Tucker Looks for Statement Win

Next for Tucker:

@Northside (Warner Robins)

7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 2

How to watch: If you can’t make the drive, catch the game streaming on GHSA.tv or look for in-game updates via Facebook and Twitter from Alan Simpson (@TuckerSportsGuy) and here on Tucker Patch.

Some have pondered aloud whether Friday night’s AAAA semifinal between Tucker and Northside (Warner Robins) should be considered the “real” State Championship. The victor of the Lovejoy-Warner Robins game will be all too happy to dispel this notion when they get their chance next week; nevertheless, the Tigers’ collision with the Eagles this week has all the makings of a dream final.

Tucker enters the game at 13-0 and ranked No. 1 in AAAA, while Northside shares the 13-0 record and holds the No. 2 ranking in AAAA. None of those numbers will matter tonight. Pride and history are on the line when the Tigers visit McConnell-Talbert Stadium.

Northside has spent most of the past two decades building a football superpower to rival cross-town Warner Robins. Tucker has been building a dynasty of its own, acknowledged by voters who have given the nod to the Tigers all season when deciding how to place the top two spots in the rankings. These two schools combined to collect all the State Championship hardware between 2006 and 2008. Odds are pretty decent that one of them will walk with 2011’s as well.

Both schools have become virtual locks for a semifinal appearance every season. Both teams have won most of their games this season in overwhelmingly convincing fashion. Northside can claim plowing through a tougher schedule, but Tucker is fresh off a gut-check game in which the Tigers went 14 points in the hole to a high-octane Flowery Branch offense. Despite the numbers next to their names, these teams enter this game in a virtual lock for the top spot in AAAA.

In fact, the favorite in this game came down to a coin flip. Tucker and Northside each carried a No. 1 seed through the playoffs, so determining home field when they met was left to pure luck. As it happened, Northside won the toss and get to host the Tigers, giving the Middle Georgia powerhouse the instant advantage in what could otherwise be a dead heat.

Going on the road does not doom the Tigers. They bring too many weapons and too much talent to the table to ever be overlooked. Juwaan Williams has proven to be an effective dual-threat quarterback in Tucker’s run-heavy scheme, getting it done on the ground most of the time, adding in lethal aerial strikes when opposing defenses try to stack up against the run, and managing the offense with poise and confidence. Yusuf Minor, Dallas Rivers and Jordan Landry have run wild this season, each bringing a different dynamic when they touch the ball. Defenses have occasionally been able to stop one or two of Tucker’s leading rushers, only to see yet another Tiger get the carry and burn them. The addition of Jacob Sealand to the offensive line against Flowery Branch opened up deeper lanes for Williams when he had to scramble against the Falcons’ aggressive pass rush.

On defense, Sealand joins Josh Dawson, Joe Rush, Jerry Shippy, Sancharles Zachery and Solomon Jackson on a unit that has been a nightmare for opposing quarterbacks and any receiver trying to catch a ball in the middle of the field. On special teams, Minor has been nothing short of electric as a kick returner; Steven Duffy has been lights-out on extra points; Lewis Makor has provided consistent kickoffs and has shown off the art of recovering one’s own onside kick; and Dominic Sanders and, more recently, Sealand have combined to help Tucker win the battle of field position with effective punts. Punt coverage has been excellent as well, resulting in frequent fair catch calls and rolls.

The road might also bring a helpful change in attitude for Tucker. With the exception of the shutout against Griffin – in which Griffin got itself behind the eight-ball on the first kick – the Tigers have looked a little timid despite (or perhaps because of) being heavily favored. Being the favorite comes with its pressure, and fear of making a costly error seemed to hang all over Tucker’s offense in the first quarter of both the Sprayberry and Flowery Branch games. Going into a hostile environment against a powerhouse opponent with a trip to the Georgia Dome on the line changes the attitude.

The Tigers are no longer presumed to have the upper hand. In fact, an all-Warner Robins championship is a popular pick. So instead of trying to make sure they hold serve in a game everyone expects them to win, the Tigers face the daunting task of coming home from Warner Robins with a victory. For the first time all season, the Tigers won’t even be favored. Challenge issued, pressure removed.

And then there’s this: The only time these two programs squared off, Tucker watched a three-possession halftime lead in the 2007 semifinals evaporate as Northside made a fantasy comeback en route to a second consecutive State Championship. The Tigers, of course, bounced back to win it all the following year, but this will be the first time the schools have met since.

The Tigers and Eagles have demonstrated all year that they are the class of AAAA, but 2011 can only belong to one team. Tonight one of these titans will make it one step closer.

Follow Alan Simpson on Twitter (@TuckerSportsGuy) or “like” him on Facebook to get in-game updates tonight.