The Garnet & Gold Report

Twilight time

2009-09-06T19:34:00.002-04:00

Give thanks!!

2008-11-27T11:45:00.003-05:00

Bobblehead goes to the playoffs

2008-11-22T23:59:00.000-05:00

This is a week late so I'll get right to the point. Hickory came ready to play last Saturday down in Kings Mountain. They faced a tough challenge to begin with but then it became more acute once it was confirmed that the Red Tornadoes would not have rushing leader Rakim Barrett. Without the 1,000-yard rusher it would be even more important to contain the explosive Mountaineer offense.

Kings Mountain came into the game averaging 343 yards in total offense. That broke down into 243 yards rushing and 100 yards passing. When the game finally ended, however, the Mountaineers only had 261 total yards (209 rushing yards, 52 passing). Kings Mountain didn't light up the scoreboard until late in the third quarter. It was a good job by the Hickory defense, no question about it.

The Terrible Terry Tate Defensive MVP Award for the game goes to Tyler Barnette.

The junior outside linebacker, playing his final game on defense before moving permanently to the offensive side as next season's starting quarterback, led the team in total tackles with 14. One of those was a tackle for loss. Barnette was also credited for a "quarterback pressure."

Honorable mention honors go to senior safety Michael Shook and junior outside linebacker Buddy Withers. Shook and Withers were second and third on the tackles list with 12 and nine total tackles respectively. Shook broke up three passes and caused a fumble. Withers recorded two tackles for loss and had a "quarterback pressure." Also recording tackles for loss were David Dula, Drew Siciliano, Tyshon Chisholm and Clay Johnson.

Serious case of BCRS...

2008-11-21T23:24:00.010-05:00

Somewhere the Evil Genius is smiling

It's unfortunate that no matter what gameplan a team comes up with to win a game a crew of bonehead officials can screw it all up. Whether through incompetence or an inability to resist the urge to make themselves bigger than the game and more important that the players, coaches and ticket-buying fans, the result is the same: tainting of the game.

I'm still sickened by what happened in our game with Kings Mountain on Saturday night. For the record, not only did Hickory have two first-half touchdowns called back on bad calls but the idiots in striped shirts also incorrectly flagged the Hickory defense for pass interference in the end zone on a 4th-down play that should have turned the ball back over to the Red Tornadoes but instead gave Kings Mountain a first down. The Mounties then scored their second touchdown of the game to push their fourth-quarter lead to 17-7.

Here are the three key incidents that helped change the momentum of the game:

In the second quarter Hickory began a drive on its own three that burned nearly five minutes off the clock. That's exactly the kind of drive that the Red Tornadoes needed in order to keep Kings Mountain's explosive offense on the sideline and bring the action to KM's end of the field. But the drive stalled on the Mountaineer 31. Facing a 4th-and-4 situation, Kevin Shelton completed a nice pass to Trevin Parks who raced into the end zone for an apparent touchdown. It was a gutsy call and a perfectly-executed pass play. That is until the side judge on Kings Mountain's side decided that somebody must be guilty of holding. Hickory had no choice but to punt.

After the Red Tornado defense hung tough on Kings Mountain's next possession the offense went back to work. Hickory drove into Mountaineer territory again and appeared to score when Trevin Parks took a reverse and then lofted a pass to Shelton on the sideline. Kevin not only made the catch but then got himself into the end zone for a 38-yard touchdown. A perfectly executed trick play that should have given Hickory a much-needed early lead. But the side judge on Hickory's side, a genuine hanky-tossing douchebag, threw a flag. Although he wasn't even in position to make the call he decided to flag Hickory for a phantom block in the back. It simply didn't happen.

And here's the real human cost of such a boneheaded call by the official. Not only did it cost Hickory a touchdown but it also ruined a special moment for Kevin Shelton. It's not often that a quarterback gets to be on the receiving end of a pass, not to mention a touchdown pass. As I said, the play was perfectly executed by all 11 Red Tornadoes on the field, especially Trevin Parks and Kevin Shelton. They deserved to have that touchdown. There simply was no foul. But for all time, thanks to the jackass in stripes, the play will only live on in our collective memories (and the game film, of course). That's not much of a consolation prize after the play of a kid's career in his final high school game was stolen by some worthless stooge afflicted with acute BCRS!

The Hickory fans who actually made the trip exploded in rage. People - even women - came out of the stands and down to the fence to yell at the knucklehead who threw the flag. I myself was threatened by him with ejection from the stadium because of a comment I made. Go figure!

To complete the farce, Hickory maintained the drive and got into the red zone. A hard hit by a Mountaineer linebacker forced a fumble inside the five that was recovered by the players in black and gold. Give a team enough mulligans and they will find a way to take advantage sooner or later.

The final injustice occurred in the final period when Hickory was trailing 10-7. When you consider that Kings Mountain was the champion of the Southwestern Conference and the #2 seed in the bracket while Hickory finished fourth in the CVAC and was a lowly #15 seed playing on the road, a three-point deficit was very impressive and still manageable.

After Kings Mountain had finally broken the scoreless tie late in the third period with a 29-yard field goal the Red Tornadoes quickly answered with a 64-yard scoring drive of their own. T.J. Wimbush led the way, picking up 41 yards. He capped it with a 13-yard touchdown run. Patrick Smith's PAT cut the Mountaineer lead to 10-7.

On the ensuing kickoff the Mountaineers returned the ball to midfield. Despite the good field position the Tornadoes battled them, giving ground reluctantly. It came down to a 4th-down play, a pass to end zone. Not only was the ball not catchable but the receiver managed to fall down. The linebacker who was in coverage was watching the ball and not interfering with the receiver. Nevertheless, out came the flag. Instead of Hickory taking over at the 13 the Mounties were given an automatic 1st-and-goal. They scored on the next play. The extra point boosted the Mountaineer lead to 17-7.

Facing a 10-point deficit in the final quarter with time running out, the Red Tornadoes had no choice but to start gambling with the pass. Sure enough, on Hickory's next possession Kevin Shelton was intercepted by Zach Hopper. The Mountie linebacker then zoomed into the end zone to provide his team with an insurance touchdown that sealed the fate of Hickory's upset bid.

Earlier tonight I listened to the game between Shelby and Bandys. Bandys, a team from Catawba County, the underdog, playing down in Cleveland County. The Trojans pulled off an upset victory in overtime. I couldn't help but think that it could have been Hickory last week with the big upset down in Kings Mountain.

Of course, we'll never know for sure what would have happened if Hickory's two touchdowns hadn't been nullified and Kings Mountain's second touchdown hadn't been facilitated by a bad call. Maybe the Mountaineers would have found a way to win anyway. They were, afterall, the heavy favorites.

But you have to think that being down 14-0 at halftime would have had an effect on the Mountaineers. It's true, Kings Mountain did make adjustments in the second half that helped their offense. Yes, Hickory's kickoff and punt coverage units gave up too many yards to the Mountaineers that allowed Kings Mountain to have a short field. But all of that should have been in an effort to simply catch up - not forge ahead. If Hickory is winning 21-17 late in the game then maybe it's the Mountaineers having to gamble with the passing attack. Maybe Hickory intercepts and returns it for a game-clinching touchdown. We simply will never know. That's the sickness of it. That's the fault of the so-called referees. That's the real cost of Burke County Referee Syndrome.

Look at the assholes run!

Directions to Kings Mountain HS

2008-11-15T16:21:00.003-05:00

Just in case anybody needs them...

Take Hwy 321 South for about 31 miles...

Merge onto I-85 S toward KINGS MOUNTAIN, go about 6 miles...

Merge onto US-74 W via EXIT 10B toward KINGS MOUNTAIN/SHELBY...

Take the US-74-BR exit toward KINGS MOUNTAIN...

Merge onto E KING ST/US-74 BR W...

Turn LEFT onto COUNTRY CLUB RD...

COUNTRY CLUB RD becomes PHIFER RD...

The school is on PHIFER RD

"I'm gonna put this right foot..."

2008-11-14T08:11:00.001-05:00

Of the four games that Hickory and Kings Mountain played against each other earlier in this decade I think my favorite was the first one. Like tonight, the Red Tornadoes made the trip down to Kings Mountain to take on the Mountaineers. Like tonight, the game turned out to be KM's last game of the season.

The thing that sticks out in my mind the most is not that fact that Hickory won but how the game was won. And what exactly does Billy Jack have to do with it? Well, it's all about a very talented and dangerous foot.

In 2001 the foot belonged to Hickory's freshman kicking specialist, Ryan Succop. As I am typing this it occurs to me that I was wrong the other week when I said that you had to look to the early- and mid-1990s to find a freshman starting for the varsity in the regular season. I forgot about Ryan Succop. He was a four-year starter on the varsity and was outstanding from beginning to end.

The 2001 encounter between Hickory and Kings Mountain was definitely a defensive struggle. Succop kicked off to the Mountaineers to start the game. The Red Tornado defense forced Kings Mountain to punt after three plays. After the punt Hickory started its drive from the Kings Mountain 42 yard line. Anytime you begin a drive inside enemy territory after a punt you know you're winning the field possession battle.

Hickory used 10 plays to score. The touchdown came on a 10-yard pass from Cole Kenworthy to Craig Barnette. Succop's PAT made the score 7-0.

Kings Mountain looked like it would tie the score late in the second half when Aquino Simmons appeared to have scored on an eight-yard run. But he fumbled as he crossed the goal line and the ball was recovered in the end zone by Hickory resulting in a touchback.

By the end of the third quarter the scoreboard still showed a 7-0 lead for Hickory. Succop missed two field goals (45 and 50 yards) in the second half but more than made up for it with his punting. But Kings Mountain could not be held out of the end zone forever.

Simmons finally scored for the Mountaineers, on a five-yard run. Pablo Peralta nailed the extra point to tie the game at 7-7. In a game as tight as that anything is possible. But nobody expected what happened next.

Hickory was unable to move the ball. With about 2:00 left in the game Succop was back to punt and he boomed a 52-yarder that was downed inside the Mountaineer one yard line. The Mountaineers ran a play that had Renaldo Tate trying to run to the right. He was hit by Hickory's Richard "Big Cat" Parker and Jamey Yarbrough and buried in the end zone for a safety.

Just like that, Hickory was up 9-7. Hickory then received the kick off and ran out the clock to preserve the stunning victory. The win boosted Hickory to 5-1 in the conference and 7-3 overall. The Red Tornadoes would ultimately finish as the runner-up behind undefeated Crest. Kings Mountain dropped to 6-4 and 3-3. It was the end of their season because they did not make the playoffs.

So, remember what I said about the power of the foot? Here's how it relates to everybody's hero, Billy Jack. Check this out!

Time to take a Gamble

2008-11-14T00:00:00.004-05:00

From the 2003 Hickory-KM game

It's finally time to get it on down in Kings Mountain as the #15-seed Red Tornadoes challenge the #2-seed Mountaineers. Hickory has had considerable success on the field at John Gamble Stadium. In 2001 Hickory defeated the Mountaineers 9-7 in the first meeting of the two teams since their epic struggle in the semifinals of the 1964 WNCHSAA playoffs. Two years later Hickory returned to Gamble and whipped the Mountaineers, 38-14.

Two years later Hickory and Kings Mountain were no longer conference rivals but Hickory still found a way to win at Gamble. That time it was against Crest in the Cleveland County Jamboree. Hickory's wild victory over the Chargers in the Jamboree remains the only time Hickory has beaten Crest, unofficially or otherwise, in football.

Tonight's game will feature two battles: Mountaineer quarterback Michael Roberts versus Hickory's defense and Hickory's offensive line versus Mountaineer monster nose tackle, Thomas James. How the Red Tornadoes perform against Roberts and James will go a long way towards deciding the winner in this contest. That's a simplification, of course, but an appropriate one.

First, some basic statistics.

Roberts is the only 1,000-yard passer and runner that Hickory has faced this season. He is KM's leading rusher (1,111 yards) as well as its top passer (1,016 yards). By comparison, Hickory's top rusher, Rakim Barrett, has compiled 1,126 yards.

Roberts touches the ball on every offensive play and when he does he will do one of three things: hand it off, keep it and run or throw a pass. The mere fact that he is a three-dimensional threat places a great deal of pressure on a defense.

Completely stopping Roberts may be out of the question. The defense will need to do the best it can to contain him as much as possible. Plus there is the other top rusher for Kings Mountain, tailback Joe Chambers. Joe the Tailback has 1,097 yards for the season. It's always scary to think about one 1,000-yard rusher handing off to another 1,000-yard rusher. Carlos Young, a junior, is another quality back who doesn't have the stats but definitely has the talent.

When Roberts takes to the air he can rely on the sure hands of wide receiver Terrance Young (30 receptions for 679 yards and 7 TDs) and big tight end Devon Thompson (6'4, 220). The running backs, Chambers and Young, will also be used as receivers from time to time.

Probably the best defense Hickory can employ would be to control the ball on offense and limit his opportunities. So the keys to victory for Hickory would be to eliminate the kinds of mistakes (turnovers and/or penalties) that make it easy for the Mountaineers. Obviously KM doesn't need any help like that! Hickory has to make everything as difficult as possible for Mountaineers.

Also, Hickory needs to play the game in Kings Mountain territory. That means getting good special teams play (good punts that put the ball back on KM's side of the 50... good kickoff and punt returns that, again, put the ball in KM's side of the field... sustained drives that either result in points or at least leave the ball in Mountaineer territory. The farther KM has to go the greater the likelihood a mistake will be made. If the game is played mostly in Hickory territory then it will be too tough to keep the Mountaineers out of the end zone.

Two things that have helped Hickory on offense in recent games have been the continued use of Trevin Parks at quarterback and the elevation of sophomore tailback T.J. Wimbush and freshman fullback Casey Stinson to starting positions on the varsity. I think the Red Tornadoes can be successful on offense but they need to win the time of possession battle, have sustained drives and not miss any opportunities to put points on the board. Because of the presence of Thomas James we may see Hickory in the shotgun a lot tonight...

The Thriller...Hickory vs. Burns in 2003

2008-11-13T15:26:00.005-05:00

Michael Baker after the Burns game in '03

One of the greatest and most exciting Hickory victories in recent years happened in October of 2003. That was my first season to cover Hickory football online. I didn't have the use of a good camera then so I concentrated even more on writing up the Red Tornado games. The article I wrote and posted on the website the day after the game is long an detailed. I wanted it to be that way because it was such an exciting victory. Click on the link below to read all about the game as written by an eyewitness (me!) the day after. Think about this season's game against Hibriten (but with 3 OT periods and a Hickory win) and you will know what it was like. Good times!

Hickory defeats Burns in triple overtime!

Rest In Peace?

2008-11-13T12:53:00.005-05:00

Hickory is a big underdog in tomorrow night's game down at Kings Mountain. As I demonstrated in my last post about the 1964 playoff game in which another underdog Tornado team knocked off a favored Mountaineer squad, anything can happen on any given Friday night.

Another example of Hickory rising to the occasion and beating the odds occurred in 1990 when Hickory celebrated its Homecoming by knocking off an undefeated Freedom team that was ranked #6 in the state and riding a 13-game winning streak. If you're a current Tornado player be sure and ask Coach Wittenberg about this game. He was a starting offensive guard in the game. Coaches Worley, Hopper and Davis were assistants on head coach Larry Wittenberg's staff.

Hickory and Freedom were members of the Northwestern 4A Conference. Prior to the game the league standings looked like this:

1. Freedom (7-0, 3-0)
2. East Burke (6-2, 3-1)
3. Hickory (5-2, 2-1)
4. Alexander Central (4-3, 2-2)
5. McDowell (4-4, 2-2)
6. Watauga (2-5, 0-3)
7. South Caldwell (0-7, 0-3)

The competition in those days for playoff spots was fierce. Plenty of good teams were left out of the postseason dance and to qualify for the playoffs was a thing of great pride. The NW4A was always a close, exciting slugfest from beginning to end. Hickory's Homecoming would prove to be no exception.

The stage had been set the week before. Hickory had bounced back from a lopsided loss to East Burke with a resounding 50-25 win over McDowell in Marion. The beating was bad enough to prompt Titan coaches to accuse Hickory of running up the score. The fact of the matter is that the margin of victory wasn't particularly outlandish.

That same night Freedom had whipped Alexander Central 28-0 and East Burke had wiped out South Caldwell, 41-0. Both wins were by wider margins than Hickory's victory over McDowell. But what it really signified was that these three teams, Freedom, East Burke, and Hickory were the best in the league and they were establishing their primacy.

Another interesting aspect of Freedom's win over Alexander Central was that all four touchdowns had been scored by junior quarterback Leon Johnson, the future Tar Heel and NFL star. Many people forget that although he was a running back on the collegiate and professional level Johnson was the fleet-footed QB who led the Patriots for two seasons. He was the best that the NW4A had to offer in terms of bluechip prospects.

Hickory was not without weapons, however. Leading the way was senior quarterback Michael Glasheen. The 6'3, 180-pound senior quarterback was soon to receive his invitation to represent North Carolina in the Shrine Bowl. Glasheen was an athlete who was a good passer but also an effective runner. He could get a first down on his own when necessary.

Glasheen had a couple of favorite receivers in the speedy Chad Bumgarner and big Robby Johnson (6'6, 225). Senior fullback Todd Austin (6'0, 220) was a battering ram, as was junior Richard Gaither (5'9, 220). Garon Erby provided the speed at tailback.

