Tucker playing well at QB for Airport while Burnett recovers from injury

Airport wide receiver Josh Tucker was halfway kidding and halfway serious with coach Kirk Burnett last Friday when the senior was warming up with the quarterbacks as the Eagles were preparing to face Dreher on the road. Tucker claimed Brett Burnett, Airport’s normal starter at QB and Kirk’s son, was healthy enough to play and he was going to go back and warm up with the receivers.

Things didn’t work out that way, and it might have been for the best. Tucker took his first meaningful snaps at quarterback since his ninth-grade season on B-Team. He rushed for 206 yards and two touchdowns and did enough with his arm to keep the Blue Devils defense honest by throwing for an additional 86 yards in the 23-20 victory.

“Josh Tucker hasn’t played quarterback in two years,” Kirk Burnett said. “He didn’t want to be back there. He kept telling Brett he had to go, but it wasn’t like he couldn’t handle it. He’s one of our school’s best athletes. He threw the ball decent even though I probably called too many pass plays for him. Overall, his effort is all we could ask for.”

Airport went three-and-out on the first drive, but was successful after that in moving the ball.

“I just had to stay calm and make plays,” Tucker said. “After that first series, I knew we had to find something that would work. It sort of set in after that, and we started moving the ball. I liked the pressure, but I will do whatever the team needs me to do.”

Tucker might be pressed into service at quarterback a bit longer. Brett Burnett injured his knee on the final play of the game in the season-opening win against Brookland-Cayce. There is a chance he could play Friday night at Lower Richland, but Kirk Burnett could elect to keep him on the shelf a while longer to make sure he’s completely healed.

However it plays out, Tucker is ready. He’s grown comfortable at receiver but he is willing to do whatever the team needs. In the season opener, Tucker caught four passes for 56 yards and ran for a touchdown.

“I’ve really grown as a receiver, and Brett throws such a nice ball,” Tucker said. “But wherever I play, I know I still have to make plays.”

It’s not like Tucker is a flash in the pan. He first burst on the scene as a baseball player. He started in centerfield as a freshman on Airport’s Class 3A runner-up team in 2013. This is his third season playing varsity football.

Which sport does Tucker prefer?

“I actually like baseball more, but a lot of people tell me I’m better in football,” Tucker said. “I think I’m better in baseball, but I think that’s just because I like it better. I want to play baseball in college but if I can play both, I will.”

Airport, which is ranked No. 10 in the latest South Carolina Prep Writer’s Poll, is off to a 2-0 start and, according to Kirk Burnett, hasn’t played its best football yet. The two wins have come by a combined eight points, but Tucker believes once they get healthy, the Eagles could be a force.

“If we get Brett healthy, I think we’ll be a tough team to beat,” he said. “We have a lot of dynamic playmakers and receivers. The defense is good, too. I don’t think we’ve played our best football yet and we’re still 2-0.”