Twilight time

Give thanks!!

Bobblehead goes to the playoffs

This is a week late so I'll get right to the point. Hickory came ready to play last Saturday down in Kings Mountain. They faced a tough challenge to begin with but then it became more acute once it was confirmed that the Red Tornadoes would not have rushing leader Rakim Barrett. Without the 1,000-yard rusher it would be even more important to contain the explosive Mountaineer offense.

Kings Mountain came into the game averaging 343 yards in total offense. That broke down into 243 yards rushing and 100 yards passing. When the game finally ended, however, the Mountaineers only had 261 total yards (209 rushing yards, 52 passing). Kings Mountain didn't light up the scoreboard until late in the third quarter. It was a good job by the Hickory defense, no question about it.

The Terrible Terry Tate Defensive MVP Award for the game goes to Tyler Barnette.

The junior outside linebacker, playing his final game on defense before moving permanently to the offensive side as next season's starting quarterback, led the team in total tackles with 14. One of those was a tackle for loss. Barnette was also credited for a "quarterback pressure."

Honorable mention honors go to senior safety Michael Shook and junior outside linebacker Buddy Withers. Shook and Withers were second and third on the tackles list with 12 and nine total tackles respectively. Shook broke up three passes and caused a fumble. Withers recorded two tackles for loss and had a "quarterback pressure." Also recording tackles for loss were David Dula, Drew Siciliano, Tyshon Chisholm and Clay Johnson.

Serious case of BCRS...

Somewhere the Evil Genius is smiling

It's unfortunate that no matter what gameplan a team comes up with to win a game a crew of bonehead officials can screw it all up. Whether through incompetence or an inability to resist the urge to make themselves bigger than the game and more important that the players, coaches and ticket-buying fans, the result is the same: tainting of the game.

I'm still sickened by what happened in our game with Kings Mountain on Saturday night. For the record, not only did Hickory have two first-half touchdowns called back on bad calls but the idiots in striped shirts also incorrectly flagged the Hickory defense for pass interference in the end zone on a 4th-down play that should have turned the ball back over to the Red Tornadoes but instead gave Kings Mountain a first down. The Mounties then scored their second touchdown of the game to push their fourth-quarter lead to 17-7.

Here are the three key incidents that helped change the momentum of the game:

1. In the second quarter Hickory began a drive on its own three that burned nearly five minutes off the clock. That's exactly the kind of drive that the Red Tornadoes needed in order to keep Kings Mountain's explosive offense on the sideline and bring the action to KM's end of the field. But the drive stalled on the Mountaineer 31. Facing a 4th-and-4 situation, Kevin Shelton completed a nice pass to Trevin Parks who raced into the end zone for an apparent touchdown. It was a gutsy call and a perfectly-executed pass play. That is until the side judge on Kings Mountain's side decided that somebody must be guilty of holding. Hickory had no choice but to punt.



2. After the Red Tornado defense hung tough on Kings Mountain's next possession the offense went back to work. Hickory drove into Mountaineer territory again and appeared to score when Trevin Parks took a reverse and then lofted a pass to Shelton on the sideline. Kevin not only made the catch but then got himself into the end zone for a 38-yard touchdown. A perfectly executed trick play that should have given Hickory a much-needed early lead. But the side judge on Hickory's side, a genuine hanky-tossing douchebag, threw a flag. Although he wasn't even in position to make the call he decided to flag Hickory for a phantom block in the back. It simply didn't happen.
   
   And here's the real human cost of such a boneheaded call by the official. Not only did it cost Hickory a touchdown but it also ruined a special moment for Kevin Shelton. It's not often that a quarterback gets to be on the receiving end of a pass, not to mention a touchdown pass. As I said, the play was perfectly executed by all 11 Red Tornadoes on the field, especially Trevin Parks and Kevin Shelton. They deserved to have that touchdown. There simply was no foul. But for all time, thanks to the jackass in stripes, the play will only live on in our collective memories (and the game film, of course). That's not much of a consolation prize after the play of a kid's career in his final high school game was stolen by some worthless stooge afflicted with acute BCRS!
   
   The Hickory fans who actually made the trip exploded in rage. People - even women - came out of the stands and down to the fence to yell at the knucklehead who threw the flag. I myself was threatened by him with ejection from the stadium because of a comment I made. Go figure!
   
   To complete the farce, Hickory maintained the drive and got into the red zone. A hard hit by a Mountaineer linebacker forced a fumble inside the five that was recovered by the players in black and gold. Give a team enough mulligans and they will find a way to take advantage sooner or later.



3. The final injustice occurred in the final period when Hickory was trailing 10-7. When you consider that Kings Mountain was the champion of the Southwestern Conference and the #2 seed in the bracket while Hickory finished fourth in the CVAC and was a lowly #15 seed playing on the road, a three-point deficit was very impressive and still manageable.
   
   After Kings Mountain had finally broken the scoreless tie late in the third period with a 29-yard field goal the Red Tornadoes quickly answered with a 64-yard scoring drive of their own. T.J. Wimbush led the way, picking up 41 yards. He capped it with a 13-yard touchdown run. Patrick Smith's PAT cut the Mountaineer lead to 10-7.
   
   On the ensuing kickoff the Mountaineers returned the ball to midfield. Despite the good field position the Tornadoes battled them, giving ground reluctantly. It came down to a 4th-down play, a pass to end zone. Not only was the ball not catchable but the receiver managed to fall down. The linebacker who was in coverage was watching the ball and not interfering with the receiver. Nevertheless, out came the flag. Instead of Hickory taking over at the 13 the Mounties were given an automatic 1st-and-goal. They scored on the next play. The extra point boosted the Mountaineer lead to 17-7.