Hickory's defensive coordinator, David Elder, had a plan to deal with Freedom's wishbone offense. He placed as many as nine defenders in the box to put maximum pressure on the point of attack. The best way to stop an option attack is to blow it up at or behind the line of scrimmage. It's that simple.

Freedom took the opening kickoff and, despite Hickory's best efforts, managed to drive 76 yards for a touchdown. At one point the Tornadoes stopped the Patriots short on a third-down play only to let them have an automatic first down due to an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. On 1st-and-10 from the Hickory 22, Leon Johnson went around left end for seven yards and then lateraled to Anthony Fleming who carried the ball into the end zone from there. The PAT was successful and the Patriots were up, 7-0.

Hickory came right back, though, and put together an 83-yard scoring drive. On 2nd-and-8 at the Freedom 36, Glasheen rolled left and hit Bumgarner at the goal line for the touchdown. Roger Young's PAT tied the game at 7-7 with 1:53 left in the opening period.

The Hickory defense stymied the Patriots on Freedom's next drive and Matthew Pitts partially blocked a punt that set Hickory up at the Freedom 38. Hickory's drive was highlighted by Glasheen's 14-yard option run. The Tornadoes drove to the Freedom two before getting pushed back by a nine-yard loss and a penalty. That put Hickory in a 3rd-and-goal situation from the 17. Glasheen rolled to the right and threw towards Bumgarner. Freedom's Girard Scott tipped the pass but it still fell into the arms of Bumgarner for the touchdown. Another successful PAT made the score 14-7 in Hickory's favor. That was still the score when the first half ended.

Hickory took the opening kickoff in the second half and drove deep into Patriot territory until Garon Erby fumbled and Freedom's Kevin Summers recovered at the 11. It took Freedom 11 plays to score. Fleming did the honors with a leaping touchdown run from the Hickory three yard line. The kick was good and the game was tied 14-14 with 2:04 left in the third quarter.

Hickory's next drive went for 80 yards and took 13 plays. The first big play of the drive came when Richard Gaither busted off a 17-yard run on a draw play. That put Hickory on Freedom's 28. Glasheen then passed to Scott Stilwell down to the six. Todd Austin then fought off a tackle on 3rd-and-goal to give Hickory the lead once again. Young's kick made it 21-14.

Of course, Freedom had a lot to lose and didn't go down without a fight. The Patriots drove to Hickory's 40. Fleming then got around the left corner. He fumbled on a hit by Pitts but the ball rolled out of bounds at the 14. A third-down run by Leon Johnson moved the ball to the five. On fourth down Fleming crashed into the left side of the line.

With 2:17 left in the game the ball was spotted just inside the five. The chains came out. Just short! Hickory ball. The Red Tornadoes then ran out the clock to seal the win.

As Gaither told a reporter after the game: "We needed this game to go to the playoffs. We were prepared all night long. They [Freedom] sent us a wreath that said R.I.P. - Rest In Peace. We're sending it back Monday."

Hickory wound up sharing the NW4A title with East Burke, who defeated Freedom on Fat Friday two weeks after Hickory spoiled Freedom's perfect season.

Hickory vs. Kings Mountain...1964

2008-11-12T06:53:00.010-05:00

The fact of the matter is that Friday night's Hickory-Kings Mountain matchup is not the first time the two schools have played each other in the postseason.

A very significant game was played on Friday, November 20, 1964, between the Red Tornadoes and the Mountaineers in the semifinals of the WNCHSAA's Class 3A playoffs. Hickory, a 14-point underdog in the contest, defeated Kings Mountain, 6-0. The victory punched Hickory's ticket to the state championship game for the fifth time in seven seasons.

Kings Mountain entered the game with a 10-0 record, a 19-game winning streak and consecutive Southwestern Conference titles. Hickory had won its final seven games after starting the season 0-3. Hickory had clinched the Northwestern Conference title by crushing Newton-Conover, 34-6, in the regular season finale.

Kings Mountain head coach Bill Bates had developed an impressive passing attack that featured the talented arm of senior quarterback Pat Murphy and the reliable hands of ends Richard Gold and Jimmy Cloninger. In Kings Mountain's final regular season game, a 24-6 win over Lincolnton, Murphy had completed 16 of 24 passes for 186 yards and four touchdowns. The top ballcarrier for the Mountaineers was halfback Steve Baker who was also a quality receiver. The top Mountaineer linemen were Lyn Cheshire and Hubert McGinnis.

Hickory head coach Frank Barger preferred to get things done with a punishing ground game. His backfield consisted of fullback Steve Sisk, halfbacks Kelly Rudisill and Toby Morgan and quarterback Dickie Deal. After 10 games Morgan was averaging 6.7 yards per carry. Rudisill and Sisk averaged 5.6 and 5.4 yards respectively. When Hickory did throw the ball Barger would take Deal out of the game and send in Clement Huffman.

Barger described Kings Mountain's offensive line as being "not particularly big...but effective." Hickory's line, on the other hand, was big and talented. It consisted of tackles Steve Kilby and Tommy Teague, guards Larry Miller and Rodney Houston and center Jake Shuford. The ends were Ralph Hefner and Brad Stephens. Miller, the team captain, had already been selected for the Shrine Bowl. Kilby, a junior, would go to the Shrine Bowl in 1965.

Despite all the offensive firepower the two teams possessed, the game turned out to be a fierce defensive battle. Toby Morgan had a good night for Hickory, racking up 139 yards on 21 carries. Sisk chipped in with 79 yards while Rudisill finished with 51 yards. But it was Rudisill's touchdown run from seven yards out in the second quarter that provided the winning margin. Hickory outgained Kings Mountain 276-129.

The Mountaineers came close to either tying or taking the lead in the fourth quarter. Murphy completed five passes to Gold, Cloninger, Baker and Ronnie Rhea to get Kings Mountain inside Hickory's five yard line. Murphy was then intercepted in the end zone by Steve Wilson, who returned the ball out to the 22. Hickory then used its ability to move the chains to run the clock. Kings Mountain got the ball back one more time but was completely shut down.

When the game ended a jubilant Frank Barger was carried on the shoulders of Ralph Hefner and Johnny Hudson. The victory was an upset but apparently did not surprise Coach Barger. He had been quoted in the newspaper, predicting the victory. He said, "I think we will roll right over them. I don't think they can stop us."

Calling your shot and then making it happen... That's why the man was a legend.

The lineman who ate Shelby

2008-11-11T00:40:00.001-05:00

#62 nose tackle Thomas James

Kings Mountain utilizes a 3-4 defense. If you're an SEC fan then you may recognize this scheme as the same one that Alabama uses. And one of stars of the Tide's defense is Terrance "Mount" Cody, the 6'5, 365-pound nose tackle. Before he was injured Cody was a serious threat to an opponent's rushing attack. He was a disrupter. He forced offensive coordinators to adjust their gameplans in order to deal with him.

Kings Mountain has an impact player just like that, although not as gargantuan as Mount Cody.

The Mountaineer 3-4 defense is anchored by hardhitting nose tackle Thomas James. He's got the size (6'3, 265), the strength and the aggression to wreck an offensive line. I would compare him favorably to Newton-Conover's Jordan Gibbs (#76). CVAC fans are all painfully aware of what a beast Gibbs was all season. Thomas James is the same kind of player.

Other comparisons could be made to former Alexander Central defensive linemen such as Cameron Millsaps and Kyle Linney. They could and did dominate offensive lines, including Hickory's. The good news is that Hickory beat Millsaps and the Cougars in 2002 and beat Linney and Central's other big 'uns in 2006. But the Tornado linemen who played in those games can testify as to the nature of the trench warfare in those contests.

James will definitely have to be double-teamed, no doubt by Darrin Willis and Alex Martin, which will make things a little easier for one of KM's four linebackers. This will, in turn, mean that the Tornado fullback will have to be diligent in his blocking. Everybody is going to have to block in this one.

James was selected Cleveland County Player of the Week after he led the way in a 21-0 demolition of the Shelby Golden Lions. Here is a quote that best sums it up:

"Shelby simply had no answer for blocking James. No. 62 was a constant presence in the Lions' backfield. Besides his nine tackles on the night, the two-year starter hurried several throws, recovered a fumble and forced another fumble with a hard hit. His energy also helped fire up his fellow Mountaineer defenders..."

I wonder how big #62 will do against the Wild Tornado formation?

First look at Kings Mountain

2008-11-10T08:41:00.005-05:00

Mountaineer quarterback Mike Roberts

When discussing the Mountaineers you have to start with their quarterback. For those who aren't familiar with Mike Roberts (6'0, 170, Sr.), let me say that if you were to take the best aspects of Newton's A.J. Bazzle and Hibriten's Jamichael Walton, you'd have Mike Roberts.

Roberts is a better runner than Bazzle and a better passer than Walton. Last Friday Roberts punctuated his season with a career performance against Burns. Roberts finished the game with 216 yards on the ground and 133 through the air, accounting for four touchdowns. He surpassed the 1,000-yard milestone in both rushing and passing for the season.

Naturally Hickory's defensive gameplan must be geared toward stopping the quarterback. But Mike Roberts is not the only threat posed by the Mountaineer offense. He is joined in the backfield by Joe the Tailback (aka Joe Chambers). I'll talk about him in another post.

Pick 'em Week 12 recap

2008-11-10T07:40:00.001-05:00

I wound up going 6-2 on last Friday's games. It should have been flawless.

But South Caldwell wet the bed at home against Alexander Central. Then Foard crapped its pants, also at home, against St. Stephens. Wow! How much does it hurt to blow your best chance at winning a share of a conference title after 25 years of wandering in the wilderness? Just ask the Tigers.

Hey, condolences to those fightin' Tiger Squirrels! I knew that it would be slugfest and that St. Stephens was capable of pulling an upset. But I counted on Foard's hunger for that championship to help the Tigers overcome any challenge that Saint threw at them. I wasn't expecting the Indians to shut down Foard's running game so effectively. Remember, even in a losing effort, Hickory rushed for 214 yards. The Tiger Squirrels only managed 86 yards on the ground.

Remember when the Tigers were 9-1 and life was good?

Not much defense, but...

2008-11-10T06:45:00.001-05:00

It seems like there wasn't a lot of defense played Friday night at Frank Barger Stadium. The two teams cranked out a combined total of 944 yards and 91 points. Nevertheless, some lucky Tornado defender has to get the Terrible Terry Tate Defensive MVP Award. And the winner is...

Navaar Hamrick!

For the record, Hickory's top tacklers against Bunker Hill were juniors Tyler Barnette and Drew Siciliano, each with six total tackles. Barnette also broke up a pass while Siciliano had a tackle for loss, a sack and three "quarterback pressures."

But I'm awarding the bobblehead to Navaar, a senior, because he had four solo tackles, two sacks, three "quarterback pressures" and he also caused a fumble. Plus he is always one of the most fired-up players on the team and I really appreciate that. He did a good job Friday night.

Other top tacklers for Hickory included junior Cole Smithey and senior Clay Johnson who each recorded five total tackles. Smithey had one tackle for loss, Johnson had two. Michael Shook's tackle stats were down significatnly (four tackles, three of them solo hits). But he had a couple of "quarterback pressures". He broke up one pass and intercepted another one. Buddy Withers also intercepted a Bunker Hill pass.

It was good to see the reserves get some quality playing time. Obviously the Bears were still in there fighting for respect. Touchdowns were scored on Hickory's 2nd- and 3rd-stringers but the playing experience will help the younger players who will get another shot at it next season - if not sooner.

Finally, I'm hoping to see several players who have been out with injuries return to action this week to deal with Kings Mountain. Hickory will need all hands on deck and manning their battle stations in order to upset the Mountaineers.

New stars emerge for Hickory

2008-11-09T23:58:00.002-05:00

T.J. Wimbush showing his speed

What an interesting game we saw on Friday night. How interesting? Well, check this out...

After the first 10 games of the season the top of Hickory's rushing chart looked like this:

1. Rakim Barrett - 1,126 yards
2. Kyshell Geter - 291 yards
3. Trevin Parks - 284 yards
4. Tyshon Chisholm - 250 yards

Obviously those aren't exactly eye-popping numbers, right? When it comes time to evaluate the 2008 season and figure out what went wrong the lack of production from the running game will be high on the list of grievances.

But here's where it gets interesting. Hickory rolled up 464 rushing yards in the regular-season finale against Bunker Hill. Not too shabby when you consider that of the team's top four rushers only one (Trevin Parks) got any carries at all. And for those of you who don't know, Trevin's normal positions are split end and cornerback.

Rakim Barrett? Suspended from the team for disciplinary reasons (the second time in a month). Kyshell Geter? Played only on defense before leaving the game with a shoulder injury. Tyshon Chisholm? He's been out with an injury for the past two weeks.

Now I will concede that Bunker Hill came into the game ranked dead last in the CVAC in both rush defense and total defense. The Bears were allowing an average of 254 rushing yards per game. But still, Hickory barely had any of its top rushers available. Surely Bunker Hill could deal with a depleted Tornado backfield just this one time. Uhh, no, apparently the Bears couldn't.

It was Senior Night at Frank Barger Stadium but this game will be forever remembered as a changing of the guard in the offensive backfield. Last week a freshman started a regular-season varsity game for the first time in more than a decade. Against Bunker Hill a sophomore tailback made the Tornado Nation forget its troubles and cheer wildly as he ran all over the visitors from Claremont.

Sophomore tailback T.J. Wimbush got his first varsity start and made the most of it, rushing for 224 yards and three touchdowns on 27 carries (8.3 yards per carry). Exactly one year after Darrien Burch set the school single-game rushing record (326 yards) Wimbush recorded the 12th-best rushing performance in school history and easily the best outing a Hickory sophomore has ever had. That's just flat-out impressive.

Freshman fullback Casey Stinson, getting his second straight varsity start, was on his way to having a great night himself. Before leaving the game with a foot injury he had already picked up 53 yards on just three carries (17.7 yards per carry). Indications are that Casey will be available for duty this Friday against Kings Mountain.

Senior fullback Tavish Johnson had a great night running the football. He showed surprising speed on his 69-yard touchdown run that resulted from a perfectly-executed trap play, the likes of which we haven't seen in two or three years. For a team that runs the Wing-T offense like Hickory there are few sights more satisfying than witnessing a fullback busting it right up the middle and then takin' it to the house. It was fun to see the sideline erupt in cheering for Tavish. He has hung in there and kept the faith, so to speak. That touchdown was quite a payoff.

But Hickory's rushing avalanche didn't end there. Jason Hill, a junior who usually goes in on defense, got his chance to carry the ball Friday night. He only touched the ball twice but one of those resulted in a 44-yard touchdown run. He is a player who has made the most of his limited playing time on both defense and offense. I think that he will play a much bigger role for Hickory next season. I look forward to seeing that.

It wasn't completely about the rushing game, though. Senior David Dula hauled in a Kevin Shelton pass and then turned on his jets and scored the 39-yard touchdown. The play impressed me because of the way Dula controlled the ball when it bobbled as he caught it. Instead of giving up on it and letting the ball hit the ground he fought for that catch, juggling it briefly before getting control of it and then setting sail for the end zone. That's called making a play. That's how it has to be if you want to make some noise in the playoffs. Good stuff!

Casey Stinson gallops downfield

2009 Varsity Football Schedule

2008-11-08T20:26:00.003-05:00

Here's a first look at Hickory's 2009 varsity football schedule. The sites have not been finalized yet but the dates and opponents are confirmed.

As you probably know by now, Hickory will belong to a new conference starting next fall. It will be a mixed league called the Northwestern 3A/4A Conference. I will usually refer to it as simply the Northwestern Conference or NWC. The seven member schools of the NWC will be Hickory (3A), St. Stephens (3A), Fred T. Foard (3A), Hibriten (3A), Alexander Central (4A), South Caldwell (4A) and Watauga (4A).

Aug. 28...Statesville
Sep. 4...Newton-Conover
Sep. 11...Kings Mountain
Sep. 18...Crest
Sep. 25...Hibriten
Oct. 2...Fred T. Foard
Oct. 9...Alexander Central
Oct. 16...Freedom
Oct. 23...St. Stephens
Oct. 30...Watauga
Nov. 6...South Caldwell

Hickory leads in the series against 10 of the 11 teams on the schedule. The only exception is Crest. Click here to view Hickory's record versus next year's opponents.

Unifour playoff seedings

2008-11-08T19:37:00.003-05:00

It appears certain that nine Unifour teams have made the playoffs in five different brackets. One of the teams with their fingers crossed, hoping to get into the dance, were the Alexander Central Cougars. The Cougars upset South Caldwell last night in a must-win game. Nevertheless, the Cougars will be staying home this season.

Another development, as mentioned a little earlier, is that despite Saint's shocking upset of Fred T. Foard to clinch the CVAC's second automatic 3A berth, the Indians only received a #14 seed - just ahead of Hickory's #15 seed. I'd say the NCHSAA did not display much respect for either program. Call it the curse of the CVAC...

Here is a list of the teams that got in and their opponents. I'm including A.C. Reynolds and Watauga because they play in the Northwestern 4A Conference along with several Unifour teams.

