The biggest little what?

The Red Tornadoes took care of business in the rain Friday night, whipping the Maiden Blue Devils 17-7 in Tom Brown Stadium. The win kept alive Hickory's hopes for a share of the CVAC title as the Red Tornadoes (2-1 in CVAC and 3-2 overall) are now in a three-way tie for second place with the Patton Panthers and this week's opponent, Fred T. Foard. Maiden (0-3 in CVAC and 1-4 overall) has now lost its last four games.

It was a sloppy game played in sloppy conditions as the rain fell throughout the contest. Fumbles were plentiful, especially for Hickory. The Red Tornadoes lost three fumbles but had no interceptions. Maiden quarterback Justin Sizemore was intercepted four times and Maiden also lost a fumble that was returned by junior Buddy Withers for Hickory's first touchdown. So despite the wet conditions Hickory's turnover ratio for the season actually improved to +6.

Another impressive statistic came in the passing department. Kevin Shelton completed seven of his 11 passes (64%) with no interceptions. That's 13 points higher than his overall completion percentage going into the game. Sizemore, by comparison, completed only four passes for a mere 47 yards. For the season he has thrown eight interceptions compared but only three touchdowns. Folks, that is not how the spread offense is supposed to work.

The ground games of the two teams were relatively equal. Once again Rakim Barrett led the way for Hickory, rushing for 72 yards (including a 19-yard touchdown) on 15 carries. He also caught a couple of passes for a total of 13 yards. Kyshell Geter found it tough going as the Maiden defense was apparently keying on him. He finished with 25 yards on 18 carries.

Hickory's defense kept the Blue Devils in check all night with the exception of Jacob Lineberger's touchdown reception in the fourth quarter. The "Mountain Man" Steve Ohnesorge of WBTV would call that an "oh-by-the-way touchdown." Maiden's leading rusher was Jordan Shade with 33 yards on 24 carries (1.4 yards per carry).

Another bright spot for Hickory was the play of junior kicking specialist Patrick Smith. Patrick continues to improve on a weekly basis and he played a big part in Friday night's victory as his punts repeatedly pinned the Blue Devils deep in their own territory. It's always true that field position and defense wins ballgames but it is especially relevant in bad weather. Most of the game was played in Maiden territory. Smith also hit both extra points and nailed a 30-yard field goal.

This will be the final football game between Hickory and Maiden. Hickory's combined record (Varsity and JV) against the Blue Devils now stands at 9-1. That, my friends, is what domination looks like.