Border Bash II: Introducing the Fulton Falcons

On August 15, 2008 the Red Tornadoes will take the field against Tennessee 3A powerhouse Fulton HS of Knoxville for 2 quarters of hard-hitting action in Border Bash II, a 6-team, North Carolina vs. Tennessee, showcase jamboree. Just to whet your appetite, here is a short video introduction to the Fulton Falcons.

Border Bash II: Buck Coatney, Fulton's Head Coach

The 2008 season marks Buck Coatney's 17th season as head coach of the Fulton Falcons. Entering this season Coatney's record stands at 125-76, with three state titles (2003, 2004, 2006) to his credit. The Falcons have played in the 3A state title game five times in the past six seasons.

Buck Coatney

Coatney is the only coach in Tennessee to win three consecutive KFL/PrepXtra Coach of the Year honors (2002-2004). For his work in 2004, Coatney was named state coach of the year by the Tennessee Sportswriters Association, as well as the Tennessee Titans. He earned his fourth PrepXtra Bob Polston Coach of the Year award, and his third TSWA state Coach of the Year honor following Fulton's 2006 state championship. Coatney also served as defensive coordinator on the 2005 Tennessee High School All-Star team.

But things weren't always so sweet for Coatney and the Falcons. When he took over the head coach position at Fulton in 1992, the school was on the verge of extinction. The Knox County School Board had voted to close Fulton, but strong protests by alumni and supporters helped reverse the decision. One of those alumni was Buck Coatney himself. The 1992 Falcons fell to 1-9 in Coatney's debut but the one victory was a satisfying victory in overtime against archrival West High.

Coatney's roots are colored maroon and white, as his father, John, captained Fulton's 1959 squad. Buck was known as a hardnosed linebacker and tight end on the Falcon teams of the late 1970s. He was named to the all-state team and was voted Defensive Player of the Year by the Knoxville Journal. He helped lead the Falcons to a region championship in 1979. Current Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson recruited Coatney to Furman University where he earned honorable mention All-America honors.

Coatney began his coaching career at Furman as a graduate assistant. After leaving Furman, Coatney spent two years as an assistant coach at Middlesburg High School in Florida. He returned to Fulton in 1987, where he served as defensive coordinator. He was named the school's 11th head coach in 1992.

After the dismal 1-9 campaign of 1992 things began to gradually improve for the Falcons. They made the first of their 15 consecutive playoff appearances in 1993. By 2000 Coatney and his Falcons had re-established Fulton as a football power in the Knoxville area. In 2002 Coatney led the Falcons to their first undefeated regular season since 1974, ending the season with a loss in the BlueCross Bowl (the 3A state title game). The Falcons returned to the title game in 2003 and won the school's first state championship in any sport.

In 2004 Coatney became the first-ever coach in Knoxville to lead his team to back-to-back state football championships. After a disappointing 2005 campaign Coatney and the Falcons returned to the pinnacle of Class 3A football in 2006, led by UT-signee Dennis Rogan, and completed a 14-1 season with a victory in the BlueCross Bowl.

In 2007 the Falcons (12-3) returned once again to the title game, losing this time in a rematch with the David Lipscomb Mustangs.

Tom Brown walks away from Maiden football

It is now official: Tom Brown, the dean of Catawba Valley football coaches and self-proclaimed "oldest rat in the barn" has announced his permanent retirement as head coach of the Blue Devils. An article in the Daily Record says that the announcement was prompted by a memo from Catawba County Schools Superintendent Dr. Tim Markley. The memo outlined five stipulations Markley had before giving Brown’s name to the county school board for approval at its next meeting on Tuesday night. Here is what one Blue Devil insider had to say about it on NCPreps:

"Coach Tom Brown has decided not to accept the contract presented to him by the Catawba County School Board. For the last several months the board has gone out of their way to make it impossible to have coach Brown back at Maiden. Each time a set of conditions were set and Coach Brown agreed, the rules were changed. For what ever reason, the board, or some members of the board seem to be using their position for a personal agenda. Maiden HS has been asked to do things none of the other schools have been required to do. It is going to be very interesting if Randy Lowman is back at Bandys since both he and coach Brown retired and asked to be hired back under the same situation. I wonder which school district some of the board members live in? It is a shame that one of the best coaches in the state has been treated this way. The next election can not come quick enough."