4A West

#10 South Caldwell at #7 R.J. Reynolds
#11 South Meck at #6 East Burke
#15 North Davidson at #2 A.C. Reynolds
#14 Watauga at #3 Crest

3AA West

#14 St. Stephens at #3 Anson County
#15 Hickory at #2 Kings Mountain

3A West

#12 North Buncombe at #5 Fred T. Foard

2AA West

#14 Chase at #3 Hibriten
#12 Bandys at #5 Ashe County

2A West

#15 Graham at #2 Newton-Conover
#13 Maiden at #4 Starmount

LET THE GAMES BEGIN!

Tornadoes draw #2 Kings Mountain

2008-11-08T19:16:00.006-05:00

Hickory will go into the 3AA West playoff bracket at the #15 seed. The Red Tornadoes will face the #2 team in the bracket, Kings Mountain. The game will be at KM's Gamble Stadium. The Mountaineers, old conference foes during the four-year run of the Southwestern Foothills Conference, are the champions of the Southwestern 2A/3A Conference.

Hickory won four straight against Kings Mountain from 2001-2004 but in the past four years the Mountaineers have gotten a new coach who has orchestrated a renewal of the Kings Mountain program. The Mountaineers have always had size and athleticism but seemed to lack discipline and determination. Now they have the discipline, determination, good coaching combined with size and athleticism to be successful. They are champions.

But not only are the Mountaineers former opponents - they are also future opponents. Beginning next season the Red Tornadoes and Mountaineers will resume their rivalry as non-conference opponents. So this will provide an interesting preview of the future for both teams. And Tornado fans are familiar with Gamble Stadium, too. That's a good thing when you consider the possibility of having to go to Charlotte or Winston-Salem.

After all the drama about which team would get the coveted second automatic 3A berth from the CVAC, well...

It turns out that it wasn't much of a prize afterall. After pulling off the upset of the year by beating Fred T. Foard, the St. Stephens Indians did clinch the CVAC's second and final automatic playoff berth. But the Indians wound up getting the #14 seed: just one place above Hickory. It's like this for the Indians:

We shocked the world and ruined Foard's championship season and all we get is this lousy tee-shirt that says "14" on it? wtf??

Ain't that a kick in the pants? lol

66 and counting...

2008-11-07T08:24:00.001-05:00

They've done it again! The Young Tornadoes of the junior varsity closed out yet another 10-0 season by defeating a good Bunker Hill team by the score of 36-22.

Freshman tailback Quai Linebarger scored a pair of touchdowns on runs of six and 10 yards to lead Hickory in scoring. He has made a nice comeback from an injury suffered in the Bandys game. He is set to be the feature running back for the JV in 2009.

Also scoring touchdowns for the Red Tornado offense were sophomore tailback T.J. Wimbush and freshman quarterback Kyle Johnson.

Hickory's other score came courtesy of linebacker Mikey Payne. The sophomore, who is also the starting tight end, used his receiver's hands to snag a Bunker Hill pass and return it 35 yards for a touchdown. Nothing more exciting than a stylish pick-6.

For the record, Hickory's junior varsity has now won 66 games in a row. "The Streak" dates back to October 3, 2002 and a big victory over R-S Central. The last time Hickory JV lost a game was on September 28, 2002 in a Saturday makeup game down at Crest. I remember thinking at the time that Hickory had been screwed by the refs. I still do. Go figure!

The loss that day snapped Hickory's 19-game winning streak that had started in the middle of the 2000 season. Hickory has won 85 of its last 86 games.

Pick 'em Week 12

2008-11-07T00:01:00.001-05:00

Well, here we are at last. We've come to the end of the road for the CVAC as we have known it. Tonight marks the final night of competition in the league as it was originally conceived. The grand (but flawed) vision of some only lasted four years. But what a way to go out!

I have never been a fan of the CVAC. Since realignments are a four-year gig I made my peace with it so that I wouldn't lose my sanity. But I'm certainly not sorry to see it go away - or rather, to see Hickory leave it behind. I will discuss that further in another post.

But even I have to admit that the final night of CVAC competition offers up some very compelling matchups. There are three teams tied for first place, each with 9-1 overall records and 7-1 in the CVAC. Who will hold on tonight and clinch their share of the title?

Hibriten is one of the teams and the Panthers square off with archrival West Caldwell in the Black & Blue Game. Although I'm sure it will be fiercely fought the end result should be a victory for Hibriten by a large margin.

Newton-Conover looks to continue its recent domination of Bandys and thereby nail down its third CVAC co-championship. The Red Devils are rightly favored to win it but Bandys is certainly nobody's cupcake. If Newton phones it in the Devils can be beaten.

Fred T. Foard is playing for its first conference title since the early 1980s. They've got St. Stephens on tap tonight and the Indians have some motivation to pull off the upset. As previously discussed, if the Indians fall to the Tigers (and Hickory takes care of Bunker Hill) then the Red Tornadoes will finish ahead of Saint in the final standings and snatch that coveted automatic playoff berth away.

If Hickory finishes ahead of St. Stephens in the standings then Saint's historical win over the Red Tornadoes in September will be greatly diminished. Yes, the Indians ended a 15-year drought with the win but as the season has progressed the Red Tornadoes have improved - the Indians have not. Hickory beat Bandys and Maiden - the Indians did not. If Hickory finishes ahead of St. Stephens in the final standings then Hickory can legitimately claim to be the better team. The Indians don't want to face Hickory again in the playoffs. I can guarantee that one.

Bunker Hill at Hickory
Winner: Hickory

Bandys at Newton-Conover
Winner: Newton-Conover

Maiden at Patton
Winner: Maiden

St. Stephens at Fred T. Foard
Winner: Fred T. Foard

West Caldwell at Hibriten
Winner: Hibriten

Alexander Central at South Caldwell
Winner: South Caldwell

Freedom at East Burke
Winner: East Burke

Watauga at A.C. Reynolds
Winner: A.C. Reynolds

Withers wins his first bobblehead

2008-11-06T23:57:00.001-05:00

Junior linebacker Buddy Withers had a great game against West Caldwell and earned the Terrible Terry Tate Defensive MVP Award for the first time this season.

Withers racked up a team-leading 14 total tackles, including 10 solo stops and a couple of tackles for loss. He also got the Tornadoes on the board first when he scooped up a fumble and scampered 12 yards for a touchdown. That's his second fumble-return touchdown this season. He scored on a 43-yarder against Maiden.

Honorable mention goes to junior Tyler Barnette. The outside linebacker recorded six tackles (five solo), including a tackle for loss and two sacks. He also caused the fumble that Buddy Withers picked up and returned for the game's first touchdown.

Of course Mikey Shook had another great game. He finished second on the tackles chart with a total of 12. The only other defender with double-digit tackles was senior Chavis Shuford, who had a 10, including three for loss.

Other notable achievements on the defensive side of the ball were turned in by cornerback Trevin Parks who recorded a tackle for loss and a game-ending interception. Kyshell Geter, Rakim Barrett, Clay Johnson, Alex Martin and D.J. Holloway all recorded at least one tackle for loss. Barrett, Drew Siciliano and Cole Smith, all inside linebackers, were credited with "quarterback pressures."

One last look at the West Caldwell game

2008-11-06T23:55:00.004-05:00

#5 Trevin Parks off to the races

Before focusing on the Bunker Hill I wanted to take a moment and discuss three things that were significant in last week's 35-20 victory over the Warriors. Yes, the score doesn't reflect how close the game was in the fourth quarter. Yes, the Red Tornadoes had to put up a couple of defensive stands in the red zone and resort to the wildcat formation to finally put the Warriors away.

Ahhh, but since nothing has come easy this season why should the West Caldwell game have been any different? The Red Tornadoes got 'er done and that's all that matters now. And Friday night they are in position to finish the CVAC chase ahead of St. Stephens. Hickory's football team is still in there fighting...even if the fans are not.

Here are three things that impressed me about the Red Tornadoes last Friday:

Kevin Shelton surpassed the 1,000-yard mark in passing yardage for the second straight year. Against the Warriors Shelton completed five of his nine pass attempts (56%) for 113 yards and a perfect 35-yard touchdown strike to Anthony Wilson. Shelton's total for the season is now 1,101 yards. He also has 12 touchdowns to his credit.

Kevin now sits safely at #4 on Hickory's career yardage list. His total yardage for his varsity career is 2,418. He ranks behind only Tim Swanson (3,780 yards from 1997-1999), Cole Kenworthy (3,611 yards from 2000-2002) and Daniel Willis (2,729 yards from 1994-1996). Kevin's older brother Patrick is #5 on the list (2,097 yards from 2004-2005).

The wildcat formation really works well! The offense has been using the direct snap to Trevin Parks a little bit, here and there, for most of the season. It almost always results in positive yardage when used. That was particularly true against West Caldwell. With Hickory clinging to a 21-20 in the fourth quarter the Tornadoes put the ball in Trevin's hands twice, resulting first in a 55-yard touchdown run and then a 60-yard run to the end zone.

Trevin finished the night with 176 yards rushing on just four carries (44 yards per carry). Not too shabby for a wide receiver, huh? In my opinion, the wildcat formation is just one example of what Hickory is capable of doing offensively to maximize the athleticism and speed that is so abundant in the program. Trevin's football career at Hickory High is almost over. But the wildcat formation needs to remain a significant weapon for the future.

The youth movement keeps rockin' on! The fans that actually showed up last Friday witnessed something that doesn't happen very often at Hickory High. Fullback Casey Stinson became the first freshman to start a varsity game since 2004.

The last time it happened was when Austin Johnson was moved up to the varsity to play linebacker in the first-round playoff game against East Gaston. Even though Hickory lost that night, the Bruiser wound up as the game's leading tackler. He started every game for the next three years.

Prior to that special night one must go all the way back to mid-1990s to find freshmen in the starting varsity lineup. I believe that Anthony Foust started a game or two as a freshman during the championship run of 1996. And, of course, that '96 team was loaded with seniors and juniors who had been starting since their freshmen years in '93 and '94.

Stinson had some good runs early in the game. After that he was used more as a blocker. I thought he did a pretty good job with the blocking although he did miss one block that got his quarterback sacked. Heck, even seniors have their bad moments, so... Chock it up as a learning experience. But there is no doubt that Stinson played like he belonged out there with the veterans. That is huge. Good job, Casey Stinson!

I can't wait to see what happens next!

#35 Stinson runs interference for Parks

Bobblehead is back!

2008-11-05T11:15:00.000-05:00

I hope that there won't be anymore rain delays this season. The rain that never really came down on October 24th but forced Hickory's game with Hibriten to be postponed till last Monday night created all kinds of delays and hassles. So I'm just now able to hand out the Terrible Terry Tate Defensive MVP Award for the Hibriten game. Better late than never!

Against Hibriten there were four Tornadoes finishing in double digits for tackles. At the top of the list was senior safety Michael Shook with 16. Right behind him was junior outside linebacker Tyler Barnette with 15, including two tackles for loss. Coming in third was senior Kyshell Geter with 12 total tackles. Right behind him was sophomore Tyshon Chisholm with 11 total tackles, including one for loss.

And the bobblehead goes to... Tyler Barnette in a squeaker. On the strength of his two tackles for loss Tyler edged out Mikey Shook for the coveted award. Of course this will be Tyler's one and only varsity season on the defensive side of the ball as he is the heir apparent at quarterback. But as the 2008 season has progressed, so has Tyler as a football player. Hats off to him!

As far as the overall defensive effort against the Panthers is concerned, I was pleased to see the adjustments that were made. Against Hibriten the Red Tornado defense lined up in a 3-5-3 alignment designed to clog up the middle with one less down lineman but with an additional linebacker. It did not shut down the Panther offense but it did slow it down enough to allow Hickory's offense to keep up. The fact that it was 28-28 when time expired proves that the strategy worked.

Once the game went into overtime, it truly was anybody's ballgame.

Another aspect that pleased me was to see continued contributions by younger players. The entire linebacking corps all season long has been comprised of underclassmen. Against Hibriten sophomore Alex Williams got his first varsity start. He wound up with eight total tackles. That makes two sophomores who have now started at least one varsity game at linebacker.

The other one, Tyshon Chisholm, has even won the prestigious TTT Defensive MVP Award. That's a strong investment in the future. Also keep in mind that it was a freshman, Dametrius Lewis, who had the monster hit on the Panther kickoff returner that caused the fumble that was quickly converted into the game-tying touchdown.

It was a pretty good night for the down linemen, particularly seniors Clay Johnson and Chavis Shuford. They both recorded eight total tackles.

Another name that pops out is Rakim Barrett. This was his first game to see significant playing time on the defensive side of the ball. He made the most of it by racking up six tackles, five of which were solo hits. Barrett plays with so much heart. I am very proud of him.

I am very proud of all the Red Tornadoes for how they fought in a game that nobody expected them to win. As I mentioned in a previous post it was truly inspiring to be on the sideline, watching the players enjoying the moment. Good times.

Tornado JV clinches another CVAC title

2008-11-03T17:13:00.001-05:00

Jake Meade executes the perfect tackle

It's become pretty routine by now, of course, but it should not be lost on the Tornado Nation that your all-powerful junior varsity clinched sole possession of yet another CVAC title. Everybody talks about "The Streak," as they should. But it's also true that the Young Tornadoes have now won seven conference championships in the past eight years. As Borat would say, "I like. Iz nice..."

The Young Tornadoes racked up a lot of style points in the victory. In the 56-8 victory the scoring parade included two TDs by sophomore T.J. Wimbush, who is having a great year. But the rest of the JV's offensive touchdowns were scored by freshmen. Quai Linebarger got a pair of TDs. Shaquan Reid, Daniel Frederick and Dalvin Parsons each rushed for a touchdown. Jordan Walls-Davis hauled in his first high school touchdown pass. I suspect it was merely the first of many touchdown catches to come.

It was great to see sophomores Nick Bush and Robert Whaley back in action after being sideline all year by early injuries. Whaley punctuated his return (literally) by intercepting a Warrior pass and returning it 56 yards for a touchdown. Style points.

The defense continues to be excellent. The best compliments you can give to a defense are that it swarms and it hits hard. That's what we can say about the 2008 JV defense. The Young Tornadoes swarm to the ball and they hit hard and finish plays. Do they always make the play? No. Have they allowed some points to be scored? Of course. Obviously there is still plenty of development that needs to happen. But the talent is there. The athleticism is there. Perhaps most importantly, I believe the heart is there. The determination to win is there. These young players will duplicate on the varsity the success they have earned on the junior varsity.

There is one more challenge to overcome this season. On Thursday night the Young Tornadoes will travel to Claremont to face the Bunker Hill Bears. The Bears are 6-2 in the CVAC and 7-2 overall. They now have no shot at the title but they are definitely a threat to end "The Streak." The Bears are not to be taken lightly and this week's season finale will be an exciting one. I can't wait!

GO HICKORY!!

Payne and Davenport corral a Warrior runner

Pick 'em Week 11 recap

2008-11-03T16:01:00.001-05:00

It was a pretty good week for yours truly on the prognostication front. The final tally was 7-1 with the only blemish being Watauga's surprising loss to Freedom last Thursday night.

The Patriots have now won two games in a row, neither of which was played on a Friday night. They beat Alexander Central on a Saturday night due to a rain postponement and then beat Watauga on Thursday due to the Appalachian game being played in Boone on Friday. So now we know that the key to Freedom's success is to avoid Friday nights like the plague.

Going with Maiden and Alexander Central paid off - bigtime! It's quickly becoming apparent that Hickory's loss to St. Stephens was merely a fluke. The Indians haven't done anything since then - except lose to Bandys and Maiden, both teams that Hickory defeated.

Alexander Central has two good running backs and a promising quarterback. That's more than McDowell can say. I believe Alexander Central will be a pretty good team next season. Beating McDowell was more about 2009 than it was about this season.

I just want to thank the Maiden Blue Devils for doing my bidding last week. I called for them to inflict harm on the Indians and they obeyed. Now I must wash my hands of them. I hope Patton gets that shocking victory they've been looking for all season by whipping Maiden. I'm not holding my breath or anything...but it would be nice.

And speaking of nice... I was prepared to wash my hands of Bandys, too. But then I thought how sweet it would be if the Trojans could rise up and take revenge on Newton-Conover for the humiliating losses the Red Devils have inflicted on them the past few years. Now would be a great time for some payback. The added benefit for the rest of us? Keeping the Red Devils from getting even a piece of the CVAC title.

Since Hickory can't have it I prefer to see Hibriten and Fred T. Foard share the championship. Why? Simple. I hate Newton-Conover and because I think it would be cool for the final "original" CVAC crown to be carried off by a couple of teams that are headed into the new (and improved) Northwestern Conference next season.

Stick that in your juicebox and suck it!

Remember the good ol' days of September?

Great moments in schadenfreude, Part 2

2008-11-01T13:05:00.001-04:00

Indian fans finally "get it"

Remember the hypothetical grocery store on Trailer Park Road? Remember the scenario I laid out in which the Blue Devils did to Saint what they couldn't do against Hickory? Well the horror story has come true. St. Stephens is now faced with the daunting task of having to beat Fred T. Foard next Friday just to finish in a tie with Hickory in the CVAC.

To make things worse for the Indians they are not only facing a superior team in Foard but also a team locked in a struggle to clinch a share of the CVAC championship. The Tigers aren't about to let it all slip away by losing to St. Stephens. So, you know...good luck with that Indians!

Maiden-35 St. Stephens-30

So, remember that cute little story that the local "sports editor" told a few weeks ago about the hypothetical Hickory fan who was getting messed with by his rabid Indian co-workers about Saint's historical victory over the Red Tornadoes? You remember, right? The hypothetical Hickory fan supposedly called the "sports editor" for help. Hmmmmmm...