Facing a 10-point deficit in the final quarter with time running out, the Red Tornadoes had no choice but to start gambling with the pass. Sure enough, on Hickory's next possession Kevin Shelton was intercepted by Zach Hopper. The Mountie linebacker then zoomed into the end zone to provide his team with an insurance touchdown that sealed the fate of Hickory's upset bid.

Earlier tonight I listened to the game between Shelby and Bandys. Bandys, a team from Catawba County, the underdog, playing down in Cleveland County. The Trojans pulled off an upset victory in overtime. I couldn't help but think that it could have been Hickory last week with the big upset down in Kings Mountain.

Of course, we'll never know for sure what would have happened if Hickory's two touchdowns hadn't been nullified and Kings Mountain's second touchdown hadn't been facilitated by a bad call. Maybe the Mountaineers would have found a way to win anyway. They were, afterall, the heavy favorites.

But you have to think that being down 14-0 at halftime would have had an effect on the Mountaineers. It's true, Kings Mountain did make adjustments in the second half that helped their offense. Yes, Hickory's kickoff and punt coverage units gave up too many yards to the Mountaineers that allowed Kings Mountain to have a short field. But all of that should have been in an effort to simply catch up - not forge ahead. If Hickory is winning 21-17 late in the game then maybe it's the Mountaineers having to gamble with the passing attack. Maybe Hickory intercepts and returns it for a game-clinching touchdown. We simply will never know. That's the sickness of it. That's the fault of the so-called referees. That's the real cost of Burke County Referee Syndrome.

Look at the assholes run!

Directions to Kings Mountain HS

Just in case anybody needs them...

Take Hwy 321 South for about 31 miles...

Merge onto I-85 S toward KINGS MOUNTAIN, go about 6 miles...

Merge onto US-74 W via EXIT 10B toward KINGS MOUNTAIN/SHELBY...

Take the US-74-BR exit toward KINGS MOUNTAIN...

Merge onto E KING ST/US-74 BR W...

Turn LEFT onto COUNTRY CLUB RD...

COUNTRY CLUB RD becomes PHIFER RD...

The school is on PHIFER RD

"I'm gonna put this right foot..."

Of the four games that Hickory and Kings Mountain played against each other earlier in this decade I think my favorite was the first one. Like tonight, the Red Tornadoes made the trip down to Kings Mountain to take on the Mountaineers. Like tonight, the game turned out to be KM's last game of the season.

The thing that sticks out in my mind the most is not that fact that Hickory won but how the game was won. And what exactly does Billy Jack have to do with it? Well, it's all about a very talented and dangerous foot.

In 2001 the foot belonged to Hickory's freshman kicking specialist, Ryan Succop. As I am typing this it occurs to me that I was wrong the other week when I said that you had to look to the early- and mid-1990s to find a freshman starting for the varsity in the regular season. I forgot about Ryan Succop. He was a four-year starter on the varsity and was outstanding from beginning to end.

The 2001 encounter between Hickory and Kings Mountain was definitely a defensive struggle. Succop kicked off to the Mountaineers to start the game. The Red Tornado defense forced Kings Mountain to punt after three plays. After the punt Hickory started its drive from the Kings Mountain 42 yard line. Anytime you begin a drive inside enemy territory after a punt you know you're winning the field possession battle.

Hickory used 10 plays to score. The touchdown came on a 10-yard pass from Cole Kenworthy to Craig Barnette. Succop's PAT made the score 7-0.

Kings Mountain looked like it would tie the score late in the second half when Aquino Simmons appeared to have scored on an eight-yard run. But he fumbled as he crossed the goal line and the ball was recovered in the end zone by Hickory resulting in a touchback.

By the end of the third quarter the scoreboard still showed a 7-0 lead for Hickory. Succop missed two field goals (45 and 50 yards) in the second half but more than made up for it with his punting. But Kings Mountain could not be held out of the end zone forever.

Simmons finally scored for the Mountaineers, on a five-yard run. Pablo Peralta nailed the extra point to tie the game at 7-7. In a game as tight as that anything is possible. But nobody expected what happened next.

Hickory was unable to move the ball. With about 2:00 left in the game Succop was back to punt and he boomed a 52-yarder that was downed inside the Mountaineer one yard line. The Mountaineers ran a play that had Renaldo Tate trying to run to the right. He was hit by Hickory's Richard "Big Cat" Parker and Jamey Yarbrough and buried in the end zone for a safety.

Just like that, Hickory was up 9-7. Hickory then received the kick off and ran out the clock to preserve the stunning victory. The win boosted Hickory to 5-1 in the conference and 7-3 overall. The Red Tornadoes would ultimately finish as the runner-up behind undefeated Crest. Kings Mountain dropped to 6-4 and 3-3. It was the end of their season because they did not make the playoffs.

So, remember what I said about the power of the foot? Here's how it relates to everybody's hero, Billy Jack. Check this out!

Time to take a Gamble

From the 2003 Hickory-KM game

It's finally time to get it on down in Kings Mountain as the #15-seed Red Tornadoes challenge the #2-seed Mountaineers. Hickory has had considerable success on the field at John Gamble Stadium. In 2001 Hickory defeated the Mountaineers 9-7 in the first meeting of the two teams since their epic struggle in the semifinals of the 1964 WNCHSAA playoffs. Two years later Hickory returned to Gamble and whipped the Mountaineers, 38-14.

Two years later Hickory and Kings Mountain were no longer conference rivals but Hickory still found a way to win at Gamble. That time it was against Crest in the Cleveland County Jamboree. Hickory's wild victory over the Chargers in the Jamboree remains the only time Hickory has beaten Crest, unofficially or otherwise, in football.

