Creekside overpowers Tucker for Class AAAAA football crown

ATLANTA -- Dexter Knox ran for five touchdowns and Creekside won its first state football championship, capping a perfect season with a 52-28 victory over Tucker on Friday night in the Class AAAAA title game at the Georgia Dome.<br /> <br /> Creekside (15-0) dedicated the season and the championship to defensive back De'Andre Turman, who died of injuries suffered during a scrimmage in August.<br /> <br /> Knox finished with 164 yards on 25 carries and scored on runs of 22, 16, 7, 3 and 1 yards as Creekside dashed the hopes of Tucker (14-1) for a third state championship in six seasons.<br /> <br /> Cameron Jackson had a 99-yard kickoff return, Felix Harper threw a 77-yard touchdown pass to Jayson Stanley and Bricen Terry gained 140 yards on 18 carries for Creekside.<br /> <br /> Tucker's Joseph Farrar threw two touchdown passes to Dominick Sanders and ran in another. The Tigers won state titles in 2008 and 2011 and had reached at least the quarterfinals every season since 2007, going 88-10 during the span.<br /> <br /> Creekside scored twice in the first two minutes of the second half to break a 14-all tie. Knox followed Jackson's kickoff return with a 16-yard touchdown run on the second play after a Tucker fumble.<br /> <br /> Yaquis Shelley had a 21-yard touchdown run for Tucker, but Creekside's Francisco Alejandre kicked a 33-yard field goal and Knox capped a four-play, 86-yard strike with a 22-yard touchdown. Farrar hit Dominick Sanders with a 65-yard strike to make it 38-28 going into the fourth quarter.<br /> <br /> Harper, who was 8 of 14 for 209 yards, connected with Stanley for his 77-yard score and Knox ran in his fifth touchdown from 7 yards out in the fourth quarter.<br /> <br /> Each team mounted a pair of long first-half drives, including a 96-yarder by Creekside that Knox capped with a 3-yard run to tie it two minutes before halftime.<br /> <br /> Tucker drove 73 yards after the opening kickoff, with Farrar scoring from a yard out. Then the Tigers went 80 yards in just 24 seconds at the end of the first quarter, with Farrar hitting Sanders with a 38-yard touchdown pass. Creekside went 80 yards in between, with Knox scoring from a yard away.<br /> <br /> Creekside had scored at least 40 points in each of its four previous playoff victories and routed Kell 55-10 in the semifinals. Tucker, meanwhile, slipped past defending champion Gainesville 20-14 in the semifinals after a 16-13 win over East Paulding in the second round.