What I heard was that those rabid Indian fans got so carried away with it that they decided to get mohawks and dress up like Indians to demonstrate their fanatical support of St. Stephens football. They thought it was cool. Turns out they were wrong...

Playoff alchemy, Part 3

2008-11-01T09:57:00.003-04:00

The NCHSAA has churned the ADM numbers provided by the DPI (the source of the enrollment figures I discussed earlier in the week) through some sort of secret decoder ring and presented them to the world.

For some reason, several of the figures are higher than originally indicated. Other numbers are identical. Hickory is one of those that has higher numbers than previously indicated. So once again the Red Tornadoes will be heading into the 3AA West bracket for the playoffs.

I don't know what caused the discrepancy in numbers or why some numbers are different while others are identical. It's a moot point since the NCHSAA's figures are the "official" ones. The "official" numbers that the NCHSAA has presented for the Unifour schools are as follows:

4A
South Caldwell 1,755
Alexander Central 1,655
Freedom 1,293
East Burke 1,123

3A
Hickory 1,366
St. Stephens 1,288
Fred T. Foard 1,103

2A
Hibriten 1,156
Patton 1,008
West Caldwell 974
Bunker Hill 935
Bandys 917
Newton-Conover 853
Maiden 837
Draughn 723

The other new development occurred last night when Maiden beat St. Stephens. That loss dropped the Indians into a tie with Hickory in the CVAC. How's that for a nasty trick-or-treat for the Trailer Park folks? If last night had been the end of the season then the Indians would still have the edge on Hickory thanks to their historic victory over the Red Tornadoes earlier in the season.

However, with one week to go the Indians now must face Fred T. Foard while Hickory gets Bunker Hill. This means that, barring upsets, Hickory should finish a game ahead of St. Stephens and thus earn the CVAC's second and final automatic playoff berth. Oh, snap!

In addition to cancelling out whatever joy the Indians took in finally getting a win over Hickory, finishing ahead of St. Stephens will allow Hickory to get seeded as a conference #2, which is significantly better than being a wildcard bracket filler. It could even mean getting a home game in the first round. While it's true that home field advantage hasn't been worth much this season for the Red Tornadoes it's still better than hitting the road in the playoffs.

Stay tuned.

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T18:06:00.004-04:00

Trailer Park trick or treat

2008-10-31T06:25:00.000-04:00

I'm thinking about the game tonight over on Trailer Park Road between St. Stephens and Maiden. Wow, a visit from Devils on Halloween. Too cool!

It's pretty freakin' scary for the Indians, though. One false step and they can kiss their edge on Hickory goodbye. Going into tonight's round of games St. Stephens is a full game ahead of Hickory in the standings with the head-to-head tiebreaker in hand as well. But...

It's finally Hickory's turn to gobble up the conference cupcakes, West Caldwell (0-9) and Bunker Hill (1-8), in the final weeks of the regular season. So it's pretty much a given that the Red Tornadoes are done losing for the time being. Meanwhile the Indians face a surging Maiden tonight and the best Fred T. Foard team anybody has seen in nearly 30 years. Oops!
What if Maiden beats St. Stephens tonight in the Trailer Park? What if the Indians found themselves in a must-win situation next week against Fred T. Foard? What if Hickory wound up finishing ahead of St. Stephens? This 2008 season is the worst we've seen since 1994. St. Stephens actually beat Hickory for the first time since 1993. What if none of that really mattered because the Indians tripped and fell just shy of the finish line?

It reminds me of a movie I saw last year. Picture if you will a grocery store on Trailer Park Road. It's Halloween and the smoke from Maiden rolls in... The Indian season is in dire peril. How would a group of Saint fans trapped in that grocery store handle the situation? It might go something like this:

Grandview Eagles rock the county!

2008-10-30T21:35:00.010-04:00

Jordan Lockhart gallops to the end zone

Call it what you will. The City Championship. The All-American City Classic. The Battle for the Golden Helmet. The 51st battle for middle school supremacy in Hickory was fought out last night at Frank Barger Stadium and this time it was the Grandview Eagles who came out on top.

The 26-6 victory for the Eagles was extra sweet because it meant that they would clinch at least a share of the league championship. But when Maiden knocked off archrival Mill Creek last night it meant that Grandview (6-1) stood alone at the top. After last week's games Grandview had been part of a 3-way tie at the top with Northview (6-2) and Mill Creek (5-2).

It's appropriate that Halloween is this week because it's downright scary that Hickory's middle school programs are beginning to dominate a league in which they used to be also-rans. The fact that both of Hickory's middle school programs have won the county championship outright in back-to-back seasons is a scary prospect for our local rivals.

Looking at the combined group of eighth graders from both schools one can see a bright future for the future Red Tornadoes at all positions but particularly in the trenches. Kyree Connor, JaSean Abernathy, Tyler Early and Montavious Mayfield of Grandview and Devontae Burch, Will McCarrick, Hunter Jones and Nathan Gibbs have the size, athleticism and aggressive tendencies that make good high school linemen.

The top skill position eighth graders from both schools include Jalen Thompson, Raheim Connelly, Zach Jarrett, Darius Malbon and Nick Guarino of Northview; Noah Kelly, Daniel Davis, Craig Ruff, Shaquille Smith, Jordan Lockhart and Tony Nguyen of Grandview.

Congratulations to Coach Todd Teague of Grandview and Coach Mike Mackie of Northview for all your hardwork. I also want to mention that both men have good staffs of assistants. The Grandview assistant coaches are Neil Lortz, Chris Smithey and Chris Hopper. Northview's assistants are JuJu Phillips, Sean Carson and Richard "Big Cat" Parker. All these guys do an outstanding job of developing Hickory's young talent and preparing them for Red Tornado football.

The biggest winner of all in the City Championship was the Hickory High football program. Believe that!

Eagles and Hawks for now, Red Tornadoes of the future

Playoff alchemy, Part 2

2008-10-30T17:44:00.005-04:00

In light of what I posted the other day about the likelihood of Hickory facing either West Rowan, Tuscola or Carver (in no particular order) there has been a new wrinkle added to the scenario.

It is confirmed that Carver has forfeited its September 5th victory over West Forsyth due to the use of an ineligible player. What does this mean for Carver? Well, now the Yellow Jackets will not be in the running for the #1 seed in the 3A West bracket.

Instead of being seeded as a 10-0 team Carver will now be considered a 9-1 team. So now it would be Tuscola and West Rowan flipping a coin to determine who gets the #1 and #2 seeds. Meanwhile, assuming that Fred T. Foard can beat Bandys tomorrow night and St. Stephens next week the Tigers will be treated as a 9-1 team, too.

Unless Hickory slips past St. Stephens to get that coveted automatic berth the Red Tornadoes will probably play the #3 or #4 seed. One of those teams will be Carver. The other will be Fred T. Foard.

Long story short...Hickory could face Fred T. Foard in the first round of the playoffs. Let that sink in for a little bit...

HERE WE GO, TORNADOES!!

Pick 'em Week 11

2008-10-30T17:35:00.003-04:00

I almost shot myself in the foot by missing tonight's Unifour contests taking place in Lenoir and Boone. Due to App's game tomorrow night the two teams in the vicinity are playing tonight in order to avoid a conflict for fans. So without further ado, here we go...

Patton at Hibriten
Winner: Hibriten

Freedom at Watauga
Winner: Watauga

Hickory at West Caldwell
Winner: Hickory

Fred T. Foard at Bandys
Winner: Fred T. Foard

Maiden at St. Stephens
Winner: Maiden

Newton-Conover at Bunker Hill
Winner: Newton-Conover

McDowell at Alexander Central
Winner: Alexander Central

South Caldwell at A.C. Reynolds
Winner: A.C. Reynolds

Pick 'em Week 10 recap

2008-10-29T06:32:00.003-04:00

South Caldwell!!! Once again I got the Spartans all wrong. Talk about a wildcard team!

I knew I was out on a limb picking the Red Tornadoes but I'm pleased at how close they came to making me look like a dang genius!

Bandys blew it against Maiden but that doesn't bother me right now because I'm thrilled to see the Blue Devils hitting their stride now - just in time to bushwhack St. Stephens this week.

Let's go, Big Blue!

Red Tornadoes turn the corner

2008-10-29T06:07:00.003-04:00

Barrett picks up some of his 180 yards

This is the time of year when Hickory frequently gets a dramatic victory, usually an upset, and occasionally in overtime. Hibriten came into the game with a 7-1 record and a #7 state ranking. Hickory entered the contest with a 4-4 record and in tight competition with St. Stephens for an automatic berth in the playoffs.

The situation from a Hickory standpoint reminded me of this scene from The Blues Brothers:

But it was the Red Tornadoes who took the fight to Hibriten last night in a hard-hitting, big-play game that defied the odds and ended in a tie that required two overtimes to break. Even though the final score went against Hickory the game was about as close to a "win-win" situation as you will find in football.

The heavily favored Panthers got their first-ever victory over Hickory and in doing so kept pace with the other CVAC leaders, Newton-Conover and Fred T. Foard. Hibriten's conference championship hopes hung by a thread and the Panthers knew it. In the end, they scored the winning points and then stopped Hickory to secure the victory.

But make no mistake about it. Hickory came away with a win, too. On two different occasions the Red Tornadoes fell behind by 14 points. And both times they fought their way back. The fact that the game had to go into overtime was a victory for the Tornadoes. How you fight is how you will be remembered.

Our Red Tornadoes fought hard and well. The intensity of the players, several of them newcomers to the varsity, was great to see. The obvious adjustments to the defensive gameplan was great to see.

The determined running of senior Rakim Barrett, as usual, was great to see. Back in action after being held out of last week's game for disciplinary reasons, Rakim had his best game ever, rushing for 180 yards and two touchdowns. That brings his season total to 1,038 yards and 10 touchdowns. He reminds me of former Tornado running backs Brandon Michaux and Craig Barnette. Both of them were tough, dogged runners who took hard hits and kept right on going.

The list of things that made me happy last night at the game is pretty long. David Dula's 51-yard kickoff return following Hibriten's touchdown that made the score 28-14. Dula's big return set up the first of Barrett's touchdowns. That made the score 28-21.

Then there was the big hit that freshman Dametrius Lewis and junior Dalton Hudson put on the Hibriten kick returner, forcing a fumble that was recovered by junior Jordan Thompson at the Panther 21. Barrett scored from there on the very next play. It's always great to see one of our running backs break into the clear and gallop to the end zone.

Then there was the Hibriten field goal attempt that would have given the Panthers a victory except that the ball hit the left upright and bounced away, no good. Hey, sometimes you have to be lucky. The excitement on the sideline was terrific. That's when the game is really fun (as long as the breaks are going your way).

The intensity of the players, from beginning to end, was great to see. I also enjoyed how excited and pumped up they were when they tied the game. Hickory has had nothing but success in overtime in recent years. The players were completely confident about their chances of success in the overtime periods. And they had good reason to be. There were some things Hickory did on offense that Hibriten never did really stop.

I was so happy with the way the Tornadoes handled the challenge of playing one the best teams in the state that it took a little while for the sting of the loss kicked in. To come so close to victory when most people didn't think it even possible is a bummer. But now the players and their true fans know that they can be successful on the field this season. And the seeds of greater success have been planted.

The Red Tornadoes now have an opportunity to sharpen their game against the conference cupcakes, West Caldwell (0-9) and Bunker Hill (1-8). If all goes according to plan the Tornadoes will enter the playoffs. There is still a possibility that they could secure the second automatic berth if St. Stephens loses its last two games. Otherwise Hickory will receive a wildcard berth.

The (black) eye of the Tiger

2008-10-27T08:56:00.006-04:00

Darryl Gamble's first "pick-6"

The Dawgs beat the crap out of LSU right there in "Death Valley" on Saturday. You can now refer to Tiger Stadium as the Dawg House! LSU fans thought they were being clever when they acquired Knowshon Moreno's cell # and called it repeatedly to harass him. Well, payback is a bitch! The Corn Dog Nation got what it deserved!!

I guarantee that the worthless jerk in the video below isn't dancing for joy now!

And WTF is up with the pimp gear? Is that what an LSU degree is good for?

And finally... You just knew this was coming.

You stay classy, Tigers!

Busy week for Red Tornado football

2008-10-27T07:36:00.004-04:00

I took the weekend off from posting in part because this will be one busy and exciting week for Red Tornado football program.

It starts tonight with a crucial contest at Frank Barger Stadium against the Hibriten Panthers. Hibriten is currently the 7th-ranked team in the state for Class 2A. Technically speaking the Panthers are a half-game behind Newton-Conover and Fred T. Foard in the CVAC championship race. The Panthers will be looking to keep pace with those two teams. Hickory is in a tight battle with St. Stephens for an automatic playoff berth. Hibriten is hoping to beat Hickory for the first time ever. The Red Tornadoes would love to shock the state by pulling off a huge upset.

This week Kevin Shelton should go over 1,000 yards passing for the season. He only needs 38 more yards. This goal could be reached by the end of the first quarter tonight. Also, Rakim Barrett should return to action and he could possibly break 1,000 yards rushing for the season this week. He is currently 142 yards short of that mark. To beat Hibriten we may need him to get all those yards tonight. But if he doesn't quite get it all tonight then he certainly will before the week is over.

There will be more football action at Frank Barger Stadium on Wednesday night when Hickory's middle schools, Northview (6-1) and Grandview (5-1) square off in the 51st city championship game. Thanks to Northview's 20-6 victory last Wednesday over previously-undefeated Mill Creek, the winner of the city championship will also clinch at least a share of the county title. The future Red Tornadoes who wear the blue and white of Northview or the red and white of Grandview always put on a great show.

On Thursday night the Tornado JV returns home to face West Caldwell. The Young Tornadoes will be looking to win their 65th consecutive game and, more importantly, maintain their one-game lead on the Bunker Hill Bears, who play Newton this Thursday. If Bunker Hill can beat the Red Devils then they will have a chance to get a share of the CVAC title if they can beat Hickory next week. That's a big "if" though.

Friday night the varsity will travel to Gamewell to take on the totally defeated Warriors. After a brutal month of football it's time for Hickory to enjoy the cupcake portion of the CVAC schedule.

And for me, the Dawg fan, Saturday is huge! Georgia takes on Florida in the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party in Jacksonville. The Gators want revenge for "the Celebration" last year? Forget that! Georgia wants revenge for the 1990s! Go Dawgs!

Playoff alchemy, Part 1

2008-10-27T06:31:00.004-04:00

The ADM numbers have been released, giving us a clearer idea as to how the playoffs will shape up.

"ADM" stands for "Average Daily Membership" which is basically the number that represents the size of a school's enrollment. This is the same kind of number that determines classifications every four years. For playoff purposes the ADM number determines whether a team goes into the "A" or "AA" bracket.

Since the playoffs were expanded in 2002 Hickory has always participated in the 3AA West bracket. But the latest ADM numbers indicate that the Red Tornadoes may be headed into the 3A West this season.

The ADMs of the 15 Unifour schools are as follows:

Alexander Central 1,655
South Caldwell 1,599
Freedom 1,293
East Burke 1,123

St. Stephens 1,288
Hickory 1,184
Fred T. Foard 1,103

Hibriten 1,048
Patton 1,008
Bunker Hill 935
Bandys 917
West Caldwell 879
Maiden 837
Newton-Conover 751
Draughn 723

Hickory was on the bubble last season, flirting with going 3A but in the end did wind up as the #1 seed in 3AA. But with another drop in ADM (in 2007 Hickory's ADM was 1,265) my cyphering has the Red Tornadoes just missing the cutoff for 3AA.

St. Stephens will definitely go into the 3AA West again this season. There is also no question that Fred T. Foard will go into the 3A West. Based on what I've seen so far, I believe that Hickory will join Foard in the 3A West bracket.

I said this time last week that Hickory needed to win out in order to clinch the CVAC's second automatic playoff berth. Bandys came through for us by tagging Saint with a third conference loss. That means that the Indians will probably wind up with four CVAC losses. And the way that Maiden is playing right now they could also knock off the Indians. In fact I wouldn't even consider that an upset anymore.

But even if Hickory doesn't get an automatic berth they are still almost guaranteed a wildcard berth. It would take three straight losses to keep Hickory out altogether. At worst Hickory should finish 6-5 overall and 5-4 in the CVAC. For seeding purposes the loss to Statesville will be dropped. Which means that Hickory would be considered to have a 6-4 record, including five conference wins. That will be more than enough to get into the dance.

A Hickory win tonight against Hibriten would set up the Tornadoes to go into the playoffs with an "adjusted record" of 7-3. The significance of that would be a higher seed and (in theory) a more manageable first-round opponent. I don't see Hickory getting a home game in the first round this year. So get ready to travel.

And where will the Tornadoes travel to? Assuming that I'm right that Hickory is destined for the 3A West bracket and based on current information (prior to tonight's make-up games) I estimate that Hickory's first-round opponent will be one of the following:

West Rowan
Fred T. Foard
Anson County
Western Alamance
Asheville
North Buncombe

Just some Monday morning food for thought.

GO HICKORY!!

Junior Varsity does it to Hibriten again!