Tonight's game will feature two battles: Mountaineer quarterback Michael Roberts versus Hickory's defense and Hickory's offensive line versus Mountaineer monster nose tackle, Thomas James. How the Red Tornadoes perform against Roberts and James will go a long way towards deciding the winner in this contest. That's a simplification, of course, but an appropriate one.

First, some basic statistics.

Roberts is the only 1,000-yard passer and runner that Hickory has faced this season. He is KM's leading rusher (1,111 yards) as well as its top passer (1,016 yards). By comparison, Hickory's top rusher, Rakim Barrett, has compiled 1,126 yards.

Roberts touches the ball on every offensive play and when he does he will do one of three things: hand it off, keep it and run or throw a pass. The mere fact that he is a three-dimensional threat places a great deal of pressure on a defense.

Completely stopping Roberts may be out of the question. The defense will need to do the best it can to contain him as much as possible. Plus there is the other top rusher for Kings Mountain, tailback Joe Chambers. Joe the Tailback has 1,097 yards for the season. It's always scary to think about one 1,000-yard rusher handing off to another 1,000-yard rusher. Carlos Young, a junior, is another quality back who doesn't have the stats but definitely has the talent.

When Roberts takes to the air he can rely on the sure hands of wide receiver Terrance Young (30 receptions for 679 yards and 7 TDs) and big tight end Devon Thompson (6'4, 220). The running backs, Chambers and Young, will also be used as receivers from time to time.

Probably the best defense Hickory can employ would be to control the ball on offense and limit his opportunities. So the keys to victory for Hickory would be to eliminate the kinds of mistakes (turnovers and/or penalties) that make it easy for the Mountaineers. Obviously KM doesn't need any help like that! Hickory has to make everything as difficult as possible for Mountaineers.

Also, Hickory needs to play the game in Kings Mountain territory. That means getting good special teams play (good punts that put the ball back on KM's side of the 50... good kickoff and punt returns that, again, put the ball in KM's side of the field... sustained drives that either result in points or at least leave the ball in Mountaineer territory. The farther KM has to go the greater the likelihood a mistake will be made. If the game is played mostly in Hickory territory then it will be too tough to keep the Mountaineers out of the end zone.

Two things that have helped Hickory on offense in recent games have been the continued use of Trevin Parks at quarterback and the elevation of sophomore tailback T.J. Wimbush and freshman fullback Casey Stinson to starting positions on the varsity. I think the Red Tornadoes can be successful on offense but they need to win the time of possession battle, have sustained drives and not miss any opportunities to put points on the board. Because of the presence of Thomas James we may see Hickory in the shotgun a lot tonight...

The Thriller...Hickory vs. Burns in 2003

Michael Baker after the Burns game in '03

One of the greatest and most exciting Hickory victories in recent years happened in October of 2003. That was my first season to cover Hickory football online. I didn't have the use of a good camera then so I concentrated even more on writing up the Red Tornado games. The article I wrote and posted on the website the day after the game is long an detailed. I wanted it to be that way because it was such an exciting victory. Click on the link below to read all about the game as written by an eyewitness (me!) the day after. Think about this season's game against Hibriten (but with 3 OT periods and a Hickory win) and you will know what it was like. Good times!

Hickory defeats Burns in triple overtime!

Rest In Peace?

Hickory is a big underdog in tomorrow night's game down at Kings Mountain. As I demonstrated in my last post about the 1964 playoff game in which another underdog Tornado team knocked off a favored Mountaineer squad, anything can happen on any given Friday night.

Another example of Hickory rising to the occasion and beating the odds occurred in 1990 when Hickory celebrated its Homecoming by knocking off an undefeated Freedom team that was ranked #6 in the state and riding a 13-game winning streak. If you're a current Tornado player be sure and ask Coach Wittenberg about this game. He was a starting offensive guard in the game. Coaches Worley, Hopper and Davis were assistants on head coach Larry Wittenberg's staff.

Hickory and Freedom were members of the Northwestern 4A Conference. Prior to the game the league standings looked like this:

1. Freedom (7-0, 3-0)
2. East Burke (6-2, 3-1)
3. Hickory (5-2, 2-1)
4. Alexander Central (4-3, 2-2)
5. McDowell (4-4, 2-2)
6. Watauga (2-5, 0-3)
7. South Caldwell (0-7, 0-3)

The competition in those days for playoff spots was fierce. Plenty of good teams were left out of the postseason dance and to qualify for the playoffs was a thing of great pride. The NW4A was always a close, exciting slugfest from beginning to end. Hickory's Homecoming would prove to be no exception.

The stage had been set the week before. Hickory had bounced back from a lopsided loss to East Burke with a resounding 50-25 win over McDowell in Marion. The beating was bad enough to prompt Titan coaches to accuse Hickory of running up the score. The fact of the matter is that the margin of victory wasn't particularly outlandish.

That same night Freedom had whipped Alexander Central 28-0 and East Burke had wiped out South Caldwell, 41-0. Both wins were by wider margins than Hickory's victory over McDowell. But what it really signified was that these three teams, Freedom, East Burke, and Hickory were the best in the league and they were establishing their primacy.

Another interesting aspect of Freedom's win over Alexander Central was that all four touchdowns had been scored by junior quarterback Leon Johnson, the future Tar Heel and NFL star. Many people forget that although he was a running back on the collegiate and professional level Johnson was the fleet-footed QB who led the Patriots for two seasons. He was the best that the NW4A had to offer in terms of bluechip prospects.

