The Tucker football team learned a lot from its visit to Valdosta in the opening week of the season. And the Tigers were able to incorporate those lessons and successfully show why they’re expected to be among the last teams standing in Region 5-4A this fall.
“We watched the Valdosta film all week,” Tucker coach Lonnie Jones said. “We looked at all the little mistakes we made that took us out of that game. We were in that game, but you can’t make mistakes like we made or you’re going to get beat.”
Many of those mistakes – among them those that led to four touchdown passes to players who weren’t even defended – led to a 65-19 loss to Valdosta. That’s more points than the proud Tucker program has allowed since surrendering 62 to McEachern in the quarterfinals of the state playoffs in 2014.
“We knew we’ve got to play some other good teams this year, so that showed us how much we needed to get to work and get better,” Jones said.
The education gained on that long bus ride to Valdosta paid off last week when Tucker was able to clobber Chamblee 33-0. The level of competition wasn’t comparable, but the Tigers produced the sort of effort that could make them a threat to region powers Marist and St. Pius.
“We were able to run the ball better. We had too many blown assignments up front that first week,” Jones said. “And we continued to play mistake-free football. We didn’t have a turnover either game.”
Quarterback Jace German completed 15 of 25 passes for 200 yard and two touchdowns and ran for 47 yards against Tucker. The sophomore has fully recovered from the broken collarbone he sustained in the second game of the 2023 season. He has already thrown for 380 yards and five touchdowns.
Running back Christian Copeland, another product of the Tucker Youth League system, is back from knee surgery. He carried 14 times for 94 yards and caught two passes for 27 yard and a touchdown. Senior Izayah Horsham is the other half of the backfield rotation.
The Tucker defense kept Chamblee off the field, limiting the Bulldogs to 45 plays and 79 yards of total offense, and came up with two interceptions and three turnovers in the second quarter. Standouts included Joziah Horne, Robert Robinson, Allen Pimentel (two sacks) and Eli Ffrench, a contributor at receiver, defensive back and kicker.
“We emphasize getting to the football,” Jones said. “We always try to get nine to 11 hats on the ball. You’ve got to get to the ball to create turnovers.”
Tucker fans will notice a “BK” sticker on the helmets this season. That is a tribute to the late Bud King, Tucker’s own super fan, who died last spring. King was a lifelong Tucker devotee who served many roles – from volunteer coach to statistician to ardent enthusiast.
Look who’s 2-0
There are 19 teams in Class 4A who have started the season 2-0, but here are three that deserve an extra round of applause.
· Drew – The Titans have never won the first two games of a season since the program started in 2009. Now in their sixth season under coach Steve Robinson, they are are one win away from matching last year’s win total. Drew has beaten Clayton County rivals Riverdale 13-6 and North Clayton 33-27. Jaylan Aquino rushed for 239 yards and two touchdowns in the victory over North Clayton.
· Lithonia – The Bulldogs haven’t started a season with two straight since going 3-0 to begin the 2018 season. First-year coach Kevin Barnes has watched his team beat Lithia Springs 31-28 and Redan 14-8 to open the season.
· Walnut Grove -- It has only been two years since the Warriors began the season by winning three straight – and six of their first seven – but the team had never beaten Walton County rival Loganville. Walnut Grove broke that nine-game losing streak with an emphatic 48-19 victory after opening the year with a 31-0 win over Class 6A Discovery. Running back Emadd Howard ran for 308 yards and scored four touchdowns in the win.
Top performers from Week 2
Ahmad Gordon ran for 181 yards and two touchdowns to help No. 2 Perry prevail 49-29 in a shootout against Peach County. Cullen McDaniel also threw for 173 yards and two touchdowns in the win. … No. 3 Cartersville overpowered area rival Rockmart 35-6 in the GPB-televised game thanks to a pair of 100-yard rushing performances from Jacaiden Leonard (11 carries for 126 yards, one touchdown) and Baylon Long (16 carries for 104 yards, two touchdowns). … Harrison Faulkner was the focus in No. 6 North Oconee’s 42-0 win over Dalton. He threw for 252 yards and three touchdowns and also ran for a score. The Titans scored on six of their first seven possessions. … No. 7 Blessed Trinity QB Brooks Goodman threw for 159 yards and two touchdowns in a 45-7 win over Holy Innocents’. … Brodie McWhorter threw for 227 yards and three touchdowns, all in the first half, as No. 8 Cass beat Model 48-0. … No. 10 Eastside hammered Hiram 48-21 with Jayden Barr rushing for 101 yards and three touchdowns, returning a kickoff for a touchdown and collecting four tackles.
Creekside quarterback Cayden Benson threw for 306 yards and one touchdown and ran for 121 yards and two touchdowns in a 30-27 loss to Westside, S.C. ... Breylan Dewberry threw for 220 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 84 yards and two touchdowns in a 43-23 win over McDonough. ... Harris County’s Ran Ogletree ran for 186 yards and two touchdowns, threw a touchdown pass, caught a pass and had four tackles in a 21-17 win over Troup. ... Zacari Thomas ran for 113 yards and four touchdowns on only four carries in a 48-19 win over Woodland. ... Caden Waye of Ola rushed for 157 yards and scored five touchdowns in a 51-17 win over Locust Grove. ... Will Klein of St. Pius had 14 tackles, two sacks and two tackles for loss in a 17-3 win over Lakeside. ... Flowery Branch freshman Ryland Garrison was a one-man wrecking crew for the Falcons in a 23-13 win over Habersham Central. The linebacker had 11 tackles, two for loss, forced two fumbles and had two hurries.