2008-10-24T12:15:00.001-04:00

Kyle Johnson returns an interception

Two years ago a deep pass from David Dula to a streaking Marcus Sims scored the winning touchdown for Hickory as time expired. Last season it was Tyshon Chisholm returning a blocked field goal attempt for a touchdown as time expired to beat the Panthers. So what happened last night up in Lenoir?

Nothing quite as dramatic as what we've seen the last two years but still plenty exciting. The Red Tornado JV, winners of 64 straight and 83 of their last 84 games, fell behind on the scoreboard twice during the contest before scoring what turned out to be the game-winner with 6:32 left in the fourth quarter. The Tornado defense then held on to clinch the 16-13 victory.

It was another good night for sophomore tailback T.J. Wimbush and freshman fullback Casey Stinson. And their success is a credit to the blocking of the offensive line. Whenever the game was in jeopardy Hickory responded with impressive drives to re-take the lead.

Wimbush scored Hickory's first touchdown from five yards out. The two-point conversion was successful. That made the score 8-7, Hickory. After falling behind 13-8 the Tornadoes reponded immediately with a drive that culminated in Stinson's 13-yard touchdown run. Hickory again went for - and got - a two-point conversion.

Hickory returns home to Frank Barger Stadium next Thursday to host the West Caldwell Warriors.

Dametrius Lewis moves in for the kill

Breaking down tonight's CVAC games

2008-10-24T09:55:00.005-04:00

Last week was a great one in the CVAC (unless you're a Newton or Saint fan, lol) and I'm hoping to keep the good times rolling this week.

This week's slate of games includes a couple of severe mismatches (I'm lookin' at you, Bears and Warriors), a formerly-significant rivalry that now has little real meaning for the rest of us - *cough* Bandys/Maiden - and a huge matchup at Frank Barger Stadium between Hickory and Hibriten. Oh yeah, St. Stephens is playing tonight, too. Don't choke on it!

BANDYS (4-2, 5-3) AT MAIDEN (2-4, 3-5)

Series Notes: Maiden has owned Bandys through the years, leading the series, 41-11-3. Bandys, however, has won it the past couple of years.

What to look for tonight: The Trojans gained some legitimacy last week by knocking off St. Stephens. Prior to that their "resurgance" - fueled by wins over the likes of West Caldwell, Bunker Hill and Patton - had been suspect. Maiden is "surging" too, after back-to-back wins against, you guessed it, West Caldwell and Bunker Hill. So which one is the real deal?

Bandys is the best passing team in the league by far and now boasts one of the best running backs, as well. Josh McCombs is a big back with good speed. Either he has a big game tonight or the Blue Devils make the choice to key on him, in which case Houser will pick them apart. It's the classic dilemma that teams with a balanced offense create for opposing defenses. Maiden still doesn't have a reliable rushing attack. The surge continues for one more week at Bandys. The Trojans then get to close out the season with games against Fred T. Foard and Newton-Conover. Hmmm...

BUNKER HILL (1-5, 1-7) AT FRED T. FOARD (5-1, 7-1)

Series Notes: The Tigers are looking to win their fourth straight against the Bears.

What to look for tonight: The Tigers don't have any weaknesses this season. They've got the experience, the relentless rushing attack, a reliable passing attack and a swarming defense. That spells big trouble for a team like Bunker Hill that is still in the research-and-development stage of its progression. Furthermore, the Tigers don't do the thing that a team like the Bears would need them to do in order to snag an upset. The Tigers don't turn the ball over. Foard is the league's best in the turnover ratio department.

Foard also has the best overall defense. That means that even if Bunker Hill can force a turnover the offense probably won't have much success. Better times may finally be on the way for Bunker Hill but they are not here yet. Tiger quarterback Landon Isenhour and tailback Quinton Owens will get a chance to pad some stats tonight.

ST. STEPHENS (3-3, 5-3) AT PATTON (2-4, 3-5)

Series Notes: Nothing to report here, folks. Let's move along...

What to look for tonight: Last week the Panthers came close to getting that season-making upset win that they've been craving. Freshman fullback Winfield Johnson was used like a sledgehammer against the Hickory defense in a 17-14 loss. The Indians are physical on defense and may have more success than Hickory did in stopping the youngster. If stopping Johnson is Saint's plan then tonight might be a good one for Patton tailback Brandon Bethel. The Panthers can strike from the air, too.

St. Stephens is not the same team offensively that it was when it beat Hickory last month. Caleb Peterson, a key two-way player who was the hero against Hickory, is lost for the season. Quarterback Matt Fussell has been replaced by Tanner Miller. So far the switch seems to have been a positive one and yet was not enough to secure a win over Bandys. Tailback Antonio Sherrill has potential for the Indians but was shut down by the Trojan defense last week. This game is enough of a toss-up in my opinion that the outcome may be decided by turnover margin. The team that makes the fewest mistakes will win.

WEST CALDWELL (0-6, 0-8) AT NEWTON-CONOVER (5-1, 7-1)

Series Notes: Newton has won six in a row against the Warriors. The Red Devils lead the overall series, 9-2.

What to look for tonight: Look for a continuous running clock in this one. Don't be surprised to see a goose egg on West's side of the scoreboard. Basketball season can't get here fast enough for the Warriors.

Here comes the BOOM!

2008-10-24T09:48:00.003-04:00

Check out the nuclear block that takes out two defenders. This is high school football, brothers and sisters!

How awesome is that?

Pick 'em Week 10

2008-10-24T09:27:00.000-04:00

Last week was a flawless one for yours truly in the prediction business. I had all the professional experts eating my dust.

This week it gets a lot trickier as Hickory hosts heavily-favored Hibriten at Frank Barger Stadium tonight. I'm going with Hickory and the upset special. The only other tough one this week in my opinion is the Maiden-Bandys affair down at Maiden. The Trojans followed my instructions last week and defeated the Trailer Park Renegades. I couldn't care less who wins this game but I will go ahead and stick with the Trojans. Let's do this.

Hibriten at Hickory
Winner: Hickory

Bandys at Maiden
Winner: Bandys

Bunker Hill at Fred T. Foard
Winner: Fred T. Foard

St. Stephens at Patton
Winner: St. Stephens

West Caldwell at Newton-Conover
Winner: Newton-Conover

Alexander Central at Freedom
Winner: Alexander Central

McDowell at East Burke
Winner: East Burke

South Caldwell at Watauga
Winner: Watauga

So easy a professional "expert" can do it...

Another historical moment coming up?

2008-10-21T17:56:00.000-04:00

Jordan Wilson breaks loose at Hibriten in 2007

It's been a season of milestone victories for Hickory's opponents. Statesville got its first win over Hickory since 2001. St. Stephens beat Hickory for the first time since 1993 (and for only the second time in the series). Fred T. Foard won against the Red Tornadoes for the first time since 2000. Now here comes Hibriten, perhaps the best team Hickory has faced all year. Behind a high-octane offense and a stingy defense, the Panthers will be the heavy favorites to do something they've never done before: Beat Hickory.

This game will be the last opportunity in the regular season for Hickory to make a statement to the rest of the league. The final two weeks of the season should - emphasis on should - be routine for the Red Tornadoes. Even in this downer of a season Hickory should beat West Caldwell and Bunker Hill. I'm not encouraging the players to take either the Warriors or the Bears for granted. Of course not! I'm just stating the obvious. Those games should be Hickory wins, period. Which means that nobody will be impressed by them.

But a win this week against arguably the best team in the Unifour, coming on the heels of their victory over previously undefeated Newton-Conover, would be huge. It's an exciting moment and should be viewed as a golden opportunity - rather than a potential disaster. After all, the game is decided on the field. It's 11 guys versus 11 other guys. And the pressure is squarely on the shoulders of the Panthers, believe me.

The key matchup in my opinion will be Hickory's offense versus the Panther defense.

Statistics indicate that Hickory will have a hard time stopping Hibriten's rushing attack. Defending the run has been Hickory's biggest problem this season. The Panthers, on the other hand, are the best rushing team in the league right now. Hickory's defense is currently allowing an average of 200 rushing yards per game. Hibriten's offense is averaging 278 yards of rushing per game. They also pass the ball effectively, if infrequently. The Tornado defense could play well and still not be able to shut the Panthers down.

I think, however, that Hickory can move the ball against Hibriten's defense. Yes, the Panthers have some headhunters on that side of the ball. Yes, they hit hard. I remember being impressed at the hitting that was taking place on the field up in Lenoir. You could hear it as well as see it. Quin Smith is a beast and he will get his share of tackles. Hibriten's goal will be to stop Hickory from doing what Hickory wants to do: run the football. This should create some opportunities for success in the passing department.

I personally would love to see some deep routes thrown. Shelton can throw the deep ball as well as anybody and even if one gets picked off, it's no worse than a punt. If Shelton has time to throw he can pick a defense apart. Parks and Wilson are capable and reliable. So is Michael Shook. So is Tyshon Chisholm. Hibriten is currently allowing 114.5 yards per game through the air. That's an opening waiting to be exploited. And if Hickory's air strikes are successful then the Panthers will have no choice but to back up a bit. That's when Hickory will grind out the yards, move the chains and shorten the game.

It will require Hickory to be very efficient and very careful with the football. The Tornadoes simply can't afford to give Hibriten anything. One of the many things that the Panthers do well is to avoid turnovers while at the same time forcing the other team to turn the ball over multiple times. Hickory must take advantage of every opportunity and control the time of possession. Every drive must end in one of two ways: a score or a punt deep into Panther territory.

Field position and special teams could play a major role in this game. If the Red Tornadoes don't come away with points then they at least must force the Panthers to go 80+ yards to score. Any time you make a team go 80 yards or more the odds are against them scoring. When you're the underdog you must play all the angles and do the little things right. It may be a wet field on Friday or it may not. Hopefully the conditions will be dry. Patrick Smith has shown the ability to put the ball in the end zone for automatic touchbacks. The more he does that the fewer opportunities Hibriten will have to showcase its speed with returns.

If Hickory can take care of the "little things" such as protecting the football, getting good special teams play, avoiding silly penalties, blocking downfield, then the Red Tornadoes can put themselves in a position to win this game.

This can be done...and now would be the best time to do it!

Pick 'em Week 9 recap

2008-10-21T12:09:00.008-04:00

I had to wait till now to post the recap because the Bunker Hill Bears and Maiden Blue Devils didn't have the stones to play in the rain on Friday night. So, those two juggernauts teed it up last night. Even though the Blue Devils are way down this season there are some things that never change. Maiden spanked Bunker Hill and in the process capped a perfect week of picking for yours truly. Ahhhhhhh, 8-0, how sweet it is!

I had to laugh yesterday when I got a voicemail message from my old friend, Bias the Clown. He wanted me to call him back so that he could ask my advice on how to pick the winners. Seems his colleagues have been giving him a hard time about his sorry record this year. They even have a tee-shirt printed up. Oh my! Things are getting wild over at the Clown Motel. Bias said he wanted to pay 'em back.

Well, let me tell you something my clownish friend. Sorry, pal. I simply won't get involved in all the he-said, clown-said nonsense. Bias the Clown, if you can't hang with the big dogs in the yard, you better go back to sleep under the porch. Come up with your own ammo, if you can. If your picks stink, do your homework. Or maybe just get out of bed and do something. Do your job and don't worry about what the rest of us are doing.

Aww, now! Don't hate, appreciate!

And the bobblehead goes to...

2008-10-21T12:06:00.001-04:00

You'll never guess who had the most tackles in last Friday's victory over Patton. Surprise! It was Michael Shook, again. For the record, Shook had 18 total tackles, half of which were solos. Second on the list was sophomore Tyshon Chisholm with nine total tackles, including three tackles-for-loss and a sack. There was a tie for third place between juniors Alex Martin and Tyler Barnette.

Even though Shook had the most tackles I'm going to award the Terrible Terry Tate Defensive MVP Award this week to Alex Martin. It was a close call between Alex and Tyshon. But I have been disappointed this season by the overall performance of the defensive line. So I was thrilled to see major improvement on Friday night. This is a very good indicator of the D-Line's potential. In addition to his eight tackles Alex also recovered a fumble and even broke up a pass attempt. Excellent work.

I would also like to recognize the efforts of some players who made the most of their opportunities against Patton. It was good to see sophomore Alex Williams get some quality playing time in a varsity game. He wound up with four tackles, three of which were solos. Williams, of course, has been a stalwart of the JV defense all season. I really appreciate his approach to the game and the intensity he brings to the field. It was also good to see Branden Andersen, Greylan Steele, Dalton Hudson and Jordan Thompson getting a chance to hit 'em some licks out there. Reggie Robinson had a solo tackle, too.

Although I was pleased by the effort put forth I am still troubled by the difficulty we had stopping Patton's Winfield Johnson. Yes, the freshman fullback is a load at 212 pounds but still - he is a freshman. If tackling a freshman is a problem then it could be a very long night when Quin Smith hits town this Friday night. Clearly this would be a good time to throw everything but the kitchen sink at Hibriten's relentless rushing attack. Pressure will have to be applied in order to disrupt the triple option. That's the mission. Impossible? Show up at the stadium on Friday night and find out for yourself!

Smith's kick completes dramatic last-minute victory

2008-10-20T12:24:00.005-04:00

Shelton picks up a key 1st down

Just win, baby! When you're a team that is struggling you take the wins whenever you can get them. Going into the season nobody would have predicted that the Patton Panthers would give Hickory any trouble. But they came into Frank Barger Stadium and pushed the Red Tornadoes to the limit.

In the end, though, Hickory's junior kicking specialist Patrick Smith came through in the clutch. He calmly nailed a 35-yard field goal with three seconds left in the game to secure a 17-14 victory. Guess what? We'll take it!

Patrick Smith

Smith's kick reminded me of another junior placekicker for Hickory who also won a game with his leg. That was San San Te in 2005 who beat East Burke with 28-yard field goal in overtime. San San is now the starting placekicker at Rutgers. I see no reason why Smith can't become Hickory third consecutive Division I kicker. He has improved by leaps and bounds since taking over the kicking responsibilities at the beginning of last season.

Smith's heroics capped an excellent final drive by the Red Tornadoes, sparked by quarterback Kevin Shelton and wide receiver Trevin Parks. The drive was set up by a crucial defensive stand that forced the Panthers to turn the ball over on downs at the Patton 40 with 36 seconds left in the game. Three plays was all it took for the Tornadoes to get into Smith's range.

Shelton connected Parks for an 18-yard pass completion. Shelton looked to pass again, couldn't find a receiver, tucked the ball and ran hard, heading for the first-down marker. He went out of bounds after a 13-yard gain. On the next play Shelton hooked up with Parks again, this time for 11 yards to the 18. Enter Patrick Smith.

The win becomes a little more impressive when you consider that 70% of Hickory's rushing offense this season was standing on the sideline in street clothes. Senior running back Rakim Barrett, whose 858 yards represents 70% of Hickory's total rushing yards this season, was held out of action for disciplinary reasons after violataing team rules.

Hickory wound up being outrushed by Patton. The Red Tornadoes rushed for a total of 133 yards, 74 yards below their average. The passing game, by comparison, was not affected at all by the rainy conditions. Shelton completed 70% of his passes for 121 yards. That's slightly better than his per-game average. The big play of the night for the passing game was Shelton's pass completion to Trevin Parks who took it 55 yards for a touchdown.

I was pleased to see Hickory fight back not once but twice after falling behind by a touchdown. And it was good to see how they did it, too - mixing up the pass and runs effectively. I would love to see Shelton get a chance to run the ball a little more. He's no track star but he looked good hustling for that crucial first down on the winning drive. He's capable of getting some valuable yards like that from time to time.

There was a steady downpour throughout the first half and it did affect the quality of play. Nevertheless, Hickory did a poor job of protecting the football. Both teams played in the same nasty conditions but Hickory coughed up the ball five times and Patton recovered four of those fumbles. The Panthers only fumbled three times and Hickory only recovered one of those. The other turnover in the game was an interception thrown by Patton's Trevor Buchanan. Obviously it's possible to get away with this kind of sloppiness against a team like Patton. Unnecessary goofs like this cannot be allowed to happen this week against Hibriten.

On a related note, the Red Tornadoes struggled to stop Patton's 212-pound freshman running back Winfield Johnson. The defense must get more physical in stopping the run. They will be facing an experienced senior back in Hibriten's Quin Smith. He is as physical a back as Hickory will have faced all season. Stopping him must be priority number one this Friday.

Besides the game-winning drive, the thing that pleased me the most was seeing several underclassmen stepping up and taking control of the situation. This will have major implications for next season's success. The season is definitely not over. The Red Tornadoes are still working towards the playoffs and actually have a chance to play the spoiler this week. But most importantly of all is the fact that what happens from now on will lay the groundwork for the 2009 season.

Buddy Withers for the defense

BCRS outbreak in Columbia on Saturday night

2008-10-20T08:58:00.001-04:00

There was a nasty outbreak of Burke County Referee Syndrome on Saturday night at the South Carolina-LSU game. The striped-shirted jackass throws a shoulder into Gamecock quarterback Stephen Garcia. WTF? You won't believe your eyes!

Tornado JV blasts Patton, 42-0

2008-10-19T20:15:00.005-04:00

Shaquan Reid approaching warp speed

For the first time since 1996 a Hickory football team traveled to Morganton for a game. The last time it happened, September 27, 1996, the Red Tornado varsity spanked previously undefeated Freedom by the score of 33-14. Of course the Red Tornadoes spanked everybody that year.