Brown, whose career record stands at 352-117-7 in 39 years as a head coach (but only 1-2 vs. Hickory), had been required by school board rules to retire from his official duties and remain so for at least six months before he would be eligible to return as a coach on a volunteer basis. Since that rule was first laid down, there have been changes to the requirements. There had been rumors that there was reluctance on the part of school board officials to allow Brown to return.

Tom Brown


The shakeup in Maiden may also be tied to the building of the new Maiden high school that opened in 2006. Brown was heavily involved in determining the location of the new school, which also required a certain amount of re-districting, primarily forcing kids from the Bandys area to attend Maiden.

Randy Lowman, the retired head coach at Bandys, is in the same exact situation but his status has yet to be determined.

We won't have to hear this anymore on FFB!

Did you know?

Did you know that 2008 marks the 80th anniversary of Hickory's monumental 121-0 slaughter of the Newton-Conover Red Devils in 1928? Pat Shores was the head coach and his star player that year was Norman "Pinkie" James.

Pat Shores


Pinkie scored seven touchdowns against the Red Devils that night, a record that was tied this past season by Darrien Burch, who rushed for seven touchdowns against West Caldwell.

Pinkie James




This year also marks the 50th anniversary of Hickory's first state championship game...a 33-14 loss to Asheboro in 1958. Hickory finished the season 11-1.

It was 40 years ago this year that Hickory entered Class 4A competition. The 1968 Red Tornadoes compiled an 8-2-1 record, won a Southwestern 4A Conference title and victories over Ashley (the forerunner of Ashbrook High in Gastonia), West Charlotte, South Mecklenburg, Independence, Pisgah, and Patrick Henry High of Roanoke, Virginia.

Hickory vs. Conference Opponents

The numbers don't lie. These are the all-time numbers versus both current league foes and future ones.

Against the CVAC:

Hickory leads Bandys (2-1)
Hickory leads Bunker Hill (5-0)
Hickory leads Fred T. Foard (15-2)
Hickory leads Hibriten (7-0)
Hickory leads Maiden (4-1)
Hickory leads Newton-Conover (45-18-2)
Hickory leads St. Stephens (20-1)
Hickory leads West Caldwell (4-1)

Against the Northwestern 4A/3A:

Hickory leads Alexander Central (16-5)
Hickory leads South Caldwell (24-4)
Hickory leads Watauga (12-1)

Drumline interlude from the Craft Center

The Hit Squad

It started in 1995 with an article by John Manuel of the Daily Record.

"Most dominant defensive lines - especially ones with four members - have catchy nicknames. Like the Fearsome Foursome or the Steel Curtain.

"Jovian King said the Hickory Red Tornadoes' line has dubbed itself the Hit Squad, or the Head Hunters. Either way, Friday night's 35-0 manhandling of South Caldwell provided further evidence that the Red Tornadoes are worthy of a nickname."

The original Hit Squad - ends Ty Hunt and Michael Alberto, and tackles Jovian King and Michael Collins - really did a number on the Spartan offensive line. Despite the best efforts of senior tackles Gary McMurtry (6'3" 320) and Scott Pitts (6'4" 325) and senior guard Josh Poarch (6'0" 300) the Spartans finished the game with 0 yards rushing. No net yards rushing. Zero.

South's leading rusher, Scotty Auton, had been averaging 106 yards per game coming in, but was held to a paltry 4 yards on 11 carries. The fullback, Rocky Sigmon, fared little better, netting 19 yards on eight carries. The Hit Squad kept stuffing the run and sacking quarterback Chad Hames until there was no yardage at all. Jovian King forced one fumble and recovered two others. He had a couple of the sacks. Hunt pounced on a punt that sophomore linebacker Lee Wilson had blocked and recovered it for a touchdown.

Spartan head coach Dan Hardee was made a believer.

"They put their best 11 against our best 11 and wore us out. Their front is physical and has some real good athletes."

