Game location has been set for Adams Stadium

Tickets to big game on sale at GHS Thursday, Friday

By JOHN SULLIVAN
Sports Editor
jsullivan@griffindailynews.com

Posted: Wednesday, December 3, 2008 1:33 AM EST

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Griffin High athletic director Jamie Cassady said the location for Friday’s Class AAAA state semfinal between No. 5-ranked Tucker (12-1) and unranked Griffin High (10-3) has been set at Adams Stadium on North Druid Hills Road in Atlanta.

It will be the eighth game this season Tucker has played at Adams Stadium where it sports a 7-0 record this season.

TICKETS ON SALE IN GRIFFIN: Tickets to Friday’s game can be purchased Thursday and Friday at Griffin High School during school business hours in the main office.

Griffin High athletic director Jamie Cassady will ride today to DeKalb County to pick up the Bears’ allotment of tickets.

“They said they should only have about 1,000 fans,” said Cassady, who expects Griffin to easily quadruple that number. “I told them if that’s all you’ll have we’re likely to own the place.”

UNDERDOG: Any way you cut it Griffin is a big underdog in Friday’s game.

At 10-3, Griffin has the worst record of all the team’s left in the Class AAAA state playoffs. Marist and Tucker both sport 12-1 records, while Rome is 11-2.

Griffin is also the only of the foursome that is unraked at this date. Tucker is No. 4 in the Associated Press and Atlanta-Journal Constitution polls and No. 5 in the GaSports.com coaches poll.

Marist is No. 4 in the coaches poll and No. 3 in the other two polls, while Rome is No. 6 in the coaches poll and No. 5 in the other two polls.

It should be noted Griffin was preseason ranked No. 1 in the coaches poll, No. 6 in the AJC poll and No. 9 in the AP poll.

COMMON GROUND: Griffin and Tucker have three common opponents this season: Marist, Southwest DeKalb and Brunswick.

Griffin defeated Marist 25-21 in a preseason scrimmage on the road, while Tucker lost 38-0 at Marist in the fifth game of the season.

Tucker opened the season defeating Brunswick 26-12 at Glynn County Stadium, while Griffin won at the same venue 34-30 two weeks ago in the state playoffs.

Both teams topped Southwest DeKalb 10-7, Tucker in the ninth game of the season and Griffin last week in the quarterfinal round of the state playoffs.

SERIES HISTORY: One of the first things Griffin High head coach Steve DeVoursney did when he took over the Bears in 2001 was schedule Tucker for the 2002 and 2003 season openers.