Last Thursday night it was the undefeated Tornado JV's turn to bring home victory. Mission accomplished!

Sophomore tailback T.J. Wimbush continued his rampage through the CVAC, ringing up a pair of touchdown runs of 16 and 20 yards respectively. But he had some friendly competition from Shaquan Reid. The freshman speedster also scored two touchdowns, each from 14 yards out. Keep in mind that Reid is a starter at cornerback but is just one of several reserve running backs for the Young Tornadoes. Another backup, Dalvin Parson, got his first touchdown run of the season. Also scoring was sophomore fullback Jake Meade.

The win was Hickory JV's 63rd in a row and also its 82nd out of the past 83 games going back to the middle of the 2000 season. The win also maintained Hickory's slim lead in the CVAC championship chase, one game ahead of Bunker Hill. With showdown looming in three weeks with the Bears, Hickory must first travel to Lenoir this coming Thursday for a tough game with the Hibriten Panthers. The last two Hickory-Hibriten encounters have gone down to the wire. This week's game probably won't be any different. Hibriten beat Newton-Conover, 34-13, to improve its record to 5-2 overall and 4-2 in the CVAC.

GO HICKORY!!

Representing on the sideline!

Eagles and Hawks taking care of business

2008-10-19T19:14:00.006-04:00

Grandview's Daniel Davis hands off to Shaquille Smith

This time last season both of Hickory's middle schools were undefeated and headed towards a showdown for both the county and city championships. Northview ultimately won the 50th Annual All-American City Class to cap a 7-0 season. Grandview finished second in the league with a 6-1 record.

This season both teams have suffered a loss but are still in the thick of the championship race.

The Grandview Eagles wiped out the Jaguars of Jacobs Fork Middle at home by the score of 38-12. Shaquille Smith had another good game running ball as he racked up 104 yards and a pair of touchdowns on just 11 carries (9.5 yards per carry). Joining in the scoring parade were Jordan Lockhart, Craig Ruff and Shakeed Washington. Quarterback Daniel Davis had a good day as well. He passed complete for three two-point conversions, twice to Ruff and once to Tony Nguyen.

Meanwhile, the Northview Hawks have bounced back nicely after having their 15-game winning streak snapped by Arndt a couple of weeks ago. Last Wednesday the Hawks inflicted a convincing 42-8 beatdown on the Riverbend Pirates. I don't have stats for them but Hawk tailback Corey Stinson, just a 7th-grader, has been running all over opponents this season. Yes, he is the younger brother of the JV's freshman phenom Casey Stinson. The win upped Northview's record to 5-1 overall and 4-1 against league opponents.

Grandview and Northview are both chasing undefeated Mill Creek for at least a share of the county title. Grandview's only loss this season was to the Green Knights. Northview can shake up the race this Wednesday when the Hawks host Mill Creek.

Northview's Zach Jarrett looks to pass

Getting back on track

2008-10-17T18:15:00.003-04:00

Tonight the playoffs truly begin for our Red Tornadoes. Earlier this week I laid out a scenario that requires Hickory to plan on winning all four of its remaining games in order to finish ahead of St. Stephens in the final CVAC standings. Remember, the two teams must not finish in a tie because the tiebreaker goes to St. Stephens by virtue of last month's historic victory over Hickory.

The Red Tornadoes already have three CVAC losses. St. Stephens only has two. Hickory is favored to win three of its final games with next week's home game against Hibriten providing the big challenge. If Hickory goes 3-1 in the last four games and St. Stephens goes 3-1 (assuming a loss to Fred T. Foard in the season finale) then the Indians finish a game ahead of Hickory. If St. Stephens goes 2-2 and Hickory goes 3-1 then they finish in a tie, which is the same as a win for the Indians.

Of course it is possible, perhaps even likely, that Hickory will get a wildcard spot in the playoffs. Generally speaking, a team needs to have four wins in order to qualify for a wildcard berth. But the bottom line, of course, is that the brackets must be filled. Teams with only three wins have made the playoffs in the past. So if the final four games don't quite work out the way I have described, the Red Tornadoes can still go. It's just not guaranteed and you can expect to see Hickory go on the road to face one of West's top teams.

But there is only one priority tonight: Just win baby!

Did Grandview win? Yep.

Did Northview win? Yep.

Did the JV win? Duh!

Now it's time for the varsity to get in there and take care of business. Then we'll see where we are when the night is over.

Breaking down tonight's CVAC games

2008-10-17T12:30:00.002-04:00

Obviously all eyes tonight will be focused on the big matchup in Gamewell, where the West Caldwell Warriors will host the Fred T. Foard Tigers in a key CVAC contest. The Warriors come in with a perfect record and seem poised to make it eight in a row for the season. I honestly don't think there is anything the Tigers can do about it, either!

In other action, the Hibriten Panthers will host the Newton-Conover Red Devils. The Panthers suffered a heartbreaking defeat last week when Coach Cannon made the decision to try a two-point conversion play for the win instead of kicking for the tie. He gambled, they lost, and now the Panthers must win tonight to keep pace with Newton and Foard. Meanwhile, the Red Devils come back this week following their fluke victory over Hickory. For those who care, this will be a contest between two teams ranked in the AP Class 2A top ten. Newton is ranked #3 while Hibriten dropped to #10 after last week's loss.

FRED T. FOARD (4-1, 6-1) AT WEST CALDWELL (0-5, 0-7)

Series Notes: Foard brutalized the Warriors last year by the score of 61-6 and guess what? It could be even worse this time around.

What to look for tonight: The Tiger scrubs have been waiting for this night all season. Everybody gets into the game when West is the opponent. Hallelujah! The Tigers will hold serve tonight and keep the pressure on Newton and Hibriten. When the night is over the Tigers will either be in sole possession of second place in the CVAC or they will be in a three-way tie for first place. It's all good for the Tigers tonight. They just have to guard against the temptation to look past West and be thinking about the big game with Bunker Hill next week.

MAIDEN (1-4, 2-5) AT BUNKER HILL (1-4, 1-6)

Series Notes: Maiden has won 18 straight against the Care Bears of Bunker Hill and yet, curiously, nobody really cares these days.

What to look for tonight: Don't even bother. Go to Butler Stadium and pull for the Bandys Trojans to beat St. Stephens.

NEWTON-CONOVER (5-0, 7-0) AT HIBRITEN (4-1, 6-1)

Series Notes: Newton leads this series, 9-2. Red Devil head coach Nick Bazzle has never lost to Hibriten.

What to look for tonight: The Red Devils seem to have everything going their way these days. They are off to their best start in more than a decade, including the 2000 season when Newton went all the way to the 2A state championship game (resulting in a loss to Southwest Onslow). Hibriten, on the other hand, has spent the past week thinking about what might have been in the wake of a painful last-minute loss to Fred T. Foard.

The two teams are very evenly matched from a statistical standpoint. They are at the top of the CVAC team rushing category and both have outstanding workhorse running backs in Dorian Jones and Quin Smith. Although they are both efficient in the pass department they are hardly prolific. Newton ranks last in the CVAC in passing yardage yet has the league's second-best pass completion percentage. These teams keep the errors to a bare minimum as evidenced by the fact that they lead the league in the turnover ratio category.

Both teams are stout on defense. Newton's defensive speed in particular can be deadly to an opposing offense. Such was the case in last week's victory over Hickory. Hibriten has a bluechipper at safety in senior Quin Smith, who has verbally committed to South Carolina. He is extremely active and covers the entire field in true headhunter fashion. The Panthers may be able to do a better job than Hickory did in defending the outside lanes. This could be an opportunity for Newton fullback Josh Thompson to have a big game.

Given the stakes involved and the close similarities of the two teams it's easy to see how this game could go down to the wire, just like it did last week for Hibriten against Foard. Maybe this week it's Hibriten's turn to catch a break.

ST. STEPHENS (4-2, 5-2) AT BANDYS (3-2, 4-3)

Series Notes: The Indians upset Bandys in 2006 and 2001 but otherwise the series has been dominated recently by the Trojans. Bandys holds a slim 23-21 lead in this rivalry.

What to look for tonight: As I predicted right after Hickory defeated the Trojans on their home turf back in September, Bandys has won three straight against the bottomfeeders of the conference: West Caldwell, Bunker Hill and Patton. Now I am seeing them described by the local experts as being "on fire." Well, of course they are. Everybody catches fire when they face West Caldwell, Bunker Hill and Patton. But now it's time for the Trojans keep "the fire" burning and get a win over the visiting Indians.

Bandys has the league's top offense despite playing the past two games without ace quarterback Kyle Houser and two other offensive starters. Senior Josh McCombs has continued to run the football with power and is racking up major yardage. With Houser and wide receiver Seth Cranfill back in action the Trojans should really be able to move the ball tonight with a great deal of success.

Yes, St. Stephens has a pretty good defense. I was particularly impressed with the play of senior Graham McRary's effort against Hickory. But the Indians have been much less successful against teams with efficient, balanced offenses. That's why St. Stephens lost to Newton-Conover and Hibriten. Furthermore, the player who did more than anybody else to beat Hickory, senior Caleb Peterson, is lost for the season. His absence didn't hurt St. Stephens in last week's win but the Indians will definitely miss him on both sides of the football tonight.

I think St. Stephens will get exposed tonight. Observers will realize that with the exception of the historical win over Hickory a few weeks ago the Indians really haven't accomplished that much this season. The thoughts and prayers of the entire Tornado Nation are with the Bandys Trojans tonight as they host the misfits from Trailer Park Road. It is a game that the Trojans absolutely must win! Just win, baby!

Kiss your rankings goodbye, Commode-odors

2008-10-16T12:27:00.001-04:00

Pick 'em Week 9

2008-10-16T12:20:00.000-04:00

Whooaaaa Nelly! What a crucial week in the CVAC! After last week's loss to Fred T. Foard the Hibriten Panthers are under the gun this week as they prepare to host Newton-Conover. Coach Chuck Cannon understands that if his Panthers can't find a way to stop the Red Devil Express then the odds are good that nobody else will. For his part, Newton's Nick Bazzle can't wait to get through this week since coming up on the horizon are West Caldwell and Bunker Hill (yawn). Those two pillow fighters can't touch the Red Devils which leaves only Bandys in the final week to stand up to the Devils.

If recent history is any indicator we can expect to see the Trojans roll over and play dead against Newton-Conover. Nobody has taken Bandys to the woodshed as forcefully as Newton has the last three years. Then again, "recent history" has taken a beating itself this year. With St. Stephens and Fred T. Foard experiencing unprecedented success in 2008 one can never be too certain of how things will turn out. Nevertheless, I'm pulling hard for Bandys this week in their effort to suppress that team from Trailer Park Road. Go Trojans, go!

Patton at Hickory
Winner: Hickory

Newton-Conover at Hibriten
Winner: Hibriten

Fred T. Foard at West Caldwell
Winner: Fred T. Foard

Maiden at Bunker Hill
Winner: Maiden

St. Stephens at Bandys
Winner: Bandys

East Burke at Watauga
Winner: East Burke

Freedom at South Caldwell
Winner: South Caldwell

A.C. Reynolds at McDowell
Winner: A.C. Reynolds

Intimidation, Haka style

2008-10-15T18:07:00.003-04:00

There's nothing like a healthy dose of intimidation when you're a highly successful football program. It works for Trinity High School in Euless, Texas. The Trojans are currently ranked #1 in the nation according to the Massey Rating System and in the Top 3 in at least two other national polls. Euless has a growing Pacific Island population and there are several Samoan and Tongan players on the Trinity football team. College teams like BYU and Hawaii perform a Haka dance before their games. Trinity High School does it, too. The players you are about to watch are high school football players performing in front of a high school football crowd. Check it out!

Hickory vs. Patton

2008-10-15T17:34:00.000-04:00

Tyshon Chisholm, Alex Martin vs. Patton JV in 2007

For obvious reasons there is basically no history between the Red Tornadoes and the Panthers. Hickory will, however, forever be the answer to this trivia question: "Which team gave Patton it's first-ever loss in a football game?"

So I thought I would do something a little different this week and do a direct comparison of the two teams by units. In other words, quarterback comparison, offensive line comparison, receivers, etc. By the way, most of the stats to which I will be referring can also be found on the Gameday Central page. So let's see where this takes me, shall we?

QUARTERBACK: Both schools boast senior quarterbacks. But that's where the similarities end. Kevin Shelton has two main responsibilities when the ball is snapped. He throws a pass or hands off to a running back. He is not a threat to run himself although he has had to run for his life a few times this season. Patton's Cody Story, on the other hand, is called upon to run the ball in designed plays. He has amassed nearly 200 yards rushing this season. But if the measure of these quarterbacks, statistically, is in their ability to pass the football then I have to give Shelton the advantage over Story. Shelton (59-114-5, 841 yds, 10 TDs) has completed more passes than Story (21-45-1, 366 yds, 4 TDs) has attempted so naturally the former would have more yards. But Shelton also has a significantly higher completion percentage (52% compared to 47%). This means that either Shelton is more accurate, his receivers are more sure-handed, or both. Either way, it favors Hickory. Both quarterbacks have done a good job of not throwing interceptions. Story has only one interception on his record and it occurred just last week. Shelton only threw two interceptions in his first six games (one of which was a tipped ball). Last week, of course, was a different story. Nevertheless, Shelton has thrown twice as many touchdowns as interceptions.

Advantage: Hickory

RUNNING BACKS: Patton has actually done a little better than Hickory running the football. The Panthers average 185 yards per game on the ground while Hickory averages 174. This is despite the fact that Hickory's primary rusher, Rakim Barrett, has more yards and a better per-carry average than Patton's main man, Brandon Bethel. To be more specific, Barrett has 858 yards and eight touchdowns on 138 carries. He averages 6.2 yards per carry. Bethel has 629 yards and three touchdowns on 118 carries. His per carry average is 5.3. But Patton has gotten more production out of its other rushers (especially the quarterback position) than has Hickory. In addition to Brandon Bethel and Cody Story the Panthers rely heavily on their big freshman fullback, Winfield Johnson. Hickory's other running backs, Kyshell Geter and Tyshon Chisholm, have struggled for much of the season. Chisholm has looked good when he gets the ball but his carries have been limited. A new wrinkle in the running game has been the introduction of the direct snap to Trevin Parks. This new formation has been used sparingly but it almost always produces positive yards. Last week against Newton-Conover Parks picked up 58 yards on just four carries (14.5 yards per carry) when the ball was snapped to him.

Advantage: Toss-up.

OFFENSIVE LINE: In the absence of reliable stats the best way to judge an O-Line is to check on a team's yardage production. As stated above, Patton has a 185-174 edge in per-game rushing average. But Hickory holds a 121-64 edge in per-game passing yardage. Hickory outgains Patton in total yardage, 295.1 to 249.7, which is substantial. Hickory also gains more first downs per game (14-9). I don't have stats to support it but I would guess that Hickory also has a edge in time-of-possession. I have been concerned about the state of the O-line at times this season but based on this criteria I have to say that Hickory is more effective on the line of scrimmage.

Advantage: Hickory

RECEIVERS: This is an area where Hickory should have a clear advantage. As already mentioned, Hickory holds a considerable advantage in passing yardage and half of the credit automatically goes to the receiving corps. Hickory's receivers are led by senior Trevin Parks with 22 receptions for 355 yards and five touchdowns. He is a clutch performer who not only makes tough catches but has a knack for picking up yardage after the catch. Junior Anthony Wilson is a similar type of receiver. Patton's top receiver is Zack Cole, a lanky sophomore who has 13 receptions for 302 yards and five touchdowns. Senior wide receiver Gil Logan had a big game for the Panthers in last week's loss to Newton-Conover. While Patton is capable of coming up with a big play through the air the edge here belongs to Hickory.

Advantage: Hickory

DEFENSE: Without having seen Patton play in person it's hard to evaluate the components of the defense. I have no way of assessing whether Hickory's defensive line is better than Patton's in a substantive way. I have Hickory's defensive stats but nothing for Patton. So, again, I have to rely on the overall stats of rushing defense, passing defense, total defense, scoring defense and turnover ratio. Hickory's defense has been marginally better at stopping the run. Hickory is currently allowing 204.2 yards rushing per game while Patton is giving up 222.1 yards. So neither defense has exactly been a stone wall in that regard. They are both somewhere in the middle of the CVAC rankings in that category. Hickory is also better, statistically, in stopping the pass. Hickory is allowing 80.7 yards per game to Patton's 106.1 and has double the number of interceptions. Both teams have given up seven touchdown passes. Scoring defense is also a wash as both teams are allowing an average of 27 points per game. Both teams are exactly even in turnover ratio. Hickory and Patton have both committed 15 turnovers and caused 15 turnovers. In the end, Hickory allows 44 yards less than Patton and has the edge in varsity experience.

Advantage: Hickory

COACHING: Hickory has been in the varsity football business since 1923. Patton has only been at it for a few months. The fact that the Red Tornadoes and Panthers have identical overall and CVAC records at this point in the season should raise some eyebrows. I'm going to reserve judgment on this category until after the game. The winner will show us who is doing a better job in 2008.