Hickory fans and foes alike knew that something special was brewing because the Hit Squad not only talented but young. Michael Alberto was a senior but his three mates on the defensive line were only juniors. Ultimately, Alberto, Hunt and Collins were destined for Division 1 football: Alberto at Duke, Hunt at East Carolina and Collins at Wake Forest. But the meanest of the group, the one who made his own teammates just a little nervous sometimes, was Jovian King. He'd hit you. And when he hit you, you bounced. And he liked to see you bounce.

Together, they were the Hit Squad. And they bequeathed their legacy to all the Red Tornado defenses that have followed them.

SUCCESS: When you're standing and he's not.

Border Bash II: The Falcon work horses

Like the Red Tornadoes, the Fulton Falcons also have a traditionally-strong rushing attack. Here are Fulton's top rushers since 1995.

2007...Terrence Cobb (229 - 1,476...19 TDs)
2006...Dennis Rogan (343 - 2,876...44 TDs)
2005...Dennis Rogan (249 - 2,112...31 TDs)
2004...Jam Fine (158 - 1,143...11 TDs)
2003...Jam Fine (197 - 1,298...10 TDs)
2002...Demetris Davis (224 - 1,250...12 TDs)
2001...Jeff Mitchell (296 - 2,334...25 TDs)
2000...Jeff Mitchell (174 - 1,406...13 TDs)
1999...DeMarcus Fine (233 - 1,953...21 TDs)
1998...Marcus Thomas (150 - 1,015...7 TDs)
1997...DeMarcus Fine (125 - 748...9 TDs)
1996...Tyson Porter (69 - 410...6 TDs)
1995...Brian Tate (164 - 977...12 TDs)

Border Bash II: The Vols Connection

One of them is a freshman fullback from Hickory. The other is a sophomore defensive back from Knoxville. They were both highly-valued recruits with all kinds of big-time potential. They are even next to each other on the University of Tennessee 2008 roster: Austin Johnson is #40 while Dennis Rogan is #41. Oh, by the way, their high school alma maters will face off against each other in Waynesville at the 2nd Annual Border Bash on August 15th.

Although he is a defensive back and special teamer for the Volunteers, Dennis Rogan was also a star running back at Fulton High School in Knoxville. Indeed, he is the all-time leading rusher (career total of 5,261 yards and 81 touchdowns) in Fulton High history. While at Fulton, Rogan contributed to three Class 3A state championships (2003, 2004, 2006) and earned two Mr. Football finalist awards. As a senior in 2006, Rogan ran for 2,876 yards and 44 touchdowns.


Dennis Rogan


In 2007 Rogan played in 13 games for the Volunteers as a kick-off and punt returner, as well as a defensive back. He helped the Vols to the largest 4th-quarter rally in Neyland Stadium history by returning a punt 45 yards to set up the winning field goal against Vanderbilt ... He finished that game with 72 yards on three punt returns and also returned three kickoffs for 74 yards with a long of 41 yards. He was named the SEC Special Teams Player of the Week for his efforts against the Commodores.

Johnson completed his high school career in 2007 as one of Hickory's most highly-decorated players of all time. He was named All-State as a senior in 2007 and as a junior in 2006 ... He was a three-time All-Conference honoree from 2005-2007 ... He was the CVAC Defensive Player of the Year in 2006 and 2007 ... He was twice selected All-Piedmont by the Charlotte Observer and was named to the 1st-Team All-Observer squad in 2007... He was named three times to the Hickory Daily Record All-Unifour Team and was the Daily Record's Defensive Player of the Year in 2006 and 2007... He was named a 2007 Carolina Panthers Community Captain ... He was a Shrine Bowl participant in 2007 and a captain of the North Carolina team.

Bruiser Johnson



The Bruiser's career numbers as a Red Tornado are impressive. He racked up 580 tackles in three seasons ... He totaled 210 tackles as a senior, 211 tackles as a junior and 160 tackles as a sophomore in 2005 ... As a senior, he rushed 108 times for 692 yards and 16 touchdowns and had 35 receptions for 470 yards and two touchdowns. In his junior season he rushed 107 times for 602 yards and five touchdowns. He also caught 14 passes for 259 yards and a touchdown.

