Upset? It could happen...

Damon King runs against Shelby, 1986


Nobody on the planet would deny that it will be a huge upset when Hickory beats Newton-Conover tomorrow night. I'm sure that all of the "professional experts" will be picking the Red Devils to win. But sometimes the unthinkable happens and the underdog wins. Certainly there have been times when Newton has pulled off upsets against Hickory.

The loss in 1999 is a good example. Hickory went 10-1 in the regular season that year. The only loss was to a Newton team that was 0-2 going into the game. I remember it well because the game was at Frank Barger Stadium and it was the night they dedicated the press box to the living legend, Bill Bass. Usually when Hickory gets upset by Newton the loss can be blamed on Red Tornado turnovers. That was certainly the case that night.

Another notable upset occurred in 2005. That was another case of Hickory giving the game away. When the Red Tornadoes hold a team to just seven points their supposed to win. The fact that Hickory could only muster a field goal and lost 7-3 was evidence that the Red Tornadoes came out flat as a pancake. Hickory was the better team that year, period. But they weren't the better team that night, unfortunately.

But I want to talk about a game where it was the Tornadoes who shocked the world and defied all the "professional experts."

It took place on October 17, 1986. The Red Tornadoes hit the road to Marion to take on the undefeated McDowell Titans in a Northwestern Conference game. The Titans were 7-0 and ranked #6 in state for Class 4A. Hickory was 4-2 overall and had been 2-2 after the first four games. Both teams were 2-0 in NW4A action. Thus the game was for conference supremacy.

It was a classic matchup of an offensive juggernaut (McDowell) versus a swarming defense (Hickory) loaded with headhunters who hit with reckless abandon. The Northwestern Conference has always placed a premium on defense and Hickory had the best one in the league, bar none. The Titans knew what to expect but still weren't prepared for what Coach Larry Wittenberg's Tornadoes brought to town.

The first step in engineering a big upset is to get on the scoreboard first. Hickory did just that when Darin Burch returned a Titan punt 71 yards for a touchdown. Troy Harris nailed the PAT and Hickory went up 7-0, which is how the first quarter ended.

McDowell responded with a 17-play, 69-yard drive that ate up eight minutes of the clock. It began in the first quarter but ended with 8:52 left in the second when quarterback Jeremy Styles connected with star wide receiver Johnny Maples for a 7-yard touchdown. After the kick the score was tied, 7-7, and remained that way for the rest of the half.

Hickory got the ball first to start the second half and promptly fumbled on its own 12 yard line. Three plays later Richard Chambers went over from four yards out to put the Titans back on top. The 14-7 lead was the only one the home team would enjoy for the rest of the night.

Another key to pulling off an upset is to get help from the other team. On Hickory's next drive McDowell repeatedly hurt itself with penalties. The Titans were penalized twice for a total of 35 yards to give life to the Tornado drive. Darrell Banks capped a 65-yard drive at 5:07 in the third on a five-yard dash. The game was tied at 21-21.

A fumble recovery by defensive end Tracy Saddler set Hickory up at the McDowell 43. Seven plays later Damon King scored from 10 yards out on a well-executed counter. With the kick Hickory took the lead with 33 seconds left in the third quarter.

The teams traded possessions as the clock became an enemy to the Titans. With four minutes left in the game McDowell tried to convert on a 4th-and-9 play and were stopped cold at the 50. On Hickory's first play King bounced to the outside and showed his speed by outrunning three defenders for the game-clinching touchdown.

The final minutes of the game were sloppy and ugly. The yellow laundry was all over the field. McDowell had 70 yards of penalties in the final period, 152 yards for the game. Hickory had 40 penalty yards in the fourth and 92 for the game.

On a positive note, Damon King finished with 130 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries. The Tornado defense held Styles, Maples and company to a mere 40 yards passing. Styles completed only six of his 41 pass attempts. The Titans got just 96 yards out of their ground attack.

Hickory and McDowell ended the regular season tied for the Northwestern Conference championship. But Hickory got the league's #1 seed because on October 17, 1986 the Tornadoes shocked the football world.

That's why we play these games...