INTANGIBLES: Who wants it more, Hickory or Patton? Who has more to lose? I guarantee the Patton fans are wanting to see the Panthers make a statement in this one. They left Frank Barger Stadium last year after losing for the first time convinced that they had been robbed. I know this for a fact because I was approached by a couple of them who insisted that the officials had been biased and incompetent. The facts don't support that argument, of course, but that doesn't matter to the Panther faithful. Plus I have to believe that they see Hickory as being vulnerable right now. The Red Tornadoes are reeling from a pair of tough losses and everybody in the area is scratching their heads trying to understand why Hickory is performing so poorly. Furthermore, for a first-year varsity program the Panthers are doing awfully well. Obviously we have seen in the last few years teams that have been playing football for decades going 0-11. Patton has three wins this season no matter what else happens. So however you slice it the Panthers don't have much to lose but a lot to gain. On the other hand, Hickory desperately needs a win. I've already discussed how crucial it is that Hickory win the rest of its games in order to qualify for one of the CVAC's two 3A playoff berths. Hickory hasn't lost three games in a row during a season since 2000. Prior to that season you had to look all the way back to 1994 to find such a streak. The Red Tornadoes simply can't afford to keep dropping games. I say that Hickory needs the victory a lot more and therefore should want the victory a lot more.

Advantage: Hickory

GO HICKORY!!!

Who wears jorts? Yeah, you know...

2008-10-15T08:59:00.000-04:00

Keep winning...or stay home

2008-10-14T17:15:00.002-04:00

Last week I stated that the Red Tornadoes must win two of the next three games. It didn't matter which two but it had to be two wins. Well, we still need two wins and now there is no margin for error.

Hickory needs one more victory this season to become "playoff eligible" - which means that if the NCHSAA needs teams to fill in the brackets then a team with four wins could be selected as "wildcard" team. So even if Hickory doesn't earn a berth that isn't necessarily the end of it. But that's hardly a comforting thought for a team that has only missed the playoffs once since 1994.

As it stands now the Red Tornadoes must win the rest of their games in order to have a shot at earning the second and final 3A berth in the playoffs. They must finish ahead of either St. Stephens (still possible) or Fred T. Foard (not likely). Because they lost the head-to-head matchups with both schools the Red Tornadoes will be eliminated if there is any kind of tie at the end of the season. The Red Tornadoes also need St. Stephens to lose two of their remaining games. If you assume (for the sake of argument) that the Red Tornadoes will take care of business against teams like Patton, West Caldwell and Bunker Hill and that St. Stephens will lose to Foard in the final week then the whole scenario boils down to two games.

St. Stephens visits Bandys this Friday night. I believe that besides Foard the team with the best chance of knocking off the Indians is Bandys. A loss Friday night would set Saint up to get its fourth CVAC loss on November 7th at Fred T. Foard. The other key game will happen next week when Hickory hosts Hibriten. The Red Tornadoes will have to find a way to upset the Panthers.

For the time being, however, all that matters is beating Patton this Friday night. If that doesn't happen then the playoff mathematics gets wiped off the board. Then the Tornadoes will have to hope for a last-minute vacancy at the Playoff Motel.

Final thoughts on the Newton game

2008-10-14T07:13:00.003-04:00

Michael Shook finds room to run

We'll never know what might have happened Friday night if Hickory's kickoff team hadn't allowed former Red Tornado Shea Corpening to return the opening kick 97 yards for a touchdown. If he had been stopped around the 20 and Hickory's defense had forced a 3-and-out on the Red Devil offense...who knows? Maybe the Red Tornadoes get on the board first and builds the necessary momentem to keep them in the game.

But that's not how it worked out.

Corpening rocketed down the far sideline and gave the Red Devils a lead they never really came close to relinquishing. By the end of the first quarter the Red Tornadoes were in a 21-0 hole. That lead was quickly increased to 28-0 when Joseph Bryant intercepted a Kevin Shelton pass and took it to the house from 34 yards out.

Down by four touchdowns the Tornadoes started the overwhelming task of digging out of the hole. They got halfway, cutting the lead to 28-14 in the third quarter on a pair of Rakim Barrett touchdown runs. At that point there was still time to battle all the way back for a win.

But that's not how it worked out.

Newton-Conover piled on another 21 points in the third quarter, including another "pick-6" when linebacker Paul Forney read Shelton all the way, stepped in front of his pass and went untouched into the end zone for a 44-yard touchdown. The kick made it 49-14. A lot of dogged running by a determined Rakim Barrett got Hickory down the field one more time late in the game and Barrett finished the drive on a one-yard touchdown run. Patrick Smith's PAT made the final score 49-21.

The statistics do not support a 28-point margin. Newton outrushed Hickory by only 25 yards. Hickory, meanwhile, passed for twice as many yards as Newton. But Hickory had to go the distance for its three touchdowns. Newton, not so much. And with all due respect to the speed and skill of the Red Devils, the three touchdown returns should not have happened.

It's been five years since Hickory gave up a touchdown on the opening kickoff. That was the second-round playoff loss to Crest in 2003. The entire week of that game had been spent prepping mentally to face a team that we have never beaten in the regular season. All that mental preparation went out the window when Jermaine Strong returned Ryan Succop's kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown. That sparked a 19-0 win for the eventual 3AA state champs. The irony of it was that Succop's kicks almost always went into the end zone for touchbacks. I remember thinking at the time that the gunners had forgotten what to do because they hardly ever had to tackle anybody.

The point is that if you take away the three touchdown returns, which happen very rarely and don't need to happen at all, then the final score would have looked a little better. The players and coaches (and fans) might have kept up the fight more effectively instead of suffering from the creeping numbness that comes with a feeling of helplessness.

Another of Newton's touchdowns came immediately after they recovered a Hickory fumble. Special teams breakdowns, errors in the passing game and poor play-calling, penalties, missed assignments, lazy blocking, etc. will get you beat every time. That's what turns a game that should have at least been competitive into a route.

If a team can make costly mistakes then it should be able to eliminate those mistakes as well. There has not been a game all season when the Red Tornadoes haven't done something positive. Maybe it's a good night for Shelton, Parks and the passing game. Maybe it's a good night for Barrett running the ball. Maybe the defense hangs tough and takes away the other team's best offensive weapon. But there has yet to be a game this season when Hickory hit on all cylinders and played a complete, four-quarter game.

The question is why.

A lot of opinions are being offered up on the Tornado Central message board. We are officially in a bad place right now. It's a shame because in their frustration fans are overlooking some interesting developments. The one I find most fascinating is the installation of the direct snap to Trevin Parks. Ole Miss calls it the Wild Rebel formation. Tennessee calls it the G Gun. Oldtimers still call it the single wing. But it has been working pretty well. Rakim Barrett is turning in workmanlike performances every week. Kevin Shelton is rising in the ranks of Hickory's all-time best passing quarterbacks. A lot of underclassmen are getting valuable playing time.

The bottom line, however, is that Hickory is languishing below .500 this late in the season for the first time since 1994. That was also the last time Hickory finished a season with a losing record. Things are not quite that bad - yet. But the season is hanging in the balance right now. Buckle your seatbelts, brothers and sisters, it's going to be a bumpy ride.

Shook refuses to give up the bobblehead...

2008-10-13T23:40:00.004-04:00

It was a poor night of tackling for the Red Tornadoes at Gurley Stadium. For some it was a clear drop in defensive effectiveness while others maintained their usual minimum of stops. Whatever the case may be, Mikey Shook led the charts again this week with nine total tackles (eight solo). He also caused a couple of fumbles. Behind him was sophomore Tyshon Chisholm with seven tackles.

They finally put Devan Mackey into the game for a couple of plays and he still managed to record a solo tackle. Hmmm, two plays, one tackle. That's a pretty good ratio when you consider that several starters had the same number of tackles as Mackey. Maybe he should be getting a little more playing time. And for the record, I want to see Michael Boyce get in the game, too. Seriously, it was ridiculous that he wasn't sent in at the end of the game like others were. I'm sure it was just an oversight on somebody's part.

Pick 'em Week 8 recap

2008-10-13T20:39:00.003-04:00

From a picking standpoint, last Friday night was not a bad one for yours truly. I never pick against the Red Tornadoes. All I can do is hope that they take care of business each week. Beating Newton-Conover in Gurley Stadium is a tall order anytime. I'll get into all that in a different post.

My other miss was in the game between Hibriten and Foard. I'd estimate that most people went with Hibriten to win but acknowledging that it was basically a toss-up. I felt that Hibriten's recent tradition of winning might make the difference in the end. But the Tigers hung on to win a close one and now have the luxury of facing West Caldwell and Bunker Hill this week and next. Meanwhile, Hibriten jumps from the frying pan into the fire as they host Newton-Conover. Red Devils like them some fire...

Junior Varsity passes the Newton test

2008-10-12T15:17:00.005-04:00

Will Creech returns a kickoff

The junior varsity contest between Hickory and Newton-Conover on Thursday was every bit as exciting and nerve-wracking as anticipated. Both teams came into the game loaded with offensive weapons and those weapons did some damage. But in the end it was Hickory that had a little bit more.

The Red Tornadoes, trailing 30-24 in the final five minutes, drove down the field and scored the winning touchdown with 2:30 left in the game. T.J. Wimbush did the honors, dashing in from nine yards out. The 30-30 tie was then broken when quarterback Michael Helms passed complete to Casey Stinson for the 2-point conversion. The defense held their ground against a final Red Devil onslaught to preserve a 32-30 victory.

Wimbush and Stinson had great nights running the ball. Stinson scored on a 25-yard pass play from quarterback Kyle Johnson that was doubly impressive because Stinson juggled the ball after it hit his hands but he stuck with it and controlled the ball, tucked it and scampered into the end zone. That's called making a play.

Another example of making a play occurred when Hickory was on the Newton goal line and the ball was knocked loose and fell into the end zone. Steven Davenport alertly pounced and covered it for the touchdown. That's the hustle that makes the difference between winning and losing in a tough ballgame.

Jaquavius Johnson thrilled the fans with a scorching 62-yard touchdown run. With all the great running backs on the squad it's not all that easy to get carries sometimes. J.J. made the most of his opportunity and that's called making a play.

I also have to mention one play that impressed everybody on the Hickory side (and perhaps the Newton side, too). Sophomore Robert Liljeberg, a soccer player brought in to kick for the JV, kicked off to Newton after a Tornado touchdown. The Red Devil return man broke loose and turned on the jets. He got past everybody. Everybody, that is, except for Liljeberg. The kicker turned on his jets, closed instantly on the ballcarrier from about five yards away and nailed him. The unexpected burst of speed and the terrific finishing tackle made everybody go "oooh, ahhh." And rightly so. I could be wrong but I believe this is Liljeberg's first year of football. That's called making a touchdown-saving play. Awesome!

Every week it's the same thing for me. Every week I am more and more impressed with this group of young men. Some people tend to dismiss JV football as no big deal. But they keep score on the JV level and everybody is playing to win. When faced with a challenge you must overcome it. That's significant on any level.

The win boosted Hickory JV's winning streak to 62. It was the JV's 81st win out of the last 82 games. More importantly the win maintained Hickory's lead in the hotly contested CVAC race. Hickory is the only undefeated team in the league. It was the second loss of the season for Newton-Conover. There is one team left with only one loss and that's Bunker Hill. This could set up a showdown in the final game of the season as the Bears will be looking to end Hickory's streak and get a share of the CVAC title.

The Young Tornadoes will travel to Morganton this Thursday to face the Patton Panthers.

Wimbush gets free behind #61 Ryan Tyree

Go Dawgs!

2008-10-11T10:20:00.002-04:00

GATA!

2008-10-10T17:46:00.003-04:00

I'm for Bandys (and why you should be, too!)

2008-10-10T15:20:00.007-04:00

There has been some concern this week about Hickory's chances of making the playoffs for the 13th time in the past 14 years. The CVAC has three Class 3A member schools but the league only gets two automatic playoff berths. Every year somebody gets left out. Normally this is a problem for St. Stephens and Fred T. Foard to sort out amongst themselves. But this year, following losses to both Foard and Saint, the Red Tornadoes finally have to take this seriously. But while the local "professional experts" are sipping on their hatorade and gleefully rubbing their hands while imagining a sub-.500 finish for Hickory I am going to map out a scenario in which Hickory goes to the playoffs - again - while the folks out on Trailer Park Road turn their broken hearts to basketball.

The first thing to understand is that going into tonight's games Hickory does not completely control its own destiny. Even if the Tornadoes win out and finish with a 7-2 record in the CVAC they could still wind up in a tie with St. Stephens (and probably Fred T. Foard). Any ties will eliminate Hickory. Hickory and St. Stephens are currently tied and the Indians could (in theory) run the table, too. So while the obvious best option for Hickory would be to simply keep winning it won't guarantee a berth.

Obviously Hickory is the heavy underdog tonight against Newton-Conover. Depending on what happens tonight the Tornadoes will most likely be viewed as underdogs in a couple of weeks when Hibriten comes to town. So it's not unreasonable to contemplate a scenario where Hickory loses two more games in the CVAC. For the sake of argument I will assume for now that Hickory holds serve against Patton, West Caldwell and Bunker Hill.

Hickory must win two of its next three games. It doesn't matter which ones but it has to be two-of-three. That means getting at least a split between the lead dogs - Newton and Hibriten. It's a tall order but certainly not beyond this team's capabilities. At the end of the day it's still our 11 guys against their 11 guys on the field. That's where things are decided. All the Red Tornadoes can do is to take care of their business and let the chips fall where they may.

Now let's examine those chips.

Fred T. Foard is still in the hunt for at least a share of the CVAC title. That's what is on their minds at the moment. Tonight Foard faces Hibriten, which probably means a loss for the Tigers. That would be their second CVAC loss which would eliminate them from the title chase. It would also set up one of three possible situations. First, they could be in a tie with either Hickory or St. Stephens. Second, they could be in a tie with both Hickory and St. Stephens. Third, they could maintain their one-game lead on the other two schools. All Foard needs to do in order to clinch a playoff berth is to keep things tied.

St. Stephens has the easiest game tonight among the 3A schools. While Hickory battles Newton and Foard takes on Hibriten the Indians square off with Bunker Hill at home. Since the Bears are 1-5 on the season and 1-3 in the CVAC the odds are heavily in Saint's favor. So they will most likely be 5-2 and 3-2 when tonight's festivities are over. That would move them one game ahead of Hickory if the Red Tornadoes can't find a way to beat the Red Devils.

When you examine Foard's and Saint's remaining schedules the first thing you notice is that they play each other on November 7th, the final week of the regular season. Based on what I've seen so far it should be Foard victory. But unless Hickory wins all five of its remaining games that third loss by Saint still won't be enough to guarantee a playoff spot for Hickory.

St. Stephens must lose at least two more games this season. And if Hickory loses to Newton and Hibriten then we would need the Indians to lose three more games! Let's say that they lose to Foard in the season finale. Who else can the Tornado Nation look to for a much-needed win over the folks from Trailer Park Road?

Bandys.

I say GO BANDYS GO!

The Trojans have made themselves notorious in recent years for stinking up the league early in the season. An 0-4 start last year followed by a 1-3 start this season. Not too cool, right? But Bandys has a good quarterback and good receivers. They have also finally decided to utilize the speed and power of tailback Josh McCombs and it's having a major impact on their offensive production. This is especially true in the absence of quarterback Kyle Houser, who is in the middle of a two-game suspension for getting ejected from the West Caldwell game. Trojan head coach Randy Lowman is now the dean of CVAC coaches and surely he's figured things out enough to allow the Trojans to maximize their potential. Plus that inexperienced defense they started with is no longer inexperienced. That's a crucial element right there.

Both Fred T. Foard and St. Stephens still have to face the Trojans. We need the Trojans to slap the big hurt on at least one of those teams. If you believe that Foard will defeat St. Stephens then the other loss for Saint will probably come at the hands of the Trojans. That would be a total of four CVAC losses, which would leave the Indians trailing Hickory by one game (if Hickory can upset either Newton or Hibriten).

Of course the Indians still have to deal with Bunker Hill, Patton and Maiden in addition to Bandys and Foard. I think any of those teams can beat Saint under the right circumstances. But for the moment it appears that Bandys is the most likely team to tag the Indians with the "fatal fourth" loss. Stay tuned.

GO HICKORY!

Perplexing? Hmmm...

2008-10-10T13:35:00.006-04:00

One of the "professional experts" in town has hauled himself out of bed just long enough to ponder the future of Hickory High football as the Red Tornadoes head into the new Northwestern 4A/3A Conference next season. He's also concerned that the Red Tornadoes may finish the season below .500 for the first time since 1994. He's also concerned that some fans are pointing fingers unfairly at the coaching staff. He says he is perplexed. He thinks it's a mystery. He apparently is worried on our behalf about all the bad things that could happen to Hickory next year in the new conference with all those big, bad 4A schools like *cough* ...Alexander Central and South Caldwell and Watauga.

I suspect that he has been sleepy, confused and, well, inadequate all his life. There's nothing that we Tornado fans can do to remedy that. But perhaps I can put his fears to rest by reminding him of a few realities.

Here is Hickory's record against each of the members of the new Northwestern Conference. If past if prologue then the facts seem to indicate that Hickory will be just fine in the new league. It does make ya wonder why it's so hard for the "professional expert" to understand this. Bless his heart. Him can't help himself...

HICKORY VERSUS:

Alexander Central... Red Tornadoes lead the series, 17-5. Hickory has beaten the Cougars 11 times in the past 12 meetings. Hickory has also won the past three contests. Back in the old days when it was Taylorsville High, Hickory led that series with the Bears, 14-1.

