M.L. King 24, Tucker 17
In the end, the arm of Monquavious Johnson was too much.
The senior threw for 188 yards and three touchdowns to lead Class AAAAA No. 2 M.L. King to a 24-17 win over No. 5 Tucker.
The victory clinches the Region 6 title for M.L. King (9-0, 8-0). It’s the Lions’ third consecutive region championship.
The Lions led by just a touchdown late in the third quarter, with Johnson scrambling behind the line and looking downfield.
Suddenly, Romello Shumake broke deep, and Johnson slung it toward the end zone, connecting with the junior for his only catch of the game, and it proved to be the difference.
It was Johnson’s third touchdown strike of the evening, and his second of 42-plus yards. The first of those went to Demarquis Polite-Bray, who finished with five catches for 77 yards and two scores.
On the next Tucker possession, it appeared the Tigers (7-2, 6-2) might go quietly after MLK took a two-touchdown lead.
Tucker was facing a second-and-22 on its own 34-yard line, with quarterback Juwaan Williams facing pressure up the middle. He stood his ground and threw the ball up for grabs to the MLK 21, where Kazim Aminu wrestled it away from a Lions defender to put the Tigers into scoring position.
It just took one play for Williams to take advantage, hitting Dallas Rivers for the touchdown, and it was suddenly back to a one-score game with 53 seconds left in the third quarter.
But Tucker got just one fourth-quarter possession, and MLK was able to run out the final 4:37 when the Tigers handed the ball back to them on downs.
The first half was dominated by the offenses, as both teams had long scoring drives early to set the tone.
M.L. King started it off with a 12-play, 58-yard drive that ended with a 32-yard field goal. Tucker answered with its own 13-play march, capped off by a Juwaan Williams touchdown run that put the Tigers in front.
The teams traded scores for much of the first half, en route to a 10-10 tie. But they had very different ways of getting there offensively.
While the Lions made their hay through the air – 126 passing vs. 5 rushing – Tucker was just the opposite, amassing 88 of its 102 total yards on the ground.
Tucker senior lineman Ian Rigby was carted off the field with an injury in the third quarter, after lying on the turf for 15 minutes. No more was known on his condition at press time.
T 0 10 7 0 – 17
M 3 7 14 0 – 24
M – Presley Bray 32 FG
T – Juwaan Williams 14 run (Steven Duffy kick)
M – Demarquis Polite-Bray 42 pass from Monquavious Johnson (Bray kick)
T – Duffy 33 FG
M – Polite-Bray 5 pass from Johnson (Bray kick)
M – Romello Shumake 43 pass from Johnson (Bray kick)
T – Dallas Rivers 21 pass from Williams (Duffy kick)
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170 comments Add your comment
6AAAAA Fan
November 4th, 2012
10:09 am
Some more observations…#1 Seed M.L. King, #2 Seed Stephenson, #3 Seed Tucker, #4 Seed SWD….Unless M.L. Kings lays down this coming friday night to Miller Grove then M.G. will be out or if Tucker loses to Mays then M.G. will be in, Tucker can go from the #3 seed to the #4 seed with a loss…Yes the Wing-T offense can make defenses stand tall and be more physical but that doesn’t mean you can’t implement some strong passing plays into your offensive game plan, I watched the Camden vs Lowndes game and it was a very physical game between the two teams but the OC for Camden called some pretty safe but timely pass plays all night, my point is you can’t continue to try and run when the stronger defenses you will encounter during the season and playoffs will stack the box with 10 and 11 defenders and not have some kind of audible to either your tightend or halfback that you talked about or practiced during the week, that’s called making in-game adjustments!
rwdekalb
November 4th, 2012
10:30 am
@6AAAAA Fan. I believe if SWD wins their final game against Dunwoody they will get the 4th seed. If Miller Grove, Mays and SWD end up at 6-3 in region, I beieve SWD gets the nod because of their head to head victories against them.
6AAAAA Fan
November 4th, 2012
11:33 am
You are correct sir
JAB
November 4th, 2012
11:35 am
The only true seal in standings is MLK #! & Stephenson #2 as I predicted in the beginning of the season just had Stephenson ahead of MLK….;)
Let's Get it Done!
November 4th, 2012
12:12 pm
@True Blue….ditto, nicely said. I too am just a little amazed at the sour grapes(trash talking) from the Tucker bloggers. Last year MLK & SHS fans were all cheering and congratulating Tucker. @whoknew and 6AAAAA fan, thanks for the sanity. Tucker fans who were predicting a Tucker rout….were put on notice that MLK & SHS were tested programs (even without a State Championship), because they were in a higher classification(against schools dbl in size…and yes MLK did beat Valdosta 2011). Tucker bloggers said that it didn’t make a difference-”they had it” All we are saying now….is “it did”. When it’s all said in done, we are all on the same team. Dekalb should be well represented in the playoffs. Let the healing begin…
eagle1
November 4th, 2012
12:29 pm
It looks like the Tucker Tigers will be on the same side of the playoff bracket as the Northside Eagles. If both teams advance, then they will meet at the :MAC” in Warner Robins for a rematch of last year’s quarterfinals! That ought to be interesting! GO BIG BLUE!!! IT’S GREAT TO BE A NORTHSIDE EAGLE!!!
stdno2man
November 4th, 2012
3:07 pm
Tucker fans are not sore losers but sore winners. When you’ve won like Tucker it’s hard to lower expectations if only for 1 year. Let’s be real, two state championships in four years and only having one in the last 5 where you lost multiple games will spoil some people.
