The first two meetings between the Northside Eagles and the Tucker Tigers produced two of the most physical and exciting games in recent high school history with each team winning one late in exciting fashion for the winner and excruciating pain for the loser. The “rubber match” between the two state football powers had high school fans across the state brimming with anticipation for another classic, and the Eagles and the Tigers did not disappoint. In another “game for the ages”, Northside defeated the Tucker by a score of 23-20 when Glenn Smith hit Keshun Hill with a 10 yard touchdown pass on fourth down with 24 seconds left in the game.



The Eagles received the opening kickoff and Hill returned it 37 yards to set the Eagles up in good field position at their own 49, but in what proved to be a theme of the first three quarters, Northside could not capitalize and were forced to punt. The Eagles defense would come on and would similarly shut down the Tucker wing-T attack. The Eagles made the first mistake of the game on the next series when Smith was intercepted by Tucker near midfield and returned it to the Northside 23 yard line. Two plays later, Tucker’s QB Juwaan Williams scored from 16 yards out to give the Tigers a 7-0 lead with 4:17 left in the first quarter. Northside was forced to punt again on the next series, but the Eagle D got its first turnover of the night when Trey Payne recovered a Tiger fumble on the Northside 41. But again, the Eagles could not take advantage of the field position and were forced to punt. The Northside defense again returned the favor when senior Marquez Moore ripped the ball from a Tucker runner and it was recovered by senior Edward Mathis on the Tucker 44. The Eagles drove the ball 37 yards in 8 plays before stalling. Junior John Tignor, kicking in place of the injured Isaac Rivera, calmly came in and drilled 23 yard field with 4:04 left before halftime to cut the Tucker lead to 7-3. The Eagle D forced a 3 and out but the Tiger punt pinned the Eagles deep in their own territory at the 9 yard line with 2:10 left in the half. The Eagles put together a 12 play 77 yard drive but the Tucker defense stiffened and the Eagles turned it over on downs as the half ended.



Tucker took the second half kickoff and in 3 quick plays drove 71 yards for a touchdown. The PAT was wide left but the Tigers led 13-3 with 10:49 left in the third. The Eagles went 3 and out on their first possession of the half but the ensuing punt hit a Tiger and was recovered by Northside at the Tucker 23, but again the Tiger defense stuffed the Eagles as they turned the ball over on downs after losing 5 yards. Again, the Eagle D stiffened and forced a Tiger punt. The Eagles held the ball for 11 plays before being forced to punt as the third quarter ended with Tucker leading 13-3. Once again, the Northside defense stuffed the Tigers and forced a punt that set the Eagles up at the Tiger 49. The Eagles lost 7 yards on the first play, but then senior Curtis Martin ripped through the Tiger defense and broke it toward the home sideline and outran the Tucker defenders for a 56 yard touchdown run that electrified the Northside crowd. John Tignor kicked the PAT to cut the lead to 13-10 with 9:15 left in the fourth quarter. The Tigers returned the KO to the 41 yard line. On the first play, the Northside defense stormed the Tiger backfield and forced another fumble that Trey Payne scooped up and returned 30 yards to the Tucker 18 yard line. Three plays later, Curtis Martin burst through the line and bulled the entire Tiger defense the final three yards for a touchdown with 7:29 left in the game. The PAT was wide right and the Eagles led 16-13. The Tucker Tigers showed their championship mettle by driving 75 yards in 13 plays to retake the lead by a score of 20-16 with only 1 minute and 22 seconds left in the game. The four point deficit meant the Eagles would need a touchdown to win the game and with only 82 seconds left in the game, the chances looked bleak. Senior Keshun Hill immediately gave the Eagle faithful renewed hope with an electrifying 40 yard kickoff return to set the Eagles up at midfield with 1:13 left in the game. On the first play, Tucker was flagged for holding to give the Eagles a first down at the Tucker 40. Curtis Martin rushed for 6 yards and the Eagles called timeout. QB Glenn Smith then dropped back and threw a strike to senior Robert Davis for 23 yard gain and then out of bounds to stop the clock. Smith then scrambled twice under an intense Tucker pass rush for only 3 yards and the Eagles used their final timeout. On third and 7 from the 10 yard line, Smith threw a fade pattern to the right corner of the endzone that a Tucker defender briefly snared but could not control making it fourth down from the 10 yard line with about 30 seconds left in the game. On fourth down and their last chance, Smith dropped back, calmly scanned the field and then fired a pass high over the middle in the endzone in the direction of Keshun Hill. Hill leaped over 2 Tucker defenders to grab the ball and land in the endzone for the winning score sending the Northside sideline and stands into a frenzy with 24 seconds left in the game. Tignor drilled the PAT to give the Eagles a 23-20 lead, but the Eagles knew a game with the Tucker Tigers was not over. Tignor's ensuing squib kick was caught and returned only 5 yards to the Tucker 37 yard line with 19 seconds left. Three Tucker incompletions set up a fourth down with 2 seconds left in the game. The Tigers completed a short pass that stretched into a 30+ yard catch and run before being shoved out of bounds to end the game and begin the Northside celebration. Exuberant fans and players covered the field at the MAC as tears flowed on both sides of the field. The Eagles had avenged the heartbreaking loss to Tucker in the 2011 semi-finals, and in doing so, advanced to the 2012 semi-finals against the Ware Co. Gators - the Eagles’ opponent in the 2007 state championship game. The third playoff matchup between Northside and Tucker proved to be every bit as exciting, physical and excruciating as the previous two classics with Northside ending up on top after one of the best high school football playoff games in history.