach Bill Ballard said. "Of course, they were not so great if you played or coached at Tucker. Those were tough losses."

Last year's meeting was especially painful for Tucker, which was favored to defeat Statesboro in the state semifinals at the Georgia Dome. However, Tucker uncharacteristically committed five turnovers in the game — matching the team's total from the entire regular season — in the 27-24 overtime loss.

"We're excited about the opportunity to play them again," Ballard said. "They've beaten us twice, so it's a big challenge for us."

Statesboro is coached by Steve Pennington, who was hired after the resignation of Buzz Busby last season. Pennington was defensive coordinator for the Blue Devils the previous five seasons and is excited about matching up with Tucker again.

"We won the last two games against them, so our kids have confidence that they can play with Tucker," Pennington said. "Also, we think to be the best, you've got to beat the best . . . and Tucker may be the best team in the state right now."

How do the teams differ from a year ago?

Statesboro lines up in the wishbone offense but throws the ball a little more than it did under Busby. Of course, some of that has to do with the maturation of 6-foot-6 junior quarterback David Cone. On defense, the Blue Devils run the same schemes.

Meanwhile, Tucker has flourished despite losing six players that signed major college scholarships, including University of Georgia tailback Thomas Brown. Several coaches have noted that this year's Tucker team is more patient and methodical and has cut down on potential turnovers by not going for the long touchdown as frequently as last season.

"I don't mean any disrespect to coach Ballard or anyone at Tucker by saying this, but they are playing so much more like a team this year," Pennington said. "Sometimes when you have so many big-time players, it's hard to control egos. That doesn't appear to be the case this year as they play much better as a unit."

Moving the army


The Blue Devil Crew plans, packs for Tucker trip MICHELLE BOAEN/staffhttp://www.statesboroherald.net/entry/images/shs_a12_1118.jpg
The Statesboro High football team, cheerleaders, band and fans are preparing for their trip to Tucker High School as the Blue Devils face the Tigers in a quarterfinal showdown Friday.

By LOGAN THOMAS
[email protected]

Planning is important in any road trip.

But when your road trip includes hundreds of students, food, charter buses and equipment, planning is essential.

Statesboro teachers, coaches and faculty are all hard at work this week preparing all the logistics of moving the band, cheerleaders and football team along with all necessary equipment to Tucker High School for the quarterfinals of the Georgia High School Association state football playoffs.

The Statesboro High School group is leaving at approximately 12 p.m. on Friday.

In many ways, it’s like moving a small army.

“There are so many things going on behind the scenes,” said head coach Steve Pennington. “We’re all one family.”

Band director Dr. Danny Kiene said he’s been busy planning the safe travel of 145 band students and their equipment.

“We have to think about feeding the students,” he said. “On a trip like this, we’re thinking about lunch and dinner … we also have to think about getting adults to travel with us as well as the nurses. There’s a lot that goes into it and the kids are really excited.”

Head cheerleading coach Angie Kearney said the 19 varsity cheerleaders making the trip all have jobs to do.

“Everything has to be planned and the cheerleaders know what they have to do,” she said.

“We have to have footballs to throw into the crowd and our megaphones. We have to transport the signs that we can hopefully maneuver into the charter bus … they’ve done these jobs all season and the girls do a real good job of pitching in.”

The challenge with this week, however, is making sure nothing is forgotten in the hype and excitement.

“We really have to make sure we do everything and not forget things in the rush,” Kearney said. “There’s a lot of work that’s involved in this, more than people realize. The cheerleaders work hard to support the players.”

To encourage the players, Kearney said the cheerleaders will decorate the locker room and show their school spirit before anyone leaves for Tucker.

“We will bake cookies for the players and hang bags in their locker room,” she said. “We’ll put signs up for them to remind them that the school is behind them. On Friday, we’ll see the players off and then leave after they do.”

Kiene said this week is also added pressure for the band in preparing for the halftime show.

