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The Fayette County Tigers finished last season with a 6-5 record and a loss in the first round of the playoffs. The previous year they went 4-7 so the expectations from across the state were not extremely high as they prepared for the upcoming 1996 season.           The Tigers were not among the teams listed by the Alabama Sports Writers in the preseason poll for the upcoming 1996 season.

Hillcrest             14     Fayette County             33

The Fayette County Tigers opened the 1996 season by trouncing Hillcrest 33-14. The win propelled the Tigers into the ASWA top ten at number five after only one week of play.

South Lamar 0   6   0   6   12     Fayette County 14   14   6   0   34

The Tigers raced out to a 28-6 halftime lead and cruised to a 34-12 win over South Lamar in week two. Kadell Wright scored the first two touchdowns on runs of 1 and 7 yards for a quick 14-0 lead. Quarterback Luke Tucker scored on a three-yard run and tossed a 21-yard scoring pass to Sam Collins in the first half. The final score was tallied by Wright on a two-yard run.

Fayette County 14   21   7   0   42     Winfield 0   0   0   6   6

Luke Tucker completed 5-of-7 passes for 96 yards and two touchdowns in one half of playing time as the Tigers romped over Winfield 42-6 in week three. The defense held Winfield to just four first downs and 73 total yards of offense. The Tigers jumped out to a 35-0 lead by the half and cruised to another victory.            Ben Barrett raced 67 yards for a first quarter touchdown and Tucker found Collins on a 27 yard scoring pass for an early lead. Freshman Joron Sparks dashed 86 yards for a touchdown and Mark Dubose caught a 66-yard touchdown from backup quarterback Rashaun Robinson.

Fayette County 14   7   19   0   40     Sulligent 7   7   0   7   21

Fayette County only led 21-14 at the half before exploding in the third quarter for three touchdowns on their way to a 40-21 win over Sulligent. Kadell Wright ran for 89 yards on 15 carries and scored three touchdowns while Luke Tucker completed 14-of-19 passes for 208 yards and another score.             In the third, Wright scored on a one-yard run, Ben Barrett got a touchdown on a 13-yard dash and Shane Johnson returned an interception 40 yards for another score as the Tigers pulled comfortably away from the Pirates. The win lifted their season record to 4-0.

Lamar County 0   0   0   0   0     Fayette County             42

Fayette County got their first shutout of the season as they trounced Lamar County 42-0 in week five. The win pushed their season record to a perfect 5-0. The win kept the Tigers firmly locked in on the number four spot in the weekly rankings.

Oak Grove             17     Fayette County             45

Fayette County High School celebrated the 50th anniversary of its undefeated season in 1946 against Oak Grove. The current version of the team ran over Oak Grove in a 45-17 win to continue their winning streak and keep their undefeated season intact.

Fayette County 6   18   7   0   31     Russellville 0   0   0   0   0

Fayette County fumbled on the first play of the game but Russellville failed to capitalize on the mistake and the Tigers did little wrong the remainder of the evening as they rolled to a 31-0 shutout win. Fayette County built a 24-0 halftime lead on a one-yard run by Kadell Wright, a 41-yard interception return by Josh Caine and Tucker found Brandon Stocks for a 19-yard scoring pass.            Wright led all rushers with 117 yards on 17 carries. Tucker completed 11-of-19 passes for 141 yards and the one touchdown.

Fayette County 6   12   13   6   37     Curry 0   0   7   7   14

Kadell Wright rushed for 175 yards on 12 carries and scored three touchdowns as the Tigers stung the Curry Yellow Jackets 37-14 in week eight. Luke Tucker completed 9-of-14 passes for 187 yards and two more scores as the Tigers jumped out to a 18-0 halftime lead. They increased the margin to 31-0 before Curry got on the scoreboard against the reserves.

Pleasant Grove 0   0   0   0   0     Fayette County 14   12   6   6   38

The Fayette County Tigers shutout Pleasant Grove 38-0 to win the Class 4A Area 12 championship. Tucker completed 8-of-13 passes for 220 yards and three touchdowns while Wright rushed for 96 yards on 16 carries to pace the offense. The Tiger's defense completely shut down the Spartans as they held them to just 137 yards of total offense.

Fayette County 0   6  6   18   30     Gordo 0   0   0   0   0

Tucker completed 11-of-22 passes and tossed two touchdown passes as the Tigers shutout Gordo 30-0 and cap off a perfect 10-0 regular season. After a scoreless first quarter, the Tigers took a 6-0 halftime lead on a pass from Tucker to Sam Collins.           The defense got in on the scoring by returning a fumble 76 yards for a score and Mark Dubose returned a punt 60 yards for another touchdown in the fourth quarter.            The Tigers ended the season as the No. 3 ranked team in Class 4A behind Alexandria and W.S. Neal.

