Tucker trashes Griffin

No less than five seconds after his team grabbed a 21-0 lead Friday night, a Tucker fan emerged from the sea of down jackets and afghans at James R. Hallford Stadium to scream the obvious — the Tigers are going to the Georgia Dome.

There were still two and a half quarters left to play. What a difference a year makes.

Enlarge this image

Rich Addicks/raddicks@ajc.com

Tucker’s Quenton Brown cq (88) puts a hard hit on Griffin’s D.J. Morgan (3) in the first half.

RELATED

• Game photos
TEAM PAGE

• Tucker

Tucker (13-1) rolled past Griffin 34-0 for a Class AAAA semifinal playoff victory and its first trip to the state title game since 1963. The victory was a full exorcism of demons suffered in this same game one season ago.

“I told the kids at halftime that we’ve got to finish this thing,” Tigers coach Franklin Stephens said. “I told them it’s simple. Look behind you. We were up 21 points last year in the exact same situation at the exact same time.

“I told them you’ve got to know your past in order to overcome it and proceed to your future.”

Tucker jumped out to a 28-7 lead in its state semifinal at the Georgia Dome last season against Northside-Warner Robins. The game turned on a dime, and one half of domination melted into a 31-28 loss.

There was no such problem Friday. The opening quarter provided sloppy play on both sides. Griffin (10-4) opened play with an onside kick but was forced to punt. Tucker then fumbled on the next drive, and neither side could score in the first quarter.

When Tucker finally struck, it did so with fury. The Tigers broke the scoreless tie on a 34-yard run by quarterback Chris Beck, one of two touchdowns on the night.

The Tiger defense recovered a Griffin fumble on the next offensive series, allowing tailback Jonathan Davis to come up to bat. The senior burst through the middle of the field for a 48-yard rumble one play later.

By the time Drayton Allen-Calhoun sprinted down the left sideline for a 37-yard touchdown at the 5:28 mark, fans were already planning — and screaming — for next week.

The Tigers opponent? Hated rival Marist, which defeated Tucker 38-0 on Sept. 26.

“We have a second chance. That’s all it means,” Beck said. “A lot of people don’t get that. It doesn’t matter who the opponent is. We’re happy to playing another week.”