It’s seem that for years Tucker vs Stephenson was the game that high school football fans in DeKalb County wanted to see. Stephenson, the program that had known only one losing season since opening in 1996, had always played in a higher classification. Meetings with Tucker were reserved for pre-season scrimmages that left DeKalb fans wondering just what would happen if the two were allowed to meet during the regular season.
The Tigers also have been big winners, their last losing season coming all the way back in 1991. Oh , by the way, Tucker has won a pair of state championships in 2008 and 2011. Stephenson has no state titles. In fact, the Jaguars have yet to make it to a state championship game.
In 2012 things changed when both schools were placed in region 6-AAAAA and Stephenson scored a 13-6 victory over Tucker and with that the rivalry was on. Since October 12, 2012, fans and supporters of both schools have been counting down the days until this week’s showdown.
The two schools are not that far apart, and the teams know each other very well. Most have faced off on the football field through youth leagues and middle school. Now they will square off with both teams sporting perfect 5-0 records.
The winner will have much more than just bragging rights for a year. Either Tucker or Stephenson will assume the driver’s seat in what many feel is the toughest region in the state and with it expectations to play for the in the class AAAAA state championship game in the Georgia Dome in December.