West Point 0   0   0   6   6     Fayette County 6   6   13   0   25

Fayette County opened the 1996 playoffs with a 25-6 win over West Point at home. Tucker completed 12-of-20 passes for 247 yards and a touchdown while Wright rushed for 82 yards and scored twice. The lead was 25-0 when the Warriors scored with no time remaining on the game clock.

Fayette County 7   6   12   6   31     Leeds 0   0   0   0   0

Kadell Wright rushed for 132 yards on 14 carries and scored two touchdowns to pace the Tigers to a second round 31-0 win over Leeds. Sam Collins caught three passes for 168 yards including a 78-yard bomb from Tucker that gave the Tigers a 25-0 third quarter lead. He also caught another touchdown pass of 76 yards in the second quarter.           The defense limited Leeds to just 123 total yards of offense in shutting down their attack. The win set up a showdown with No. 1 ranked Alexandria in the third round.

Alexandria 14   0   8   0   22     Fayette County 14   16   7   8   45

The Tigers faced off against Mac Campbell and the Alexandria Valley Cubs in the third round of the playoffs. Alexandria entered the game with a 12-0 record, a No. 1 ranking and were the defending Class 4A state champions. The No. 3 Tigers broke a 14-14 second quarter tie by scoring 16 points and pulled away for a 45-22 win, breaking the Valley Cubs 26-game winning streak.           The defense limited Campbell to 98 yards rushing and allowed only eight points after the first period. Kadell Wright rushed for 111 yards on 23 carries and scored on a four-yard run. Sam Collins caught three passes for 137 yards and scored two touchdowns.

Fayette County 7   12   0   0   19     Cleburne County 0   6   6   0   14

The Tigers traveled to Heflin for a battle with Cleburne County in the semi-finals of the playoffs. They went back home with a 19-14 win and a chance to play for a state championship in Birmingham. Luke Tucker was slowed with a hip injury but limped back onto the field long enough the lead the Tigers to the win.           Kadell Wright picked up the slack in Tucker's absence by running for 172 yards on 38 carries and scoring two second quarter touchdowns. The offense rolled up 418 yards while holding Cleburne County to 141 yards.           The win sent Fayette County to the championship game for the first time in the school's history. Coach Waldon Tucker won titles at Demopolis Academy and Gordo and would get the opportunity to lead a third team to a title next week.

T.R. Miller  0    0   7   0   7     Fayette County 0   6   6   13   25

The Fayette County Tigers came up against the best team of the 1990s in T.R. Miller. Luke Tucker was questionable before the game with a hip injury and without their quarterback it would be difficult to defeat Miller.           In a game where the fog was so thick it was impossible to see the teams by the third quarter, the Tigers rolled to a 25-7 victory over T.R. Miller. MVP Luke Tucker did play and completed 10-of-21 passes for 147 yards and a touchdown to lead Fayette County to the state championship. Sam Collins caught 6 of those passes for 93 yards. Six turnovers by T.R. Miller proved to be the difference in an otherwise close game.           Kadell Wright scored on runs of 18, 1 and 12 yards to lead the ground attack for the Tigers. The win pushed Fayette County's season record to a perfect 15-0. The win were the most in the school's history and the 518 point scored during the season were also a team record.           Named to the first team all-state squad were running back Kadell Wright, Luke Tucker, Sam Collins, and lineman Kevin Bass. Head Coach Walden Tucker was also selected as the coach of the year by the ASWA. Fayette County 1996 9/6 33 Hillcrest Tuscaloosa . 14 9/13 34 South Lamar . . . . . . . 12 9/20 42 Winfield . . . . . . . . . . 6 9/27 40 Sulligent . . . . . . . . . 21 10/4 42 Lamar County . . . . . . 0 10/11 45 Oak Grove . . . . . . . . . 17 10/18 32 Russellville . . . . . . 0 10/25 37 Curry . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 11/1 38 Pleasant Grove . . . . . 0 11/8 30 Gordo . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 11/15 25 West Point * . . . . . . 6 11/22 31 Leeds * . . . . . . . . . . . 0 11/29 45 Alexandria * . . . . . . 22 12/6 19 Cleburne County * . . . 14 12/12 25 T.R. Miller # . . . . . 7 518 15-0 133 * Playoff game # State championship game

Amazing Seasons, a series on the greatest seasons in high school football history


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