Hickory was not without weapons, however. Leading the way was senior quarterback Michael Glasheen. The 6'3, 180-pound senior quarterback was soon to receive his invitation to represent North Carolina in the Shrine Bowl. Glasheen was an athlete who was a good passer but also an effective runner. He could get a first down on his own when necessary.

Glasheen had a couple of favorite receivers in the speedy Chad Bumgarner and big Robby Johnson (6'6, 225). Senior fullback Todd Austin (6'0, 220) was a battering ram, as was junior Richard Gaither (5'9, 220). Garon Erby provided the speed at tailback.

Hickory's defensive coordinator, David Elder, had a plan to deal with Freedom's wishbone offense. He placed as many as nine defenders in the box to put maximum pressure on the point of attack. The best way to stop an option attack is to blow it up at or behind the line of scrimmage. It's that simple.

Freedom took the opening kickoff and, despite Hickory's best efforts, managed to drive 76 yards for a touchdown. At one point the Tornadoes stopped the Patriots short on a third-down play only to let them have an automatic first down due to an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. On 1st-and-10 from the Hickory 22, Leon Johnson went around left end for seven yards and then lateraled to Anthony Fleming who carried the ball into the end zone from there. The PAT was successful and the Patriots were up, 7-0.

Hickory came right back, though, and put together an 83-yard scoring drive. On 2nd-and-8 at the Freedom 36, Glasheen rolled left and hit Bumgarner at the goal line for the touchdown. Roger Young's PAT tied the game at 7-7 with 1:53 left in the opening period.

The Hickory defense stymied the Patriots on Freedom's next drive and Matthew Pitts partially blocked a punt that set Hickory up at the Freedom 38. Hickory's drive was highlighted by Glasheen's 14-yard option run. The Tornadoes drove to the Freedom two before getting pushed back by a nine-yard loss and a penalty. That put Hickory in a 3rd-and-goal situation from the 17. Glasheen rolled to the right and threw towards Bumgarner. Freedom's Girard Scott tipped the pass but it still fell into the arms of Bumgarner for the touchdown. Another successful PAT made the score 14-7 in Hickory's favor. That was still the score when the first half ended.

Hickory took the opening kickoff in the second half and drove deep into Patriot territory until Garon Erby fumbled and Freedom's Kevin Summers recovered at the 11. It took Freedom 11 plays to score. Fleming did the honors with a leaping touchdown run from the Hickory three yard line. The kick was good and the game was tied 14-14 with 2:04 left in the third quarter.

Hickory's next drive went for 80 yards and took 13 plays. The first big play of the drive came when Richard Gaither busted off a 17-yard run on a draw play. That put Hickory on Freedom's 28. Glasheen then passed to Scott Stilwell down to the six. Todd Austin then fought off a tackle on 3rd-and-goal to give Hickory the lead once again. Young's kick made it 21-14.

Of course, Freedom had a lot to lose and didn't go down without a fight. The Patriots drove to Hickory's 40. Fleming then got around the left corner. He fumbled on a hit by Pitts but the ball rolled out of bounds at the 14. A third-down run by Leon Johnson moved the ball to the five. On fourth down Fleming crashed into the left side of the line.

With 2:17 left in the game the ball was spotted just inside the five. The chains came out. Just short! Hickory ball. The Red Tornadoes then ran out the clock to seal the win.

As Gaither told a reporter after the game: "We needed this game to go to the playoffs. We were prepared all night long. They [Freedom] sent us a wreath that said R.I.P. - Rest In Peace. We're sending it back Monday."

Hickory wound up sharing the NW4A title with East Burke, who defeated Freedom on Fat Friday two weeks after Hickory spoiled Freedom's perfect season.

Hickory vs. Kings Mountain...1964

The fact of the matter is that Friday night's Hickory-Kings Mountain matchup is not the first time the two schools have played each other in the postseason.

A very significant game was played on Friday, November 20, 1964, between the Red Tornadoes and the Mountaineers in the semifinals of the WNCHSAA's Class 3A playoffs. Hickory, a 14-point underdog in the contest, defeated Kings Mountain, 6-0. The victory punched Hickory's ticket to the state championship game for the fifth time in seven seasons.

Kings Mountain entered the game with a 10-0 record, a 19-game winning streak and consecutive Southwestern Conference titles. Hickory had won its final seven games after starting the season 0-3. Hickory had clinched the Northwestern Conference title by crushing Newton-Conover, 34-6, in the regular season finale.

Kings Mountain head coach Bill Bates had developed an impressive passing attack that featured the talented arm of senior quarterback Pat Murphy and the reliable hands of ends Richard Gold and Jimmy Cloninger. In Kings Mountain's final regular season game, a 24-6 win over Lincolnton, Murphy had completed 16 of 24 passes for 186 yards and four touchdowns. The top ballcarrier for the Mountaineers was halfback Steve Baker who was also a quality receiver. The top Mountaineer linemen were Lyn Cheshire and Hubert McGinnis.

Hickory head coach Frank Barger preferred to get things done with a punishing ground game. His backfield consisted of fullback Steve Sisk, halfbacks Kelly Rudisill and Toby Morgan and quarterback Dickie Deal. After 10 games Morgan was averaging 6.7 yards per carry. Rudisill and Sisk averaged 5.6 and 5.4 yards respectively. When Hickory did throw the ball Barger would take Deal out of the game and send in Clement Huffman.

Barger described Kings Mountain's offensive line as being "not particularly big...but effective." Hickory's line, on the other hand, was big and talented. It consisted of tackles Steve Kilby and Tommy Teague, guards Larry Miller and Rodney Houston and center Jake Shuford. The ends were Ralph Hefner and Brad Stephens. Miller, the team captain, had already been selected for the Shrine Bowl. Kilby, a junior, would go to the Shrine Bowl in 1965.