In high school sports there is a two year window to win a state football championship. Tucker’s two years were last year and the year before when they lost to Whitewater in the semi’s. Prior to that it was the team that won in 08 and the team that let NSWR come back in the dome. Prior to that it was the 04 and 05 teams that lost to Statesboro in the last seconds. You win with juniors and then those juniors become seniors and try and make another run. Stephenson’s two years were when the group with Marcus Ball was junior and seniors, the year when Reggie Ball’s group were juniors and seniors and the year when Raymond Sanders and his group were juniors and seniors. Like Tucker this year’s Stephenson team is not on the level of what Stephenson normally has and I apologize because I don’t mean to slight anyone but recognize that Stephenson is a great program. I’m not as familiar with MLK but this group has to get it done because the window will close and they have to come up with another group. Last year they made a run but this year they have to get it done or start over. I don’t mean from scratch but they have to bring together another group.
BLUE&GOLD
November 4th, 2012
3:23 pm
When Mays beats Tucker it will be Mays, Tucker, SWD , and Miller Grove with a 6-3 record. Mays can play. So lets not count the chickens till they hatch.
uncleJunior
November 4th, 2012
6:47 pm
Alright. I am going to do this again, for the folks who missed it. MLK schedule last year was as follows: South Gwinnett, Collins Hill, @Newton, @Newnan, @Langston Hughes, @Valdosta, Westlake, @East Coweta, Stephenson, …………..I am missing a couple of teams but my point is made!!!!! The Lions were undefeated with this schedule in the previous 5A. There are not too many current 5A teams who would have the same success facing that schedule. If any!!!!!!! Holler at me!
uncleJunior
November 4th, 2012
7:24 pm
Just to add. . . . I believe they lost in the 2nd or 3rd round to Lasseter. A game that I feel they should have won.
JAB
November 4th, 2012
8:00 pm
@ uncleJunior, they don’t know Stephenson beat Parkview 2 years in a row at their place & ours…
Queens' Mommy
November 4th, 2012
11:41 pm
SN: MLK was just highlighted on the Falcons/Cowboys game. Way to make the highlights #10 D.J. Polite-Bray and #23 Romello Shumake!!
KING IS HERE
November 5th, 2012
8:44 am
I TOLD YA MLK WILL WIN OVER TUCKER PUTTING MINOR IN WILL BE A minor DISTRACTION! I’M NOT SURE IF HE WAS IN THE GAME OR NOT! IT DON’T MATTER ON TO THE NEXT ONE. BUT A SERIOUS NOTE I’M GLAD THE YOUNG MAN WHO INJURED IS DOING WELL. SEE YA FRIDAY AT HALFORD STADIUM. LET’S GO LION
ALL TUCKERRED UP
November 5th, 2012
9:30 am
Congratulations to MLK they beat Tucker &
I’m certainly glad the young man hurt WALKED OUT OF THE HOSPITAL. THANK GOD
Ms Queen of the Kings
November 5th, 2012
9:45 am
Everyone in dekalb vote for Mlk vs Miller Grove for the game of the week.
Tiger4Life
November 5th, 2012
10:57 am
@All Bloggers
Let’s get one thing straight, I have never made one exsuse for Tucker losing any game. This year or the previous 4 years I’ve been AJC.com
@All Stephenson & MLK Posters
All I have ever done was Rep. Stephenson & MLK. Go check my record when Gwinnett Co. schools was going in you guys last year I went harder than any poster on this site defending MY COUNTY. I was born and raised on Snapfinger and still live in the area now!!!
Then you guys drop down and talk crazy like we havn’t been playing ball, we havn’t beat anyboy and if you was in AAAA y’all would have won 5 titles in a row disrepecting everything Tucker has accompliched. If one of you guys don’t win state I bet it will be so many exsuces this site will crash.
MLK played in there rightful calssification according to there enrollment numbers, THEY HAVE NEVER PLAYED UP !!! I checked the numbers and they don’t lie !!!
Stephenson has only played up once and that was for the two previous seasons.Check the numbers on that too!!!
MLK also has played in AAAA and AAA for a total of four seasons and don’t have Ring to show for it.
True that banner for Region Champs is goning to look good hanging in the Gym, but a Ring looks a lot nicer.
Tiger4Life
November 5th, 2012
11:25 am
Enrollment for 2010-2011 seasons
MLK – 1919.5 students was third smallest school and 5 away from being in AAAA (Right Classification)
Stephenson – 1820.5 Students was Third largest school in AAAA (Played Up to AAAAA)
Tucker – 1423 students was the smallest AAAA school and 3 from being in AAA (Right Classification)
KeithMLKfan
November 5th, 2012
12:17 pm
I think this wkends game with MG is at Panthersville, correct me if I’m wrong……
Bo
November 5th, 2012
1:49 pm
good game mlk lions.
Bo
November 5th, 2012
1:52 pm
mlk king was highlited during the falcons game last nigth….. Lets Go Lions….