“There’s a great deal of rehearsal,” he said. “We’ve been practicing since early July … they all get very excited about games like this when they get to play with the bigger bands.”

Pennington said the value of all these people working together is enormous.

“Their support is not measurable,” he said.

“I respect their spirit, encouragement and relationship they have with this football team.”

Here are the predictions from maxpreps for tonight's AAAA games:

Griffin (GA) vs. Salem (Conyers, GA) at Evans (Conyers, GA), 7:30pm [projection: Griffin (GA) 28-24]
Rome (GA) at Warner Robins (GA), 7:30pm [projection: Warner Robins (GA) 22-19]
Statesboro (GA) vs. Tucker (GA) at Adams Stadium (Atlanta, GA), 7:30pm [projection: Tucker (GA) 21-20]
Washington (Atlanta, GA) at Ware County (Waycross, GA), 7:30pm [projection: Ware County (Waycross, GA) 24-17]

I'll do my own prediction/breakdown of Tucker-Statesboro later this morning, but suffice it to say that I don't see this one being a razor-thin game. Tucker wins by 2 TD's.

CLASS AAAA

STATESBORO AT TUCKER

STATESBORO (12-0)-No. 1 seed from Region 2-AAAA. ... Defeated Douglas County 12-7 in the first round; defeated Northside-Warner Robins 12-0 in second round. ... Zach Sanders made a career-best four field goals - 20, 31, 29 and 31 yards - to account for all the Blue Devils' points against Northside-Warner Robins. ... Statesboro's offense was held to only 190 total yards, but the Blue Devils forced six turnovers ..... Making sixth straight playoff appearance. ... Lost in the finals last year to Marist 21-6. ... Has been to the state finals three of the last four years. ...Won Class A title in 1957 and 1966 and Class AAAA title in 2001. ...Has beaten Tucker twice in the last four years - 8-7 in the 2000 quarterfinals and 27-24 in the 2004 semifinals. ... Has held opponents to seven points or less 10 times. ... Has recorded six shutouts. ... Has outscored opponents 333-69. ... Has won three games by a total of 12 points - 3,4 and 5. ... Has a 46-6-1 record over the last four years. ... Coach Steve Pennington has a 105-78-4 career record.

TUCKER (12-0)-No. 1 seed from Region 6-AAAA. ... Defeated Clarke Central 44-14 in first round; defeated Northwest Whitfield 48-14 in second round. ... Seven players scored touchdowns for the Tigers against Northwest Whitfield. ... Has reached the quarterfinals four times in the past five years. ... Reached the finals in 1963. ... Has lost to Statesboro in the state playoffs twice in the last four years - 8-7 in the 2000 quarterfinals and 27-24 in the 2003 semifinals. ... Has scored 30 or more points nine times, including 40 or more seven times. ... Has held opponents to seven points or less seven times. ... Has recorded two shutouts. ... Has outscored opponents 426-108. ... Has a 46-4 record over the last four years. ... Coach Bill Ballard has a 36-3 career record.

NOTE: This game will be televised on the Comcast Sports Southeast cable network.

NEXT UP: Winner advances to the semifinals Nov. 26 at the Georgia Dome against the Griffin-Salem winner.

Well, sorry I didn't update it. I didn't have the emotional energy in the days right after the game, and then after that, I simply didn't think about it. In one of the greatest high school football games I've ever seen, Tucker lost 15-14 to Statesboro on the last play of the game. For more details, check out THIS THREAD. (http://dynamic2.gamespy.com/%7Efof/forums/showthread.php?t=31958&page=1&highlight=tucker+tigers)

And now, a few stats....

PASSING
DeWayne Harris: 69 for 111, (62.2%), 1310 yds, 9 TD's, 5 INT's.

