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)