An excellent student and a member of the National Honor Society, Johnson graduated from Hickory High following the 2007 fall semester and immediately enrolled at UT in order to participate in spring practice.

So, while family, friends and fans of both Austin Johnson and Dennis Rogan will eagerly keep track of events in Knoxville this fall, the rising stars of Volunteer football will no doubt pay close attention to the Hickory-Fulton clash at the 2008 Border Bash. This is gonna be good...

The Red Tornado work horses

Hickory's bread-and-butter on offense has always been the rushing attack. And with very few exceptions the Red Tornadoes have been operating out of the Wing-T formation since Harry Truman was in the White House.

One of the big benefits of the Wing-T (and the Wishbone, which Hickory used for a few seasons in the 1970s when it was all the rage) is that it maximizes the number of running backs utilized. So for a team like Hickory that always has an abundance of speed, the more running backs who get into the mix the better. In 1996 and 1997 Hickory finished the season with two backs with over 1,000 yards rushing. In '96 it was Jamel Patterson and Lee Wilson. In '97 it was Wilson and Anthony Foust. It should not come as a surprise that Hickory's combined win-loss record for those two seasons was 28-1.

I am already on record as predicting that the 2008 Red Tornadoes will also feature a pair of 1,000+ rushers. Of course, time will tell if I'm right or wrong. But I will say this: if I'm right then the Red Tornadoes will have their best year since 1996...draw your own conclusions!

Here is a list of Hickory's top rushers since 1995:

2007...Darrien Burch (237 - 2,208...31 TDs)
2006...Darrien Burch (278 - 1,952...18 TDs)
2005...Carlos Shade (197 - 1,299...18 TDs)
2004...Carlos Shade (216 - 1,438...12 TDs)
2003...Kejuan Wright (189 - 1,438...9 TDs)
2002...Kejuan Wright (118 - 825...12 TDs)
2001...Craig Barnette (162 - 1,035...12 TDs)
2000...Craig Barnette (127 - 861...8 TDs)
1999...Anthony Foust (220 - 1,441...21 TDs)
1998...Brandon Michaux (158 - 1,057...12 TDs)
1997...Anthony Foust (170 - 1,349...14 TDs)
1996...Jamel Patterson (300 - 2,761...31 TDs)
1995...Jamel Patterson (154 - 891...5 TDs)

Wayne Hicks

After two seasons under the guidance of former defensive coordinator Jason Brewer, the Red Tornado defense is now in the very capable hands of new coordinator Wayne Hicks.

If that name sounds familiar, it should. Hicks was head football coach at Lenoir-Rhyne College from 2001 to 2006. In his six seasons at the helm of the Bears program, Hicks compiled a 17-36 record. In 2005 the Bears (5-5) managed to avoid finishing below .500 for the first time since 1994.

It should be pointed out that a poor record at L-R says as much about the trustees' lack of commitment to success on the football field as it does about the head coach's abilities. Hicks' two immediate predecessors at L-R, Charlie Forbes and Bill Hart, compiled records of 30-31 and 15-39 respectively. Fred Goldsmith, L-R's current head coach, compiled an underwhelming 2-9 record in 2007.

Prior to his hiring at Lenoir-Rhyne in 2002, Hicks experienced success at North Carolina A&T. He served as the Aggies' defensive coordinator for five seasons (1997-2001) before adding the duties of associate head coach in 2000. His defenses at A&T were some of the best in the country.

Wayne Hicks


In 2000 the Aggie defensive unit finished 5th in the nation in total defense (259.8 yards per game) and scoring (15.8). However, his 1999 famed "Blue Death" defense may have been his best ever, ranking 3rd in total and scoring defense (259.7 and 13.7 respectively). That performance helped the Aggies to an 11-2 mark, the MEAC championship, the mythical Historic Black College National Championship and a trip to the NCAA Division II playoff quarterfinals.

Hicks was rewarded for his work by becoming a two-time American Football Coaches Magazine Division 1-AA Defensive Coordinator of the Year honoree (1999 and 2000 seasons). "Every winner [of the award] was responsible for leading a unit that set records and established excellence," according to the magazine.