Despite all the offensive firepower the two teams possessed, the game turned out to be a fierce defensive battle. Toby Morgan had a good night for Hickory, racking up 139 yards on 21 carries. Sisk chipped in with 79 yards while Rudisill finished with 51 yards. But it was Rudisill's touchdown run from seven yards out in the second quarter that provided the winning margin. Hickory outgained Kings Mountain 276-129.

The Mountaineers came close to either tying or taking the lead in the fourth quarter. Murphy completed five passes to Gold, Cloninger, Baker and Ronnie Rhea to get Kings Mountain inside Hickory's five yard line. Murphy was then intercepted in the end zone by Steve Wilson, who returned the ball out to the 22. Hickory then used its ability to move the chains to run the clock. Kings Mountain got the ball back one more time but was completely shut down.

When the game ended a jubilant Frank Barger was carried on the shoulders of Ralph Hefner and Johnny Hudson. The victory was an upset but apparently did not surprise Coach Barger. He had been quoted in the newspaper, predicting the victory. He said, "I think we will roll right over them. I don't think they can stop us."

Calling your shot and then making it happen... That's why the man was a legend.

The lineman who ate Shelby

#62 nose tackle Thomas James

Kings Mountain utilizes a 3-4 defense. If you're an SEC fan then you may recognize this scheme as the same one that Alabama uses. And one of stars of the Tide's defense is Terrance "Mount" Cody, the 6'5, 365-pound nose tackle. Before he was injured Cody was a serious threat to an opponent's rushing attack. He was a disrupter. He forced offensive coordinators to adjust their gameplans in order to deal with him.

Kings Mountain has an impact player just like that, although not as gargantuan as Mount Cody.

The Mountaineer 3-4 defense is anchored by hardhitting nose tackle Thomas James. He's got the size (6'3, 265), the strength and the aggression to wreck an offensive line. I would compare him favorably to Newton-Conover's Jordan Gibbs (#76). CVAC fans are all painfully aware of what a beast Gibbs was all season. Thomas James is the same kind of player.

Other comparisons could be made to former Alexander Central defensive linemen such as Cameron Millsaps and Kyle Linney. They could and did dominate offensive lines, including Hickory's. The good news is that Hickory beat Millsaps and the Cougars in 2002 and beat Linney and Central's other big 'uns in 2006. But the Tornado linemen who played in those games can testify as to the nature of the trench warfare in those contests.

James will definitely have to be double-teamed, no doubt by Darrin Willis and Alex Martin, which will make things a little easier for one of KM's four linebackers. This will, in turn, mean that the Tornado fullback will have to be diligent in his blocking. Everybody is going to have to block in this one.

James was selected Cleveland County Player of the Week after he led the way in a 21-0 demolition of the Shelby Golden Lions. Here is a quote that best sums it up:

"Shelby simply had no answer for blocking James. No. 62 was a constant presence in the Lions' backfield. Besides his nine tackles on the night, the two-year starter hurried several throws, recovered a fumble and forced another fumble with a hard hit. His energy also helped fire up his fellow Mountaineer defenders..."

I wonder how big #62 will do against the Wild Tornado formation?

First look at Kings Mountain

Mountaineer quarterback Mike Roberts

When discussing the Mountaineers you have to start with their quarterback. For those who aren't familiar with Mike Roberts (6'0, 170, Sr.), let me say that if you were to take the best aspects of Newton's A.J. Bazzle and Hibriten's Jamichael Walton, you'd have Mike Roberts.

Roberts is a better runner than Bazzle and a better passer than Walton. Last Friday Roberts punctuated his season with a career performance against Burns. Roberts finished the game with 216 yards on the ground and 133 through the air, accounting for four touchdowns. He surpassed the 1,000-yard milestone in both rushing and passing for the season.

Naturally Hickory's defensive gameplan must be geared toward stopping the quarterback. But Mike Roberts is not the only threat posed by the Mountaineer offense. He is joined in the backfield by Joe the Tailback (aka Joe Chambers). I'll talk about him in another post.

Pick 'em Week 12 recap

I wound up going 6-2 on last Friday's games. It should have been flawless.

But South Caldwell wet the bed at home against Alexander Central. Then Foard crapped its pants, also at home, against St. Stephens. Wow! How much does it hurt to blow your best chance at winning a share of a conference title after 25 years of wandering in the wilderness? Just ask the Tigers.

Hey, condolences to those fightin' Tiger Squirrels! I knew that it would be slugfest and that St. Stephens was capable of pulling an upset. But I counted on Foard's hunger for that championship to help the Tigers overcome any challenge that Saint threw at them. I wasn't expecting the Indians to shut down Foard's running game so effectively. Remember, even in a losing effort, Hickory rushed for 214 yards. The Tiger Squirrels only managed 86 yards on the ground.

Remember when the Tigers were 9-1 and life was good?

Not much defense, but...

It seems like there wasn't a lot of defense played Friday night at Frank Barger Stadium. The two teams cranked out a combined total of 944 yards and 91 points. Nevertheless, some lucky Tornado defender has to get the Terrible Terry Tate Defensive MVP Award. And the winner is...

Navaar Hamrick!

For the record, Hickory's top tacklers against Bunker Hill were juniors Tyler Barnette and Drew Siciliano, each with six total tackles. Barnette also broke up a pass while Siciliano had a tackle for loss, a sack and three "quarterback pressures."

