The five games that make up the 2008 Georgia High School Association State Football Championships are perhaps the most anticipated set of championship games in the 60-year history of the GHSA championship games. For the first time in history, the championship game in each classification is at a central location, the Georgia Dome, and each game is being broadcast on GPB.
Coming into the weekend, perhaps the most anticipated game of the quintet of championship matchups was the Marist versus Tucker Class 4A tussle. The two teams are bitter rivals, having played a total of 17 games against each other before this championship showdown and meeting every year since 1998. Historically, Tucker holds the advantage, with 10 victories over the War Eagles including four out of the last five, but Marist defeated the Tigers 38-0 in an early-season meeting. The atmosphere of a championship game in the biggest stadium in the state, combined with two schools with a history with each other, and the scene was set for Friday night.
Both the Marist and Tucker nation was out in full force. Jim Davenport was one of the War Eagle well-wishers caught up in the magnitude of the moment. Davenport’s son, Penn, is a junior split end/defensive back for the War Eagles. “It’s kind of surreal,” Jim said. “You’re walking in here in the CNN Center and all of sudden it hits you. This is one of the biggest moments in his life and for us it is too. It’s unreal.”
Penn’s sister, Hollis, is also a student at Marist, and she too knows how much making it to the Georgia Dome for the state championship meant to her brother. “I’ve watched him come home from practice since August. He’s always been so tired and he talks about how hard he’s worked,” Hollis said. “For me, I’m just really proud of him because I know this is one of the biggest moments in his life.”
Likewise, the Tucker faithful was out in full force, ready to cheer their Tigers on. Brandy Benefield, a 2008 graduate of Tucker, knows about cheering the Tigers on. Last year, as a senior, she was the Tucker Tiger mascot and watched the team make it the Dome for what was then the semifinal. Although she’s not donning her costume any longer, she was definitely happier to be at the Dome this year, under these circumstances. “It feels better,” Brandy said. “Last year we didn’t even make it to the finals, so it feels better to be in the Dome in the final round than would not to be here at all. It feels good.”
Her brother, Brandon, graduated from Tucker in 2001 and knew all about what this game meant to the Tigers and what facing Marist meant as they looked forward to kickoff. “As a Tucker guy it doesn’t get any bigger than this,” Brandon said. “Marist is one of our biggest rivals, have been for years.
“This is kind of a storybook season if we can win tonight because they were the only team to beat us this season. If we can beat them, it would be sweet revenge.”
The Marist contingent was also ready to see their acquaintances at Tucker. Before the game, however, Jim Davenport was realistic about what his War Eagles were about to face. “I guess it’s the enemy that you know,” Jim said. “I guess they’re comfortable with it and they respect them, but […] it’s hard to beat another great team twice. I would imagine they are as nervous as they can be right now.”
Despite what nerves the Marist players may have been feeling, Hollis Davenport and the War Eagle contingent was feeling something special. “Last week, when we won in the last six seconds, we started chanting ‘We Are Marist.’ At the pep rally we talked about it,” Hollis said. “Honestly at this point, I can tell that the whole Marist community is being built around this championship.”
Brandy Benefield knew that her Tucker student body was also excited. “A couple of my good friends are seniors,” Brandy said. “I definitely think that everyone has been going crazy and we want a big win this year.”
Before kickoff, both groups of fans made noise. Tucker ran out and broke their banner first, followed by Marist breaking those familiar words of “We Are Marist” as they ran out. Marist, Tucker, the Georgia Dome, and a state championship on the line: who couldn’t be excited?
Butler can be reached at jbutler@scoreatl.com.
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