Former Alabama football QB Lance Tucker back in state on sideline at Demopolis. Here's why
Lance Tucker made his Demopolis debut in a 29-20 win over American Christian Academy on Friday night.
The victory makes it the Tigers' fourth straight win over the Patriots. The teams traded the lead throughout the game, with American Christian Academy scoring first, but ultimately a late third-quarter safety and a touchdown on the ensuing drive secured the victory for Demopolis.
Keishawn Rowser led the Tigers' offense. The junior running back ran for more than 100 yards and a touchdown. Davis Dare led way for the Patriots with two scores, including a 74-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.
Before his debut with the Tigers, Tucker spent the last four years coaching at Barlett (Tennessee). During his time in Tennessee, he led Barlett to a state championship appearance, before ultimately losing 50-39 to Beech.
Prior to that, Tucker was born and raised in the Tuscaloosa area. He was quarterback at Fayette County High School, then went on to play for the University of Alabama. He began his coaching career at Sipsey Valley High School in 2010, then moved on to coach at his alma mater for eight seasons before moving to Tennessee.
When Tucker saw the head coaching job opening at Demopolis earlier this year, he knew he wanted to return to his home state.
"I grew up in high school sports in the state of Alabama," Tucker said. "Demopolis was always one of the top five teams. When this job came open, I wasn't sure if I could get it or not, but I knew I was going to throw my name out there. God blessed me to have an opportunity to be here."
TOP TUSCALOOSA AREA PROSPECTS: Here are the top high school football prospects in the Tuscaloosa area
WEEK 0 LIVE UPDATES: Live Updates: Get Week 1 Tuscaloosa area high school football scores here
On the sideline with him, he has his father Waldon Tucker, who was the winningest Alabama high school football coach in history when he retired in 2010, along with his brother Luke, who is a former Fayette County and Alabama football player himself.
Tucker's wife, Amy, still lives in Tennessee, but plans to move back to Alabama: they just are not sure how soon. They have two children, Kyndal, a senior in high school, and Walt, a student assistant at the University of North Alabama.
As for his future at Demopolis, Tucker is hopeful that he can secure his first state championship. One thing is for certain, though, and that is that under Tucker's leadership, his team feels it is headed in the right direction.
"He's a good coach," Rowser said. "He is my guy. He wants everybody to get better at the little things and do everything right.
"We definitely have a chance to make it to state if we keep doing what we are doing."
Anna Snyder covers high school sports and University of Alabama recruiting for The Tuscaloosa News. Reach her at asnyder@gannett.com. Follow her on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, @annaesnyder2
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Lance Tucker makes his return to Alabama high school football at Demopolis