Hicks was also nominated for the American Football Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year.

Prior to A&T, Hicks served numerous coaching roles at Elon College (1989-1995), including both coordinating positions. Elon led the nation in rushing in 1992 when Hicks coached the running backs.

In 1988, Hicks was a graduate assistant at Eastern Kentucky University while finishing his master's degree in physical education and sports administration.

His coaching began at his high school alma mater, Marianna High School in Marianna, Florida. From 1984-1987 he served as defensive coordinator and was head wrestling coach. As a grappling mentor, Hicks rebuilt the team into a state contender.

Hicks graduated from Jacksonville State University in 1984 with a Bachelor of Science degree in physical education and a minor in biology. At JSU he lettered three years in wrestling and finished third in the Southeast Region.

Hicks was a three-sport standout in high school, lettering in football, wrestling and baseball. On the mat, he won the 1980 regional championship and was a three-time district champion.

Hicks is an active member in the American Football Coaches Association and the North Carolina High School Athletic Association. He has also been a volunteer and speaker for numerous organizations including the Special Olympics World and State Games, the UNC Chapel Hill football camp, the National Association of Pop Warner Football and the North Carolina A&T summer football clinic.

A taste of spring football around the South

Spring football is not just for colleges anymore. Most Southern states have organized spring practice, including pads, that culminates in a spring game. Sometimes the spring game is an intra-squad matchup, similar to the ones played in college. Other states allow two schools to play against each other. High school football teams in Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama, for instance, are allowed by their state governing bodies to practice 10 days each spring to prepare for the coming season. Florida allows for 20 days. The South Carolina High School League (the equivalent of the NCHSAA) approved rule changes for spring football this season, including giving teams the option to hold up to seven practices in full pads.

There are several tangible benefits to full-fledged spring football practice.

It is helpful for new head coaches and staff to get to know the players and get a feel for the program in general and create a blueprint for success in the fall.

It is helpful for programs to “strike while the iron is hot” and maintain momentum following a successful season in preparing for the upcoming season.

It provides valuable opportunities for coaches to evaluate the progress of individual players and helpful in determining who will win starting positions in the fall. By the same token it is an additional two weeks during which kids are kept focused on football and the hard work required to be successful.

It provides additional opportunities for college scouts to see prospects in live-action drills and game situations. Every little bit of exposure and contact with recruiters is valuable.

By giving the coaches an extra two weeks to teach the fundamentals in the spring it thereby gives them more opportunities for installing specific offensive and defensive schemes in the pre-season. The fine-tuning of a team's game strategies makes for a more successful team. Full contact spring practice gives the coaches and players a headstart on that.

North Carolina is slowly moving in this direction but as usual lags behind her sister states in football sophistication. For instance, the NCHSAA allows severely restricted "skill sessions" for football in the spring. This allows for no more than 21 players at a time to gather on a field and maybe throw the football around a little bit. Pads are prohibited which means that contact is prohibited. Game situations are prohibited. There is no opportunity to get in some extra teaching on the fundamentals of blocking and tackling. Apparently the NCHSAA doesn't see the need or benefit of maximizing the training of young players in the crucial skills of blocking and tackling. Less training is more... That is unless the NCHSAA could figure out a way to make some money out of the deal...

Let me be crystal clear: I absolutely think that full-fledged spring practice for 10 days (with up to 7 days in pads) is perfectly feasible, acceptable, proper an, indeed, necessary. Change is inevitable and I believe North Carolina will follow South Carolina's example.

Here are some more examples of spring football throughout the Southland.

Spring Football back and ready for pads

Florida high school spring football guidelines

Spring Football: Why it matters

Wildcats return to the gridiron for spring

Week 1 goes well for the Cats

Tornado Basketball at the Craft Center

Here's some video put together by John Setzler showing Hickory's crucial home victory over West Caldwell.

Hickory's new welcome sign!

