Chapel Hill quarterback Damarion Davis avoids Tucker defensive lineman TJ Tukes (77) as he scrambles out of trouble. Davis threw four touchdown passes in the Panthers’ first round Trail to the Title playoff win on Saturday. (Photo by Mark Brock)
The Chapel Hill Panthers scored three times in the first half on the way to a 28-6 first round Trail to the Title playoffs victory over the Tucker Tigers in the final game at Avondale Stadium on Saturday.
Damarion Davis got Chapel Hill on the board first as he led the Panthers on an 80-yard drive to open the game. He completed four passes in the drive including the final 29 yards to Brycen Tolbert with 4:58 left in the first quarter. Ty’Reese Jones ran in the two-point conversion to make it 8-0.
Carlos Tritty pounced on a Tucker fumble at the Tiger 30 with 1:06 to play in the first quarter and three plays later Davis threw to the left corner of the end zone to Jamarion Davis who made an over the head catch for the touchdown. The two-point run failed and the lead was 14-0 with 16 seconds left in the opening period.
The Panthers (6-1) stopped Tucker on a fourth and 11 to take over on downs at their own 12-yard line stopping the Tigers (5-1-1) first real threat in the first half.
Chapel Hill then put together an 88-yard drive in 11 plays to go up 20-0. The Davis-to-Davis combination came up big again on the drive connecting for a 35-yard pass play and then on fourth and 10 at the Tucker 27 connected for another over the head catch in the left corner for the touchdown with 1:45 left in the half.
Tucker’s Maverick Armour (1) and Luis Oquil (7) make sure Chapel Hill’s Ty’Reese Jones goes out of bounds. (Photo by Mark Brock)
The Panthers recovered an onside kick and a 26-yard pass from Davis to Jones had the Panthers knocking on the door again at the Tiger one-yard line. Tucker stopped the Panthers for no gain as the clock ran out in the first half.
Tucker drove down to the Chapel Hill 15-yard line before being forced into a fourth and 28 due to a holding penalty and a sack by Chapel Hill’s Nathaniel Thomas. A fourth down pass went incomplete and the Panthers took over at their own 33.
Davis (14-19, 271 yards, 4 TDs) was at it again hitting Jones for 19 yards and Jamarion Davis for 24 more as the Panthers drove to the Tiger 10-yard line. Davis then connected with Jones for a 10-yard touchdown pass with 6:59 to play. Davis threw to Brycen Tolbert for the two-point conversion to make it 28-0.
Chapel Hill recovered another onside kick and Tucker stopped them on fourth and three at the Tiger 31 to take over with 3:10 to play.
Tucker quarterback Quaneskia Smith led the Tigers down the field hitting Maverick Armour for a 31-yard gain and then 33 more to Kruz Marion. Smith finished off the drive with a three-yard touchdown run. The two-point try failed to make the final 28-6.
Chapel Hill (6-1) heads to the semifinals to take on Cedar Grove (5-2), a 12-6 overtime winner against Champion, in the 12:00 pm game at Godfrey Stadium on Saturday.
WEEK 8 – OCT. 21
First Round of Playoffs
Avondale Stadium
Stephenson (7-0) 24, Lithonia (4-3) 8
McNair (7-0) 16, Chamblee (3-4) 6
Cedar Grove (5-2) 12, Champion (5-1-1) 6
Chapel Hill (6-1) 28, Tucker (5-1-1) 6
WEEK 9 – OCT. 28
Semifinal Round
GODFREY STADIUM
Stephenson (7-0) vs. McNair (7-0), 10:30 am
Chapel Hill (6-1) vs. Cedar Grove (5-2), 12:00 am