But I'm awarding the bobblehead to Navaar, a senior, because he had four solo tackles, two sacks, three "quarterback pressures" and he also caused a fumble. Plus he is always one of the most fired-up players on the team and I really appreciate that. He did a good job Friday night.

Other top tacklers for Hickory included junior Cole Smithey and senior Clay Johnson who each recorded five total tackles. Smithey had one tackle for loss, Johnson had two. Michael Shook's tackle stats were down significatnly (four tackles, three of them solo hits). But he had a couple of "quarterback pressures". He broke up one pass and intercepted another one. Buddy Withers also intercepted a Bunker Hill pass.

It was good to see the reserves get some quality playing time. Obviously the Bears were still in there fighting for respect. Touchdowns were scored on Hickory's 2nd- and 3rd-stringers but the playing experience will help the younger players who will get another shot at it next season - if not sooner.

Finally, I'm hoping to see several players who have been out with injuries return to action this week to deal with Kings Mountain. Hickory will need all hands on deck and manning their battle stations in order to upset the Mountaineers.

New stars emerge for Hickory

T.J. Wimbush showing his speed

What an interesting game we saw on Friday night. How interesting? Well, check this out...

After the first 10 games of the season the top of Hickory's rushing chart looked like this:

1. Rakim Barrett - 1,126 yards
2. Kyshell Geter - 291 yards
3. Trevin Parks - 284 yards
4. Tyshon Chisholm - 250 yards

Obviously those aren't exactly eye-popping numbers, right? When it comes time to evaluate the 2008 season and figure out what went wrong the lack of production from the running game will be high on the list of grievances.

But here's where it gets interesting. Hickory rolled up 464 rushing yards in the regular-season finale against Bunker Hill. Not too shabby when you consider that of the team's top four rushers only one (Trevin Parks) got any carries at all. And for those of you who don't know, Trevin's normal positions are split end and cornerback.

Rakim Barrett? Suspended from the team for disciplinary reasons (the second time in a month). Kyshell Geter? Played only on defense before leaving the game with a shoulder injury. Tyshon Chisholm? He's been out with an injury for the past two weeks.

Now I will concede that Bunker Hill came into the game ranked dead last in the CVAC in both rush defense and total defense. The Bears were allowing an average of 254 rushing yards per game. But still, Hickory barely had any of its top rushers available. Surely Bunker Hill could deal with a depleted Tornado backfield just this one time. Uhh, no, apparently the Bears couldn't.

It was Senior Night at Frank Barger Stadium but this game will be forever remembered as a changing of the guard in the offensive backfield. Last week a freshman started a regular-season varsity game for the first time in more than a decade. Against Bunker Hill a sophomore tailback made the Tornado Nation forget its troubles and cheer wildly as he ran all over the visitors from Claremont.

Sophomore tailback T.J. Wimbush got his first varsity start and made the most of it, rushing for 224 yards and three touchdowns on 27 carries (8.3 yards per carry). Exactly one year after Darrien Burch set the school single-game rushing record (326 yards) Wimbush recorded the 12th-best rushing performance in school history and easily the best outing a Hickory sophomore has ever had. That's just flat-out impressive.

Freshman fullback Casey Stinson, getting his second straight varsity start, was on his way to having a great night himself. Before leaving the game with a foot injury he had already picked up 53 yards on just three carries (17.7 yards per carry). Indications are that Casey will be available for duty this Friday against Kings Mountain.

Senior fullback Tavish Johnson had a great night running the football. He showed surprising speed on his 69-yard touchdown run that resulted from a perfectly-executed trap play, the likes of which we haven't seen in two or three years. For a team that runs the Wing-T offense like Hickory there are few sights more satisfying than witnessing a fullback busting it right up the middle and then takin' it to the house. It was fun to see the sideline erupt in cheering for Tavish. He has hung in there and kept the faith, so to speak. That touchdown was quite a payoff.

But Hickory's rushing avalanche didn't end there. Jason Hill, a junior who usually goes in on defense, got his chance to carry the ball Friday night. He only touched the ball twice but one of those resulted in a 44-yard touchdown run. He is a player who has made the most of his limited playing time on both defense and offense. I think that he will play a much bigger role for Hickory next season. I look forward to seeing that.

It wasn't completely about the rushing game, though. Senior David Dula hauled in a Kevin Shelton pass and then turned on his jets and scored the 39-yard touchdown. The play impressed me because of the way Dula controlled the ball when it bobbled as he caught it. Instead of giving up on it and letting the ball hit the ground he fought for that catch, juggling it briefly before getting control of it and then setting sail for the end zone. That's called making a play. That's how it has to be if you want to make some noise in the playoffs. Good stuff!

Casey Stinson gallops downfield

2009 Varsity Football Schedule

Here's a first look at Hickory's 2009 varsity football schedule. The sites have not been finalized yet but the dates and opponents are confirmed.

As you probably know by now, Hickory will belong to a new conference starting next fall. It will be a mixed league called the Northwestern 3A/4A Conference. I will usually refer to it as simply the Northwestern Conference or NWC. The seven member schools of the NWC will be Hickory (3A), St. Stephens (3A), Fred T. Foard (3A), Hibriten (3A), Alexander Central (4A), South Caldwell (4A) and Watauga (4A).

Aug. 28...Statesville
Sep. 4...Newton-Conover
Sep. 11...Kings Mountain
Sep. 18...Crest
Sep. 25...Hibriten
Oct. 2...Fred T. Foard
Oct. 9...Alexander Central
Oct. 16...Freedom
Oct. 23...St. Stephens
Oct. 30...Watauga
Nov. 6...South Caldwell

Hickory leads in the series against 10 of the 11 teams on the schedule. The only exception is Crest. Click here to view Hickory's record versus next year's opponents.