Hickory High JV season-by-season

2007..10-0
2006..10-0
2005..10-0
2004..10-0
2003..10-0
2002..9-1
2001..10-0
2000..6-4
1999..9-1
1998..8-2
1997..8-2
1996..9-1
1995..7-3
1994..5-5
1993..3-7
1992..4-6
1991..1-8
1990..4-6
1989..5-5
1988..6-3-1
1987..5-5
1986..5-5
1985..6-4
1984..6-4
1983..4-6
1982..6-4
1981..5-5
1980..4-6
1979..8-0-2
1978..10-0
1977..6-4
1976..3-5-2
1975..4-4-2
1974..7-3
1973..5-5
1972..5-5
1971..8-2
1970..4-4-1
1969..7-2-1
1968..5-3
1967..8-1
1966..8-0
1965..7-2
1964..8-1
1963..4-3
1962..6-1
1961..5-1
1960..6-2
1959..7-1
1958..6-2
1957..7-1
1956..7-0
1955..7-1-1
1951-1954 No Team
1950..1-3-1

TOTAL: 344-150-11 (Winning Pct. 68%)

A little bit of magic time...for those who haven't seen it...

A clip from Hickory's dramatic last-second victory over Hunter Huss in the 1986 Class 4A playoffs! Football Friday Night was there...

The Top 5

Who are the teams with the most total football wins in North Carolina? Heading into the 2008 season, here is your Top 5:

1. Shelby (658-261-51)
2. Reidsville (612-296-38)
3. Hickory (598-298-24)
4. Thomasville (570-283-32)
5. Asheville (570-338-37)

30 YEARS AGO: Tales from the Wild West

In 1978 the five-year-old Western 4A Conference was one of the toughest leagues, top to bottom, in the state. It consisted of seven schools: Ashbrook, Asheville, East Burke, Freedom, Hickory, Hunter Huss, and McDowell. It boasted two of the state's legendary coaches in Hickory's Frank Barger and Freedom's Ralph "Jug" Wilson (Hickory High Class of '44). In 1978 Wilson was the state's winningest coach and had suffered only one losing season (his first Glen Alpine team went 2-4-2 in 1948) in his head coaching career. East Burke's Danny Williams was another veteran head coach and could only be described as "colorful."

Each of these big-name head coaches had the benefit of talented assistants. Freedom's defensive coordinator was Mike Biggerstaff. His counterpart at East Burke was Wayne Fletcher. Both Biggerstaff and Fletcher went on to create notable head coaching careers of their own. Frank Barger was assisted by one of his former players, Larry Wittenberg, who would eventually take over the program after Barger's retirement.

Frank Barger


The Western 4A also featured some of the state's top players, including four who would be selected to represent North Carolina in the 1978 Shrine Bowl: Mark Ervin and Darren Wilson of Freedom, Mike Roberts of Asheville, and Bill Wood of Hickory. Not surprisingly, the conference was particularly well-known for its rock-ribbed, bone-crunching emphasis on defense. And no game that season better illustrated this than Hickory's 6-2 upset victory over Freedom on October 27, 1978.

In those days it was much more difficult to secure a berth in the state playoffs. The Western 4A had seven hardnosed teams slugging it out all season long in order to secure the league's two playoff spots. Going into the games of October 27th, the race for the playoffs was neck and neck, with Freedom and East Burke both possessing 4-0 conference marks (and both were 7-1 overall), while Ashbrook, also 7-1 overall, was a game behind them with a 3-1 conference record (a loss to Freedom).

At 2-2 in the conference (5-3 overall), Hickory was already out of the hunt, having lost close games to East Burke and Ashbrook. But with the Patriots up next the Tornadoes could still celebrate a Homecoming win and play the role of spoiler.

Freedom entered the game ranked 3rd in the state for Class 4A. The Patriots were heavily favored to beat Hickory. The only blemish on Freedom's record was a loss to Watauga in the third week of the season. Watauga was in the midst of its best season ever and the Pioneers went on to win the Class 3A state championship that year.

In addition to dropping games to East Burke and Ashbrook, the Red Tornadoes had also lost to Red Fitzpatrick's South Caldwell Spartans in Week Two. Hickory had racked up wins over St. Stephens, Newton-Conover, Wilkes Central, Hunter Huss and McDowell.