RUSHING
Brandyn Young: 157 att, 1012 yards, 6.4ypc, 15 TD's

RECEIVING
Asher Allen 19 catches, 382 yards, 2 TD's

TEAM
Rushing: 442 att, 3211 yards, 7.26ypc
Passing: 114 att, 70 cmp, 1345 yds, 9 TD, 5 INT
Total Yards: 4,556, 350.5 ypg, 8.2 yards per play
Scoring: 470 points scored, 36.2ppg, 123 points allowed, 9.5ppg
Defense: Allowed 2.7 ypc, 35% passing, 3.2 ypp, 160.1 ypg

MISC
Brad Dniels was 54 for 59 PAT's, 2 for 9 FG's. Long FG was 33 yards.

DEFENSE
Chris Parker led team with 56 tackles, 29 assists.
Tavares Kearney led team (and county) with 14 sacks

AWARDS
G Marcus Brazil--1st Team All County
OLB Tavares Kearney--1st Team All County
RB/DB Brandyn Young--1st Team All County
C Will Stewart--2nd Team All County

Honorable Mentions: QB DeWayne Harris, LB Chris Parker, DB Trey Buice, RB/DB Asher Allen, FB/NT Hamilton Sims, K Brad Daniels

THOUGHTS ON NEXT SEASON
Well, according to the "experts," this wasn't supposed to be Tucker's year to have a legit shot at the state title, but they definitely did this year. Next year was the year. Right now, there's no reason not to believe that Tucker won't be one of the top 3 or 4 teams in the state once again. Around 10 guys who saw serious playing time this year will return. Most exciting will be the expected offensive backfield consisting of three D1-likely players: QB DeWayne Harris, FB Myke Compton, and RB Asher Allen. Those three are going to be just flat-out DANGEROUS. Other key returnees include:

OL/DL Jotis Head
OL/LB Charles McCoggle
LB/TE/WR Chad Sims
RB/DB Bryant Flenoury
OLB Donnie Hardy
TE/OLB Randie Bourne
OL/DL Anthony Cloud

The key is going to be the line of scrimmage. We've got several sophomores and juniors with some good-to-considerable size, but they're inexperienced, and need to spend some more time in the weight room. If a few of these kids step up in the offseason, Tucker could have the most size in the trenches that we've had since I've been here.

From tomorrow's paper:

DEKALB DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Kearney piles up hits, sacks


The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 12/23/04
Tucker's Tavares Kearney, the DeKalb defensive player of the year, was fun to watch even when he wasn't making the tackle.

The senior linebacker was one of the hardest hitters to come through the area in years. Even when Kearney wasn't in on the tackle, he usually could be found making contact with someone on the field.

<!--endclickprintinclude--><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" width="175"><tbody><tr><td>http://img.coxnewsweb.com/B/09/08/11/image_1211089.jpg (http://www.ajc.com/highschool/content/sports/highschool/1204/Football_4.html)



(http://www.ajc.com/highschool/content/sports/highschool/1204/Football_4.html)
</td></tr><tr><td class="caption">Tucker senior Tavares Kearney's speed kept him in the thick of the action, playing several defensive positions.
</td></tr><tr><td>
</td><td width="5">http://www.ajc.com/shared-local/images/1pix_trans.gif</td></tr></tbody></table><!--startclickprintinclude--> "I just love to hit," Kearney said. "Every play, my goal was to make the tackle. And if I didn't make the tackle, I was going to hit everybody in the way."

Kearney was that rarest of defenders in that he could change the course of the game on that side of the ball. He led DeKalb County with 14 sacks and had 12 tackles for losses and a stunning 51 quarterback hurries.

"He had a lot of hits behind the line of scrimmage," Tucker coach Bill Ballard said. "He did a really good job of going after the other team's quarterback in passing situations. If he didn't get the sack, he would usually get pressure on the passer."

Ballard said Kearney's speed was often overlooked because of his physical style of play. "Tavares can consistently run under 4.5 seconds," Ballard said. "Even if the play ran to the other side of the field, [Kearney] was always a threat to catch up with the play. You can't say that about many football players."

