Tucker faces challenge in Westside-Macon

No team is more familiar with the element of speed than Tucker.

But while the Tigers know all about having speed on offense, defense and special teams, they learned another lesson about it this season — the speed at which folks can start jumping off of your bandwagon.

After starting the season 5-0 and ranked No. 1 in Class AAAA, the Tigers were thumped by Marist, 38-0. Some began to question whether Tucker was a contender, even though the Tigers at the time had a combined record of 18-2 going back to the 2007 season, when they went 13-1 and advanced to the state semifinals.

“We talked to our kids about that at the beginning of the season,” said head coach Franklin Stephens, who is 24-2 in his second season at Tucker. “It can look like you have a lot of people talking about you and supporting you. But people can start jumping off of your bandwagon pretty quick. That’s just how it goes.”

Stephens had told anyone who would listen at the beginning of the year that even though he had a bunch of seniors, most of them were inexperienced players because of the talent that had been in front of them. Then Tucker was beset by numerous injuries to key players.

But through it all, here the Tigers are in the state quarterfinals with just the one blemish on their record.

“It’s really unbelievable, the amount of injuries we’ve had this season,” Stephens said. “But you learn to focus and play through pain, and our kids have done a good job of that. And our inexperienced kids have really improved. Our coaches have done a good job coaching them, and the players have responded.”

Among the inexperienced seniors who stepped up are quarterback Chris Beck and defensive backs A.J. Bouye and Marcus Williams.

“[Beck] does a great job of managing the game for us,” Stephens said. “He’s been getting us in the right situations and getting the ball to our playmakers.”

That group is led by seniors Drayton Calhoun and Jonathan Davis and junior Devin Scott, who is back after breaking his fibula in the second week of the season. Calhoun and Davis, with their two distinct styles of leadership, have kept the Tigers focused.

Calhoun, an LSU commitment who is one of the fastest athletes in the state, provides the quiet confidence. Davis, a 200-pound ball of fury that is being pursued by several major colleges — including Georgia Tech — provides the edgy swagger.

“It works well because of how they blend,” Stephens said. “We have a lot of different personalities on the team and they all fit together.”

It will take a full team effort to take down a Westside-Macon team that hasn’t been challenged all season. The Seminoles average 44 points per game while surrendering just three. They feature a number of talented players, including quarterback Orrin McFadden and running backs Robert Brown and Marcus Wilson. And they are coached by the legendary Robert Davis, 100-31 at Westside and 353-72-1 overall.

“They are big, fast and athletic. Just a very talented team,” Stephens said. “And they are really well coached. We’re going to have to win the battle on special teams, not give up any big plays, and force some turnovers. We’re really going to have to be prepared.”