Unifour playoff seedings

It appears certain that nine Unifour teams have made the playoffs in five different brackets. One of the teams with their fingers crossed, hoping to get into the dance, were the Alexander Central Cougars. The Cougars upset South Caldwell last night in a must-win game. Nevertheless, the Cougars will be staying home this season.

Another development, as mentioned a little earlier, is that despite Saint's shocking upset of Fred T. Foard to clinch the CVAC's second automatic 3A berth, the Indians only received a #14 seed - just ahead of Hickory's #15 seed. I'd say the NCHSAA did not display much respect for either program. Call it the curse of the CVAC...

Here is a list of the teams that got in and their opponents. I'm including A.C. Reynolds and Watauga because they play in the Northwestern 4A Conference along with several Unifour teams.

4A West

#10 South Caldwell at #7 R.J. Reynolds
#11 South Meck at #6 East Burke
#15 North Davidson at #2 A.C. Reynolds
#14 Watauga at #3 Crest

3AA West

#14 St. Stephens at #3 Anson County
#15 Hickory at #2 Kings Mountain

3A West

#12 North Buncombe at #5 Fred T. Foard

2AA West

#14 Chase at #3 Hibriten
#12 Bandys at #5 Ashe County

2A West

#15 Graham at #2 Newton-Conover
#13 Maiden at #4 Starmount

LET THE GAMES BEGIN!

Tornadoes draw #2 Kings Mountain

Hickory will go into the 3AA West playoff bracket at the #15 seed. The Red Tornadoes will face the #2 team in the bracket, Kings Mountain. The game will be at KM's Gamble Stadium. The Mountaineers, old conference foes during the four-year run of the Southwestern Foothills Conference, are the champions of the Southwestern 2A/3A Conference.

Hickory won four straight against Kings Mountain from 2001-2004 but in the past four years the Mountaineers have gotten a new coach who has orchestrated a renewal of the Kings Mountain program. The Mountaineers have always had size and athleticism but seemed to lack discipline and determination. Now they have the discipline, determination, good coaching combined with size and athleticism to be successful. They are champions.

But not only are the Mountaineers former opponents - they are also future opponents. Beginning next season the Red Tornadoes and Mountaineers will resume their rivalry as non-conference opponents. So this will provide an interesting preview of the future for both teams. And Tornado fans are familiar with Gamble Stadium, too. That's a good thing when you consider the possibility of having to go to Charlotte or Winston-Salem.

After all the drama about which team would get the coveted second automatic 3A berth from the CVAC, well...

It turns out that it wasn't much of a prize afterall. After pulling off the upset of the year by beating Fred T. Foard, the St. Stephens Indians did clinch the CVAC's second and final automatic playoff berth. But the Indians wound up getting the #14 seed: just one place above Hickory. It's like this for the Indians:

We shocked the world and ruined Foard's championship season and all we get is this lousy tee-shirt that says "14" on it? wtf??

Ain't that a kick in the pants? lol

66 and counting...

They've done it again! The Young Tornadoes of the junior varsity closed out yet another 10-0 season by defeating a good Bunker Hill team by the score of 36-22.

Freshman tailback Quai Linebarger scored a pair of touchdowns on runs of six and 10 yards to lead Hickory in scoring. He has made a nice comeback from an injury suffered in the Bandys game. He is set to be the feature running back for the JV in 2009.

Also scoring touchdowns for the Red Tornado offense were sophomore tailback T.J. Wimbush and freshman quarterback Kyle Johnson.

Hickory's other score came courtesy of linebacker Mikey Payne. The sophomore, who is also the starting tight end, used his receiver's hands to snag a Bunker Hill pass and return it 35 yards for a touchdown. Nothing more exciting than a stylish pick-6.

For the record, Hickory's junior varsity has now won 66 games in a row. "The Streak" dates back to October 3, 2002 and a big victory over R-S Central. The last time Hickory JV lost a game was on September 28, 2002 in a Saturday makeup game down at Crest. I remember thinking at the time that Hickory had been screwed by the refs. I still do. Go figure!

The loss that day snapped Hickory's 19-game winning streak that had started in the middle of the 2000 season. Hickory has won 85 of its last 86 games.

Pick 'em Week 12

Well, here we are at last. We've come to the end of the road for the CVAC as we have known it. Tonight marks the final night of competition in the league as it was originally conceived. The grand (but flawed) vision of some only lasted four years. But what a way to go out!

I have never been a fan of the CVAC. Since realignments are a four-year gig I made my peace with it so that I wouldn't lose my sanity. But I'm certainly not sorry to see it go away - or rather, to see Hickory leave it behind. I will discuss that further in another post.

But even I have to admit that the final night of CVAC competition offers up some very compelling matchups. There are three teams tied for first place, each with 9-1 overall records and 7-1 in the CVAC. Who will hold on tonight and clinch their share of the title?

Hibriten is one of the teams and the Panthers square off with archrival West Caldwell in the Black & Blue Game. Although I'm sure it will be fiercely fought the end result should be a victory for Hibriten by a large margin.

Newton-Conover looks to continue its recent domination of Bandys and thereby nail down its third CVAC co-championship. The Red Devils are rightly favored to win it but Bandys is certainly nobody's cupcake. If Newton phones it in the Devils can be beaten.

Fred T. Foard is playing for its first conference title since the early 1980s. They've got St. Stephens on tap tonight and the Indians have some motivation to pull off the upset. As previously discussed, if the Indians fall to the Tigers (and Hickory takes care of Bunker Hill) then the Red Tornadoes will finish ahead of Saint in the final standings and snatch that coveted automatic playoff berth away.

