For the first time in school history, Creekside is a state champion in football. The Seminoles did it, in fact, in Olten Downs’ very first year as head coach.
Dexter Knox rushed 25 times for 166 yards and five touchdowns as Creekside, making its first-ever appearance in a title game, rolled to a convincing 52-28 win over Tucker on Friday night. The Seminoles also got 141 rushing yards from Bricen Terry and 209 passing yards off the arm of Felix Harper. They amassed 361 yards as a team and outgained Tucker 535-336 in total offense.
“He’s been an unbelievable player all year long,” Downs said of Knox, a senior. “He’s a great young man. Humble. Smart. He plays with a chip on his shoulder. I’m going to miss him.”
The Tigers certainly won’t miss him, but they did show signs of promise at times—especially in the first half. They received the opening kickoff and promptly marched on an 11-play, 73-yard drive. Joseph Farrar accounted for 28 passing yards to go along with 24 rushing yards on the drive and he capped it off with a one-yard quarterback sneak for a touchdown. Tucker went back head 14-7 with 26 seconds remaining in the first quarter on a 38-yard scoring strike from Farrar to a wide-open Dominick Sanders over the middle. Creekside star safety Evan Berry, who is headed to Tennessee next year, suffered a hamstring injury earlier during the drive and did not return.
Despite dealing with both injuries and an early deficit, though, the Seminoles had all the answers. Knox ran for two touchdowns in the opening half, first on a 1-yard dive that was set up by a 28-yard screen pass from Felix Harper to Jakaree Garrison on 3rd-and-16. A back-and-forth first half saw Creekside eventually go on a lightning-fast 96-yard scoring drive in just one minute and 19 seconds. Knox punctuated it with a three-yard touchdown run. While Tucker may have wasted no time scoring after the opening kickoff, Creekside one-upped those efforts. Cameron Jackson took the second-half kickoff 99 yards to the endzone as the Seminoles stormed ahead 21-14 right off the bat. They never relinquished their lead from that point through the finish line. Thaj Perry forced a fumble Tucker’s next possession and Brian Livas recovered it at the Tigers’ 32-yard line. If the Tigers knew another Knox run was forthcoming, they could not stop it. Knox had no trouble bullying his way up the middle for his third rushing touchdown of the game, this one from 16 yards out. After a Francisco Alejandre 33-yard field goal made it 31-21 with 6:25 left in the third quarter, Knox dazzled his way through a befuddled Tucker defense for a 22-yard touchdown run less than three minutes later. That pushed the Seminoles’ lead to 38-21.
Tucker got third-quarter touchdowns from Yaquis Shelley on a 21-yard run and via a 65-yard pass from Farrar to Sanders, but it could never get back within serious striking distance. Just when it looked like Tucker had made it game and was poised to get the ball back down by only 10 points, Creekside struck again. On 3rd-and-22, Harper threw a dump pass to Jayson Stanley and Stanley took it 77 yards to the endzone. In a flash, the ‘Noles once again boasted a 17-point advantage at 45-28 midway through the fourth quarter. Creekside iced the game in appropriate fashion, as Knox powered his way into the endzone for his fifth and final touchdown with just more than four minutes remaining.
“It’s big,” Downs assured. “From this point forward, anything less than this is sort of unacceptable. We’ve set a standard for Creekside football. We want to be a power in the state of Georgia.”
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