LYNN — Given the success Lynn schools have seen on the football field this season, it seems inevitable that each team has a handful of players who fall under the radar.
At Lynn Classical, that would describe junior Marcus Tucker.
Tucker has put together a solid season for the Rams this fall in splitting time as a slot receiver and running back. Classical hands the bulk of its carries to the junior duo of quarterback Keith Ridley and running back Malcolm Best, but Tucker has made the most of his opportunities when given them.
“Marcus is a special kid,” Classical coach Brian Vaughan, in his first season with the Rams, said. “He’s on the field in the slot most of the time. Sometimes we put him in the backfield and we try to get him as many touches as we can. Over the course of the season, he’s made some pretty big plays for us.”
Vaughan has seen Tucker carry the Rams to victory twice this season, both in key overtime wins for Classical. The first came in a Week 3 victory over Revere, when Tucker rushed into the end zone for the 12-6 win. The second came Nov. 10 against Peabody, when Tucker dashed his way past the goal line for the 10-yard game-winning touchdown in the 26-20 victory over the Tanners.
“He’s a hard working kid who has good skills,” Vaughan said. “He has bailed us out a couple of times this year. Every time he touches the ball, he has the potential to break out for a big play. He’s a special player for our offense and he’s a good kid. He wants to do whatever he can for the team.”
Knowing that his carries can be limited in a stacked Classical backfield, Tucker, who also sees time at cornerback on defense, has made it a priority to make the most of his touches this season. His top objective is to make big plays that’ll help pump his teammates.
“I try my hardest whenever I get the ball,” Tucker, in his second season on the varsity team, said. “I try to give it 110 percent every time. It pumps the whole team up. It makes us work harder as a unit.”
Coming into the season, Tucker and his teammates set lofty goals for themselves. Although they finished at 3-8 in 2016, Classical felt as though it had a good blend of talent and dedication on its roster to emerge as a contender in the Northeastern Conference.
“We wanted to win the Northeastern Conference,” Tucker said. “We shared it with two other teams but we reached that goal and it was a big accomplishment. We wanted to win a playoff game and potentially go on a Super Bowl run.”
The Rams rolled through the regular season with a 6-1 mark, earning the No. 3 seed in the Division 3 North state tournament. In the quarterfinals, Classical matched up with a tough No. 6 Danvers team and was bounced from the tournament with a 21-7 loss to the Falcons.
Despite being ousted from the playoffs earlier than they had hoped, Tucker and the Rams haven’t lost any motivation to finish the season on a winning note. In fact, they’ve only gained it.
“It was a tough loss but we gave it our all on the field,” Tucker, who also plays baseball at Classical, said. “We tried our best. Danvers put up a good game and came out with a win. That loss made us work harder for the rest of the season. We didn’t take our feet off the gas pedal. We kept pushing ourselves in practice because we wanted to win the rest of our games.”
From the sidelines, Vaughan has also seen his players stick to their objectives through the final few weeks of the season.
“At the beginning of the season we set goals for ourselves,” Vaughan said. “In order to achieve them, we have to work hard every week in practice. We want to peak towards the end of the season. The kids are excited at practice, they have fun and we want the kids to be ready for their next game.”
With one game left on the season the Rams have a final goal to reach: beat rival English on Thanksgiving. The Bulldogs, 9-1 on the season, are rolling into the turkey day game after a strong run in the Division 3 North tournament.
“It’s been a great year so far,” Tucker said. “We’re looking to finish it off with a win against English on Thanksgiving. It’s been a big rivalry for years. Every year, the game’s packed. We play our best every year.
“It would be a very good accomplishment to beat English,” Tucker added. “We’ve worked hard since the season started, with our new coaches. To turn this program around from 3-8 last year to 9-2 this year would be amazing. It would be great to finish with a win.”
