Tucker blows out Rockdale

ATLANTA, Ga. - Tucker’s playmakers were far too much for Rockdale Friday.

Delvin Weems rushed for 111 yards and three touchdowns and Duke Shelley added 134 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns in the first half alone as Tucker rolled to a 57-6 victory at Adams Stadium.

Tucker (5-2, 2-0 Region 2-AAAAAA), a state runner-up a year ago, has continued to roll since starting the year 0-2. In five straight victories, the DeKalb County school has outscored its opponents 304-27.

Meanwhile, Rockdale’s struggles on the defensive side of the ball continued as well. Since starting the year 3-0, the Bulldogs (3-4, 0-2) have dropped four consecutive games to a quartet of state playoff teams from a year ago by an average margin of nearly 35 points.

A pair of fantastic runs late in the opening quarter and at the start of the second helped each team get in the end zone.

Tucker quarterback Garrett Rigby hooked up with Elijah Sullivan for a 40-yard gain. Sullivan broke two tackles along the sideline and got to the Rockdale 19. Akeam Peters’ 11-yard scamper got the Tigers closer, and two plays later, Weems scored from 10 yards to put Tucker up 15-0.

Rockdale answered with a seven-play, 74-yard drive that culminated with a nifty run by Devin Williams, which included a pair of cut backs and Williams out-running the Tucker secondary for a 40-yard touchdown that got the Bulldogs to within 15-6.

The visitors seemed to have grabbed momentum when following Williams’ scoring run, Andrew Tanner’s onside kick was recovered by Deonte Clark at the Tucker 43. Instead, the host Tigers took control of the game as Rockdale’s final five offensive possessions of the opening half ended in two turnovers, two punts and a turnover on downs at the Tucker 22.

Weems, who collected 102 of his rushing yards in the first half, had a 49-yard run to get into Rockdale territory and Rigby capped a nine-play, 89-yard drive with a six-yard scoring run that made it a 22-6 game with a little over five minutes to go in the half.

Tucker was far from finished putting points on the scoreboard.

Shelley seemed to be at a level all his own during the closing stages of the first half. During a late-second quarter run, the Kansas State commitment changed directions three times and amazingly went untouched for a 74-yard touchdown. Rockdale quarterback Zuri Minnifield was intercepted by Peters for the second time in the half and though he fumbled after a 50-yard return, teammate Terry Beckham fell on the ball. That didn’t amount to any points, but Minnifield had his third turnover when Brian Strozier scooped up his fumble and returned it 18 yards for a score. Rigby and Shelley connected on a 35-yard score with five seconds left and Tucker went into the halftime locker room up 43-6.

The second half was marred by two serious injuries to Rockdale players as both Ryan Ross and Keijne Thomas were taken from the field in ambulances about 15 minutes apart.