Neither Hickory nor Freedom could generate much offense in the first two quarters. Freedom had rolled to the Hickory 18 on its first possession, but turned the ball over on downs. The only other Patriot threat ended when quarterback Jay Suh's pass was intercepted by a diving Al Young of Hickory.

It looked like the teams were headed into halftime with a 0-0 deadlock. But with less than a minute to go before the half, Mark Erwin punted to the Hickory 33 yard line with 0:12 showing on the clock. Biggerstaff's Patriot defense prepared for a desperation heave downfield. But Barger had a trick up his sleeve to exploit the "prevent" defense. On first down, junior quarterback Jeff Bolch tossed a seemingly harmless, shallow pass to Stanley Burch in the flat, who immediately turned and lateraled to Al Young coming down the sideline. Young electrified the crowd as he turned on the jets and streaked down the sideline to complete the 67-yard touchdown play. Mark Dirks' kick was no good, but Hickory went into the locker room with a 6-0 lead and the momentum.

The second half featured more hard hitting by both defenses. But with Freedom's Darrell Avery gaining good yardage on pitches - the only play Hickory had trouble stopping - the Patriots kept pressure on Hickory's defenders throughout the final two periods.

The Tornado defense, with ferocious hitting, continually brought the home fans to their feet by fending off the Freedom attack time and again. The Tornadoes applied tremendous pressure on Jay Suh, who was sacked several times and completed just 3 of 17 passes.

Hickory's best defensive stand came after a 13-yard burst up the middle by Bobby Michaux gave the Patriots first-and-goal at the Hickory 7 yard line.

A holding penalty pushed Freedom back to the 20 and Freedom gained only three yards on three attempts. On 4th down, Avery took another pitch and reached the 10 yard line before being stopped in his tracks.

Then it was Hickory's turn to choke. Having stopped Freedom, Hickory's offense was unable to make any forward progress. Backed up almost to the goal line, Hickory attempted a double reverse to split end Chris Morrison, who was nailed in the end zone by James Davis and Gary Dixon. The safety made the score 6-2 in Hickory's favor with 9:19 left in the contest.

Needing a touchdown to win, Freedom could do nothing with the football following the free kick and was forced to punt. Al Young fielded the punt and returned it all the way to the Freedom 36. Hickory was unable to move the chains and turned the ball over on downs, giving the Patriots one last shot. But on 4th-and-20 at their own 43, the Patriots tried an option play to Michaux that was stopped just three yards short of the first down. Hickory took over and was finally able to run out the clock to clinch the victory.

As expected, the loss to Hickory put Freedom's playoff hopes in jeopardy with East Burke and Fat Friday looming on the horizon. The same night that Hickory knocked off Freedom, Ashbrook defeated East Burke. This created a 3-way tie between the Patriots, Cavaliers and the Green Wave. The following week East Burke defeated Freedom on Fat Friday, eliminating Freedom from playoff contention.

Just a week earlier the Patriots had been the state's 3rd-ranked team in Class 4A. But in the Wild Western, the name of the game was simple survival. Those were the days!

It's getting to be that time of year...

We are just weeks away from the end of the school year. That means that the summer camps will be starting up soon. Any parent of an athlete can tell you how expensive it can be to send his or her up-and-coming football player to camp. So with that in mind I am making available to all my readers this valuable instructional video absolutely free of charge. If you can't get to a football camp this summer, PLEASE take a few minutes to learn from the best right here on The Garnet & Gold Report...

Tornado fans will recognize "Luke Jesper" as Hickory High's own Chris Rogers (Class of '04). After quarterbacking his 2001 Tornado JV squad to a 10-0 record, Rogers moved up to varsity in 2002 and became an All-Conference defensive back. In his senior season, 2003, Chris was again the quarterback (All-Conference) and led the Tornadoes to a 10-3 record. He then went on to Furman as a running back.

Enjoy.

Primed for a BIG season in '08

Will Hickory be "down" in '08?

At least one of the usual Hickory-hating clowns on NCPreps thinks so...and this was my response to him on the NCPreps 3A message board...