The 6-foot-1, 220-pound Kearney appeared to have a breakout year during his senior season, but Ballard said that was not the case. He said Kearney was stellar as a junior, but just overshadowed by teammates such as Brandon Lang (who signed with Georgia) and James Swinton (Auburn).

During Kearney's junior year, he started the first seven games at defensive end. When tailback Thomas Brown was injured in midseason, Kearney was moved to free safety, the position he will most likely play in college. As a senior, he lined up just about everywhere on defense to keep other teams from keying on him.

Sun Belt Recruiting Rankings:

1. Troy The complete class
The Troy class has a good combination of bulk numbers and a few superstars as DE Brandon Lang should be ready to fill in for departed star Demarcus Ware and several good offensive linemen should be ready to give the line a boost. DE Junior Tagovailoa and DB Derick Pendergrass will also be instant factors.
Star of the Class Brandon Lang DE 6-5 265 Tucker (Tucker) Ga.
After spending the fall at Hargrave Military Academy, he is enrolled at Troy ... Is from the same high school as Trojans quarterback D.T. McDowell ... Originally committed to Georgia out of high school.

Sun Belt Recruiting Rankings:

1. Troy The complete class
The Troy class has a good combination of bulk numbers and a few superstars as DE Brandon Lang should be ready to fill in for departed star Demarcus Ware and several good offensive linemen should be ready to give the line a boost. DE Junior Tagovailoa and DB Derick Pendergrass will also be instant factors.
Star of the Class Brandon Lang DE 6-5 265 Tucker (Tucker) Ga.
After spending the fall at Hargrave Military Academy, he is enrolled at Troy ... Is from the same high school as Trojans quarterback D.T. McDowell ... Originally committed to Georgia out of high school.Guess I ought to mention the signings that I know of to date....

RB/CB Brandyn Young-->USC--Coach Spurrier himself came up to the high school to woo B.Y. Created quite the buzz.
OLB/DE Tavares Kearney-->UGA--He'll play either SS or OLB for the Dawgs.
DB/PR Trey Buice-->Ball State--Great to see Trey recover from his nightmare in the Dome last year and earn a scholly.
OLB Chris Parker-->Georgetown--I have a feeling he won't be the smartest kid on the team--and in most of his classes--any more. ;)

I'll see Hamilton Sims tomorrow night and get an update, but my last conversation with him (a couple of weeks ago) it seemed like Presbyterian was very close to offering him as a tailback. Yeah, when your rather effective FB/NT gets offered as a TB, you know you've got a unique player on your hands. :eek:

Spring Practice begins tomorrow, and with it, a new thread for 2005. Click [HERE] (http://dynamic2.gamespy.com/%7Efof/forums/showthread.php?p=778339#post778339) to go to 2005.

Signing day, part deux, was today. Three kids signed with smaller schools.

FB/MG Hamilton Sims-->Newberry College. He'll play RB and slot receiver. :eek:
C Will Stewart-->Presbyterian College
K Brad Daniels-->Maryville College

Oh, by the way. Not that this should come as any surprise, but the youngsters showed us all that this rivalry is going to remain close for at least the next several years. The JV and Freshman teams also played Marist this week. The results?

JV: Marist 17, Tucker 14
Freshmen: Tucker 21, Marist 14

Marist's Freshman Team becomes the first team to score against Tucker's Freshman team all year long. The freshman team is led by yes, yet *another* stud tailback. Barring injury, Freshman Tracy Lewis is looking like he'll follow in the D-1 footsteps of Thomas Brown, Jabari Davis, Terrell Jordan, Patrick Pass, et al. This is getting borderline absurd. The way things are looking right now, in the fall of 2006, Tucker will have SIX backs on D-1 teams. :eek:

Bump for highlighted quote. These kids are now seniors. They are 5-0. They have not been scored upon, and they've already laid the wood to Marist (30-0, I think), and Pius (35-0). Both Marist and Pius were in the top 10 at the time.