Sophomore power!

Wooo baby, yeah! The Terrible Terry Tate Defensive MVP Award goes to sophomore Tyshon Chisholm for his breakout performance against Maiden. I have already been impressed with his running and receiving capabilities. It doesn't surprise me at all to see him running wild on the defensive side of the ball as well. Offensively or defensively this kid needs to be on the field somewhere as much as possible. He is a playmaker, period. For the record, Tyshon's defensive numbers were 14 total tackles (11 solos), two tackles-for-loss and a sack.

Tyshon was certainly not the only one making things happen on defense last Friday night. Mikey Shook had his usual excellent game, finishing with 13 total tackles. Mikey also caused the fumble that Buddy Withers returned for Hickory's first touchdown. Our senior cornerbacks Trevin Parks and David Dula both made contributions to Justin Sizemore's interception total. Trevin had two picks and Dula had one. Fellow seniors Clay Johnson and Chavis Shuford also turned in good performances. Those two combined for 15 tackles, including a couple of tackles-for-loss by Shuford. He also was credited with a "quarterback pressure."

But I want to make a special point of bragging on the underclassmen. Considering his lack of varsity defensive experience, Tyshon's performance against Maiden was thoroughly impressive. But he was just one of many underclassmen who were getting it done in such a big way that it creates real excitement for what they can accomplish next season.

Keep in mind that seven of the top 10 tacklers last week were underclassmen. There are no senior linebackers this season. The outside linebackers, Buddy Withers and Tyler Barnette, combined for 21 total tackles. Barnette also snagged an interception while Withers lived every defender's dream by converting a turnover into six points. Buddy also broke up a pass and was credited with a "quarterback pressure." On the inside it was Drew Siciliano and Chisholm taking care of business. Siciliano finished the night with eight tackles. Cole Smithey saw limited action after last week's injury but he got a tackle and a "quarterback pressure."

There was also improved line play from the underclassmen. Junior tackles Alex Martin and Alex Dezayas combined for 10 tackles, easily their best performance of the season. And then there was defensive end D.J. Holloway. He finished with seven tackles, three of which were tackles-for-loss and another was a big sack of Justin Sizemore. With the nightmare part of the schedule now upon us, the rapid development of the younger defensive players is happening at just the right time.

Listen for the Pain Train. It's coming...