If Hickory finishes ahead of St. Stephens in the standings then Saint's historical win over the Red Tornadoes in September will be greatly diminished. Yes, the Indians ended a 15-year drought with the win but as the season has progressed the Red Tornadoes have improved - the Indians have not. Hickory beat Bandys and Maiden - the Indians did not. If Hickory finishes ahead of St. Stephens in the final standings then Hickory can legitimately claim to be the better team. The Indians don't want to face Hickory again in the playoffs. I can guarantee that one.

Bunker Hill at Hickory
Winner: Hickory

Bandys at Newton-Conover
Winner: Newton-Conover

Maiden at Patton
Winner: Maiden

St. Stephens at Fred T. Foard
Winner: Fred T. Foard

West Caldwell at Hibriten
Winner: Hibriten

Alexander Central at South Caldwell
Winner: South Caldwell

Freedom at East Burke
Winner: East Burke

Watauga at A.C. Reynolds
Winner: A.C. Reynolds

Withers wins his first bobblehead

Junior linebacker Buddy Withers had a great game against West Caldwell and earned the Terrible Terry Tate Defensive MVP Award for the first time this season.

Withers racked up a team-leading 14 total tackles, including 10 solo stops and a couple of tackles for loss. He also got the Tornadoes on the board first when he scooped up a fumble and scampered 12 yards for a touchdown. That's his second fumble-return touchdown this season. He scored on a 43-yarder against Maiden.

Honorable mention goes to junior Tyler Barnette. The outside linebacker recorded six tackles (five solo), including a tackle for loss and two sacks. He also caused the fumble that Buddy Withers picked up and returned for the game's first touchdown.

Of course Mikey Shook had another great game. He finished second on the tackles chart with a total of 12. The only other defender with double-digit tackles was senior Chavis Shuford, who had a 10, including three for loss.

Other notable achievements on the defensive side of the ball were turned in by cornerback Trevin Parks who recorded a tackle for loss and a game-ending interception. Kyshell Geter, Rakim Barrett, Clay Johnson, Alex Martin and D.J. Holloway all recorded at least one tackle for loss. Barrett, Drew Siciliano and Cole Smith, all inside linebackers, were credited with "quarterback pressures."

One last look at the West Caldwell game

#5 Trevin Parks off to the races

Before focusing on the Bunker Hill I wanted to take a moment and discuss three things that were significant in last week's 35-20 victory over the Warriors. Yes, the score doesn't reflect how close the game was in the fourth quarter. Yes, the Red Tornadoes had to put up a couple of defensive stands in the red zone and resort to the wildcat formation to finally put the Warriors away.

Ahhh, but since nothing has come easy this season why should the West Caldwell game have been any different? The Red Tornadoes got 'er done and that's all that matters now. And Friday night they are in position to finish the CVAC chase ahead of St. Stephens. Hickory's football team is still in there fighting...even if the fans are not.

Here are three things that impressed me about the Red Tornadoes last Friday:

1. Kevin Shelton surpassed the 1,000-yard mark in passing yardage for the second straight year. Against the Warriors Shelton completed five of his nine pass attempts (56%) for 113 yards and a perfect 35-yard touchdown strike to Anthony Wilson. Shelton's total for the season is now 1,101 yards. He also has 12 touchdowns to his credit.
   
   Kevin now sits safely at #4 on Hickory's career yardage list. His total yardage for his varsity career is 2,418. He ranks behind only Tim Swanson (3,780 yards from 1997-1999), Cole Kenworthy (3,611 yards from 2000-2002) and Daniel Willis (2,729 yards from 1994-1996). Kevin's older brother Patrick is #5 on the list (2,097 yards from 2004-2005).



2. The wildcat formation really works well! The offense has been using the direct snap to Trevin Parks a little bit, here and there, for most of the season. It almost always results in positive yardage when used. That was particularly true against West Caldwell. With Hickory clinging to a 21-20 in the fourth quarter the Tornadoes put the ball in Trevin's hands twice, resulting first in a 55-yard touchdown run and then a 60-yard run to the end zone.
   
   Trevin finished the night with 176 yards rushing on just four carries (44 yards per carry). Not too shabby for a wide receiver, huh? In my opinion, the wildcat formation is just one example of what Hickory is capable of doing offensively to maximize the athleticism and speed that is so abundant in the program. Trevin's football career at Hickory High is almost over. But the wildcat formation needs to remain a significant weapon for the future.



3. The youth movement keeps rockin' on! The fans that actually showed up last Friday witnessed something that doesn't happen very often at Hickory High. Fullback Casey Stinson became the first freshman to start a varsity game since 2004.
   
   The last time it happened was when Austin Johnson was moved up to the varsity to play linebacker in the first-round playoff game against East Gaston. Even though Hickory lost that night, the Bruiser wound up as the game's leading tackler. He started every game for the next three years.
   
   Prior to that special night one must go all the way back to mid-1990s to find freshmen in the starting varsity lineup. I believe that Anthony Foust started a game or two as a freshman during the championship run of 1996. And, of course, that '96 team was loaded with seniors and juniors who had been starting since their freshmen years in '93 and '94.
   
   Stinson had some good runs early in the game. After that he was used more as a blocker. I thought he did a pretty good job with the blocking although he did miss one block that got his quarterback sacked. Heck, even seniors have their bad moments, so... Chock it up as a learning experience. But there is no doubt that Stinson played like he belonged out there with the veterans. That is huge. Good job, Casey Stinson!

I can't wait to see what happens next!

#35 Stinson runs interference for Parks