For all the preseason hype surrounding McEachern’s passing attack, which features highly regarded junior quarterback Bailey Hockman and an extremely talented and deep group of receivers, it was the Indians’ running game that was too much for injury-depleted Tucker to handle in the teams’ season opener.
Sam Jackson ran for 161 yards and three touchdowns in the first half as No. 2 McEachern built a 48-7 lead and went on to a 50-14 victory over the ninth-ranked Tigers in the Corky Kell Classic Saturday at the Georgia Dome.
McEachern scored on its first seven possessions on drives averaging 54 yards that each took less than 2:43. Hockman, Tyler Simmons and Tyler Grayes scored on short runs for the Indians, who ran for 238 yards in the first half and finished the game with 271 yards rushing and 403 overall. Quay Holmes added 64 yards on five carries.
Hockman was 5-for-12 passing for 101 yards and threw a 41-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Smith for a 41-7 lead with seven minutes remaining in the second quarter. McEachern’s reserves then took over and played the rest of the way, and the second half was played with a running clock.
McEachern’s only non-scoring possession of the first half was its last one, which began at the Tucker 2-yard line after a fumbled kickoff return. After two plays lost 17 yards, Malik Evans’ pass was intercepted by Tucker’s Demarko Durr just before halftime.
The Indians’ success on offense continued a trend against Tucker that began the last time the teams met, a 62-36 McEachern victory in the Class AAAAAA quarterfinals last season. The explosive first half on Saturday gave McEachern 110 points in a span of six quarters against the Tigers, who were playing without as many as eight potential starters.
Tucker’s Garrett Rigby was 6-for-13 passing for 113 yards and threw two touchdowns passes, a 35-yarder to Jeremiah Shelley in the first half and a 16-yarder to Mason Miller in the third quarter. Tucker had 150 yards rushing and finished with 263 total yards.
McEachern will have next weekend off before hosting Class AAAA No. 1 Buford on Sept. 4. Tucker will play Godby of Tallahassee, Fla., on Saturday at Hallford Stadium.
McEachern – 21-27-0-2 – 50
Tucker – 7-0-7-0 – 14
M – Tyler Simmons 1 run (Cesar Dominguez kick)
M – Sam Jackson 28 run (Dominguez kick)
M – Bailey Hockman 1 run (Dominguez kick)
T – Jeremiah Shelley 35 pass from Garrett Rigby (Adam Lippy kick)
M – Jackson 4 run (Dominguez kick)
M – Jackson 9 run (pass failed)
M – Tyler Smith 41 pass from Hockman (Dominguez kick)
M – Tyler Grayes 5 run (Dominguez kick)
T – Mason Miller 16 pass from Rigby (Lippy kick)
M – Safety (Tucker quarterback ran out of end zone)
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