"First of all, Hickory didn't lose as much as you think. Yes, Johnson and Burch are gone. But Hickory has people ready and able to step in and fill the gap. Do we have a returning linebacker of the same caliber as Johnson? No. But we do have a middle linebacker returning who can and will take up where the Bruiser left off. The fact is, Hickory has 8 starters returning on defense, with another 6-7 that got lots of playing time in every game last year.

This time LAST year Hickory was looking at a situation where the defense was going to start the season with 2 returning starters. So, despite the loss of 1 outstanding player, Hickory's defense is much more solid and prepared than it was a year ago.

Yes, the school's career rushing leader has graduated. Burch was a great running back and broke a lot of records. But Hickory has always been a running team and we have always had a good group of running backs. This year will be more of the same. Last year we had a 2,000-yard rusher, this year we will have a pair of 1,000 yard rushers. The end-result is the same.

Here is an example. Last season Hickory had to go on the road to face a tough, hard-hitting and highly-motivated Hibriten team. Burch didn't even make the trip. So what happened? His back-up ran for 179 yards and Hickory won by 3 touchdowns. And that kid, Kyshell Geter (95 carries for 612 yards and 3 TDs) was a junior.
Kyshell Geter



Burch averaged 9.6 yards a carry last season...but so did our back-up fullback, Rhakim Barrett (also a junior). For the record, Barrett had 52 carries for 504 yards and 5 TDs.

Rhakim Barrett


So, that’s 2 big graduation losses that won’t be as “painful” as people might like to think. Probably the biggest loss is the leadership that Johnson provided. He was clearly the leader and did a great job motivating the team.

On the subject of leadership, let me point out that the Red Tornadoes return quarterback Kevin Shelton (90-166-8 for 1,317 yards, 13 TDs). He is 22-1 as a starter for Hickory. He is a leader and is highly motivated for his senior season. Since Hickory uses a run-oriented offense, the stats aren’t gaudy, but only ONCE in Hickory’s 85-year football history has an underclassmen put up better numbers. That includes Daniel Willis, who led Hickory to the ’96 title.
Kevin Shelton



There is no doubt that Shelton could have been a 2,000-yard passer last season if there hadn’t been so many blowouts. Nevertheless, it was obvious to those of us who saw all of Hickory’s games that Shelton was getting better and more confident in his passing as the season went along. With all the key receivers (except for Johnson) returning, Hickory will be able to pull the trigger when necessary.

Finally, the one area where Hickory WILL have to rebuild: the offensive line. Hickory lost 4 key starters from last year’s line and it will take some time for the new starters to gel as a unit. So if you want to talk about graduation losses at Hickory, that’s it. It’s impossible to say how long it will take for the O-line to get it together. If they can get that machine-like precision going quickly, then everybody better watch out. If not, then hopefully the defense can keep things locked down until the offense gets rolling. Time will tell on that one.

So, long story short…don’t count on Hickory being “down” in 2008. Hickory will definitely be a Top 10 team again this year."

New Conference finalized for 2009-2012

It is now official. For the 3rd time in its history, Hickory is a founding member of the Northwestern Conference. The latest incarnation, which begins competition in August of 2009, is the Northwestern 4A/3A, consisting of seven schools: Alexander Central (4A), South Caldwell (4A), Watauga (4A), Hickory (3A), Hibriten (3A), Fred T. Foard (3A) and St. Stephens (3A).

For the record, the CVAC will live on as a strictly 2A league. The Catawba County quartet of Bandys, Bunker Hill, Maiden and Newton-Conover will be joined by Burke County representatives East Burke and Draughn. Due to the opening of Draughn, located in Valdese, East Burke's enrollment will drop to the 2A level. Which means that East Burke will have by far the most elaborate stadium of any 2A school in the state. Rounding out the new CVAC will be Caldwell County slacker West Caldwell and Iredell County up-and-comer South Iredell.

Morganton schools Freedom and Patton, both 3A starting in '09, will be charter members of the new South Mountains 3A/2A Conference. Joining Freedom and Patton in the SMAC will be Cleveland County powers Shelby and Burns, along with the Rutherford County schools, R-S Central, East Rutherford and Chase.