South Caldwell... Red Tornadoes lead this series, 24-4. Hickory has won the last 10 meetings and 24 of the last 26. Hickory was 13-1 against South Caldwell's predecessor, Hudson High. For the record, South Caldwell dropped Hickory from its schedule following the 2004 season. Hmmm...

Watauga... Red Tornadoes lead the series, 12-1. Watauga won the first meeting between the two schools in 1965. Hickory won 12 straight after that, including all eight games when both schools were in the Northwestern 4A Conference during the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Hibriten... Red Tornadoes lead this series, 7-0. Nuff said.

Fred T. Foard... Red Tornadoes lead the series, 15-3. The way this rivalry works is that every once in a while the Tigers will get a win over Hickory during a season when Foard is pretty good and Hickory is down a little bit. But just as the Tiger faithful start to believe that they've "turned the corner" against Hickory the Red Tornadoes bust off 6 or 7 wins in a row. That's the cold, hard reality of it, Bias!

St. Stephens... Red Tornadoes lead the series, 20-2. Kinda like the rivalry with Fred T. Foard, except bigger and more embarrassing for the Indians. The Indians got all excited in 1993 when they got their first win against the Mighty Ones from Viewmont. They thought maybe they had turned the tide. They didn't realize that it would take them 15 years to get the second win. The Indian players from '93 will be watching their grandsons play the next time Hickory loses to St. Stephens.

Breaking down this week's CVAC games

2008-10-10T00:30:00.002-04:00

Will Fred T. Foard pull off another upset tonight? Or will Hibriten eliminate the upstart Tigers from the CVAC title chase? It's been a magical season for the Tigers so far but perhaps tonight the alarm goes off and the dream ends. Mr. Owens, meet Mr. Smith!

The Bunker Hill Bears are looking to steal one from St. Stephens down on Trailer Park Road. You may have heard that I'm a pretty fanatical Red Tornado fan. I'm also a big fan of whoever is playing St. Stephens. So, you know...go Bears!

BUNKER HILL (1-3, 1-5) AT ST. STEPHENS (2-2, 4-2)

Series Notes: St. Stephens is looking for its third straight win over Bunker Hill.

What to look for tonight: Bears quarterback Cameron Beard threw for 244 yards and a touchdown against Bandys. Unfortunately the Bears only averaged 2.4 yards per carry on the ground and had trouble getting into the end zone. They also allowed Josh McCombs to rack up 247 yards and four touchdowns on their defense. The Indian defense will shut Bunker Hill down unless the Bears find a way to keep 'em honest by running the football. St. Stephens doesn't have a back as bullish as McCombs but they do have Caleb Peterson and Antonio Sherrill who have deceptive speed. Saint coach Fred Whalen seems to come to battle with a pretty good gameplan every week and his team is certainly good enough to take advantage of whatever an opponent gives away. The jury is still on out on Bunker Hill's Ron Turner, who is in his second year as head coach. The Indians should also have a pyschological edge, as well. While the Bears are playing for pride and building towards the future the Indians know they must keep winning in order to maintain the inside track to a guaranteed playoff berth.

HIBRITEN (4-0, 6-0) AT FRED T. FOARD (3-1, 5-1)

Series Notes: Foard leads this series, 8-3. Hibriten got its third victory over the Tigers last season up in Lenoir by a score of 35-10.

What to look for tonight: Earlier in the season the Tigers didn't have to work very hard in the last couple of quarters of their games. They had big leads against inferior opponents and were able to coast a bit. The last two weeks, however, the Tigers have been pushed hard by Newton-Conover and Hickory. Foard proved to me that they know how to play four full quarters of football as evidenced by their 26-point explosion in the final 10 minutes of their historic win against Hickory. They'll get another stern test tonight from the visiting Panthers. Hibriten moves the ball with ease behind an experienced offensive line and a host of running backs led by Quin Smith. Foard has even more experience than Hibriten and doesn't make too many mistakes. This experience helps the Foard coaching staff make the right adjustments during the game which is what happened last week at Frank Barger Stadium. Another plus for the Tigers is that team speed that I raved about last week. They made a believer out of me, I have to say. Nevertheless I have to give the edge to Hibriten simply because the Panthers are more accustomed to winning than the Tigers. And the Panthers will be fighting to keep pace with Newton-Conover as they look forward to meeting the Red Devils face-to-face next week in Lenoir.

BANDYS (2-2, 3-3) AT PATTON (2-2, 3-3)

Series Notes: These two teams have never played each other. In fact, has Bandys even been to Morganton for a football game before?

What to look for tonight: Bandys wants to survive this road trip and get past the whole Kyle Houser suspension thing. For the second week in a row we can expect to see Bandys emphasize the ground game with senior running back Josh McCombs, who had a monster performance last week against Bunker Hill. But Patton can't afford to overlook Bandys quarterback Dillon Crites who did a good job last week himself, passing for 99 yards and a touchdown. The Panthers can sling the pigskin a little, too. Quarterback Cody Story was 8-11-0 for 124 yards and two touchdowns last week against Newton-Conover. Tonight he will be looking to connect with his main man downfield, wide receiver Zach Cole. In last week's game Cole hauled in five passes for 104 yards and both touchdowns. The Panthers also have a nice stable of backs. Brandon Bethel, Johnny Bristol and Winfield Johnson are all developing into rushing threats. Story himself is one of the most mobile quarterbacks in the Unifour. If the Panther line can hold up I think the sheer variety of the Patton offensive attack could be effective against a Trojan defense that has yet to impress anybody.

WEST CALDWELL (0-4, 0-6) AT MAIDEN (0-4, 1-5)

Series Notes: Maiden is 7-0 against the Warriors. Last season Tom Brown got his 350th career victory when the Blue Devils routed West by the score of 38-15.

What to look for tonight: One of these two losers is going to get its first conference win of the season. Wow. Tom Brown is gone. The mystique of Blue Devil football apparently left the building with him. The good news for Maiden is that Justin Sizemore got his mojo back last week in a 38-27 loss to Hibriten. Sizemore completed 17 of his 28 passing attempts for 344 yards and a couple of long touchdowns (80 yards to Nate Johnson and 61 yards to Cody Beal). Maiden also got a good performance from senior tailback Jordan Shade (23 carries for 114 yards and a touchdown). That kind of balance gave the Blue Devils a fighting chance against a superior Hibriten squad. Tonight the Devils play that other bunch from Lenoir and if they put up similar numbers to last week the score will be big for the home team. West Caldwell was virtually shut down last week offensively by St. Stephens. Almost half of West's total offense came on a 50-yard touchdown run by Steve Haley. It's homecoming at Maiden and the Blue Devils should win this one.

Pick 'em Week 8

2008-10-10T00:01:00.001-04:00

After last week's fiasco I'm looking for a much better result tonight. Besides the clash at Gurley Stadium between the Red Tornadoes and the Red Devils the most interesting contest this week is the Hibriten-Foard game. The Panthers travel to Propst Crossroads for a catfight with the Tigers. The fur will be flying and it will be interesting to see how Hibriten handles Foard's offense. Also, will the Tigers even know how to act after finally beating Hickory? And hey! The good news is that South Caldwell is off this week. That works for me! And now...magic time.

Hickory at Newton-Conover
Winner: Hickory

Hibriten at Fred T. Foard
Winner: Hibriten

Bandys at Patton
Winner: Bandys

Bunker Hill at St. Stephens
Winner: St. Stephens

West Caldwell at Maiden
Winner: Maiden

Alexander Central at East Burke
Winner: East Burke

A.C. Reynolds at Freedom
Winner: A.C. Reynolds

Watauga at McDowell
Winner: Watauga

Upset? It could happen...

2008-10-09T18:13:00.002-04:00

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...

A quick review of Hickory vs. Newton

2008-10-08T17:20:00.003-04:00

The rivalry between Hickory and Newton is the rivalry in this county. The local media will try to say that it's Maiden vs. Bandys or Newton vs. Maiden. Not even close! The Red Tornadoes and Red Devils (both of whom adopted their nicknames in 1927) have been playing each other since 1923. That's a good 40 years since Tom Brown ever heard of Maiden. Bandys? There was no such thing as Bandys until the 1950s. There is only one grand old rivalry in Catawba County and this week marks the 66th meeting between the two schools on the gridiron.

No, the two teams have not met every season since 1923. I will go into much more detail on why that is in another post. The two did play each other every year from 1923 through 1967. The rivalry was renewed in 1975. The rivalry lapsed in 1976 before renewed again in 1977. Hickory and Newton played each other through the 1982 season then it went dormant again. When Hickory dropped down to Class 3A in 1993 and the schedule had to be completely revamped Newton popped up again and the Tornadoes and Devils have been playing each other ever since. The creation of the CVAC placed Hickory and Newton-Conover in the same conference for the first time since 1967.

Here are some interesting facts about the rivalry...

Hickory High's first-ever football victory was won against Newton on October 5, 1923. The score was 26-0. Hickory won the first eight games between the two schools by a combined score of 280-0. That string of wins included the epic 121-0 annihilation of Newton in 1928. That 1928 squad, led by legends such as Norman "Pinkie" James, William "Bus" Newton and Johnny Mackorell, set a school scoring record (493 points in 11 games) that stood for 68 years until it was broken in 1996.

The Red Devils finally got their first win against Hickory in 1933, the same year that Franklin D. Roosevelt was sworn in as this country's 32nd President. The score in that one was 20-8. Newton followed up the next season with another win over Hickory. That final score was 7-0. During the next 12 years the Red Devils would pick up five more victories (1937, 1938, 1942, 1945 and 1946). At that point Hickory led the overall series, 14-7-1.

In 1947 Hickory High got a new head coach. His name was Buddy Luper and the first thing he did was make sure that the Red Devils got the message that good times were over for them. In a brutal contest that resulted in several injuries (mostly to Newton players) Luper's Tornadoes rolled to a 20-2 victory. The beating Newton took that evening marked the beginning of a long period of absolute domination by Hickory over the Red Devils. Hickory would build a 21-0-1 record against Newton in the next 22 meetings.

Hickory's record against Newton-Conover was 35-7-2 going into the 1977 contest. It was a lousy season for Hickory in terms of wins and losses. The Red Devils defeated the Red Tornadoes by the score of 14-7. After that, Hickory pounded Newton five straight times from 1978 through 1982. That increased Hickory's lead in the series to 40-8-2. Perhaps not surprisingly Newton head coach Don Patrick decided to quit playing Hickory. This latest hiatus lasted through the 1992 season.

Since the two old rivals began playing each other again the Red Devils have certainly made things interesting. The truth is that Newton-Conover has tended to dominate the series over the past 15 years, winning 10 times. Hickory has won three of the last five games but memories of the 2005 Homecoming loss to the Red Devils are still painful. That year it was Hickory who built a 6-0 record prior to the game. Newton was 4-2 but had a bye week (as usual) before playing Hickory. When heavy rain forced a postponement till the following Monday the Red Tornadoes lost the emotional edge and came out flat as a pancake. The result was a shocking 7-3 loss. A trip to Gurley Stadium the following year resulted in a 20-7 Devil victory.

Last year Hickory avenged those losses on Homecoming by bushwhacking the Red Devils at Frank Barger Stadium. Before the visitors knew what had hit them the score was 42-0 at halftime. Hickory cruised in the second half to a 59-20 final score. The Red Devils and their fans whined and cried about how awful Hickory had been to "run up the score." The words "no class" were used a lot. This despite that fact that just the year before Newton had hung a 71-32 loss on Bandys. For the Newton fans who can't count, that's a margin of 39 points for both games. No apologies from this side of the fault line. Just win baby!

Yes, Hickory is the underdog this Friday. But that's what makes this very interesting. Stay tuned...

D.J. Holloway applies pressure in 2007 win

Junior Varsity: Tornadoes vs. Devils

2008-10-08T11:54:00.000-04:00

The biggest JV game of the year is now upon us. I don't want to diminish the importance of the final four games on the JV schedule (especially the big one up at Hibriten in two weeks) but tomorrow night's clash at Frank Barger Stadium between our Tornadoes and the Red Devils is basically for all the marbles.

Newton-Conover is breathing down Hickory's neck in the CVAC race with a 4-1 overall record and a 3-1 mark in CVAC action. Newton's only loss was on September 11th when St. Stephens pulled off a 32-29 upset. That was one week before Hickory beat the Indians, 28-17.

Newton's offense is explosive and is led by sophomore running back Octavius Harden. Some of Harden's highlights this season include monster performances against East Burke in a 28-6 win, Maiden in a 52-20 win and Patton in a 49-24 win.

In the season opener against East Burke Harden rushed for 114 yards and two touchdowns on just seven carries (16 yards per carry). He also scored on an 85-yard kickoff return and a 71-yard pass play.

Harden was equally spectacular against Maiden. He had five carries for 188 yards and three touchdowns. That's 37.6 yards per carry. Just as he did against East Burke, Harden added a long touchdown reception (56 yards) and kickoff return (65 yards), to make five touchdowns on the evening. He finished the game with 320 all-purpose yards.

After racking up 130 rushing yards and a touchdown against Fred T. Foard in a 27-22 victory, Harden had another explosion last week against Patton. This time he rushed for 295 yards and three touchdowns on 10 carries (29.5 yards per carry). The touchdown runs were of 90, 52 and 49 yards, respectively. He also caught a 61-yard touchdown pass. He finished the game with 364 all-purpose yards.

In addition to Harden the Red Devils rely on the skills of sophomore quarterback Adonis Hewitt. It was Hewitt who scored on an option keeper in the final minute of the game to clinch the victory over Foard. Another backfield stalwart is running back Jamal Coates.

Rising up to stop the Harden Express will be Hickory's outstanding defensive unit. Hickory has more speed on defense than any team Newton has faced this season. The Tornado headhunters are aggressive and adept at swarming to the football.

Hickory has its own arsenal of offensive weapons. Freshman tailback Casey Stinson got his high school career started with a bang when he rushed for 104 yards on 10 carries in the opener against Alexander Central. He followed that up the next week with 154 yards on just five carries (30.8 yards per carry). After five games he has 520 yards on 52 carries (10 yards per carry) and three touchdowns. In last week's victory over Fred T. Foard, Stinson showed off his pass catching skills with three receptions for 43 yards. He also rushed for 97 yards and a touchdown.

Sophomore tailback T.J. Wimbush has come on strong the past couple of weeks after freshman Quai Linebarger was injured against Maiden. Wimbush burned Maiden for 129 yards rushing and three touchdowns on just six carries. Last week against Foard he gained 163 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. Fellow sophomore Tyree Rhinehardt is yet another scoring threat. Last week Rhinehardt had only one carry but turned it into a 30-yard touchdown run.

The Red Tornadoes utilize two quarterbacks, both of whom are freshmen. The passing game was important last week against Foard. Michael Helms went 3-5-0 for 76 yards and two touchdowns in the win. He also completed a 2-point conversion pass to Stinson. Kyle Johnson was 2-3-0 for 27 yards in the passing department. He also scored a touchdown on a one-yard keeper.

If Hickory goes to the air tomorrow night the most likely targets will be sophomores Ciani Vega and Steven Davenport, freshman Jordan Walls-Davis (all wide receivers), sophomore tight end Michael Payne, and Casey Stinson coming out of the backfield. Vega and Davenport both caught touchdown passes last Thursday against Foard.

Last year's Hickory-Newton JV game at Gurley Stadium was a barnburner. If you don't normally attend the JV games you don't know what you're missing! You don't want to miss this one, believe me.

GO HICKORY!

Final thoughts on the Foard game

2008-10-07T08:58:00.001-04:00

It's official. Strange days are here. If I had written last spring that six games into the 2008 season the Red Tornadoes would be 3-3 but with victories over Bandys and Maiden and also 0-2 at Frank Barger Stadium after losing to St. Stephens and Fred T. Foard, well, you would have laughed at me. But that's where we're at in Week 8 as we face a road trip to Newton this Friday. It's more than a little nerve-wracking to think that Hickory is at .500 with the Red Devils and Hibriten left to deal with.

Here's some more weirdness. When was the last time anybody attended a Hickory football game and saw 28 points scored but no rushing touchdowns? For that matter how bizarre is it that the first seven touchdowns in a Hickory-Foard game were on pass plays? But it was entertaining.

I'm late with this summary because this game provided a lot of food for thought. I will approach it by reviewing the three things that I said Hickory must do in order to win the game.

I would love to see Hickory get the ball first to start the game. If that happens then it is crucial that the Tornado offensive line establish itself and take control of the line of scrimmage. They have to play angry (but under control) and get very physical with the Tiger D-line. If Hickory can dominate the line of scrimmage then the Tornadoes will be able to run the ball effectively which will, in turn, loosen things up for the passing game. By contrast, if the Tornado O-line can't get any push against the Tigers then it will be a long night. The same goes for the Hickory defensive front. We simply can't afford to have the safety making all the tackles tonight. If Mikey Shook is forced to be the run stopper then Hickory will lose, period.

Hickory jumped out to a 21-6 lead, which was completely opposite of the way Fred T. Foard normally starts a game. So that was a mini-victory for the Red Tornadoes. The line was blocking and good things were happening because of it. Rakim Barrett finished the game with 182 yards on just 15 carries. That's a per-carry average of 12.1, which is the kind of effective running that we saw from him last season. Overall the Tornadoes rushed for 267 yards, certainly enough production to win a game in most cases. Kevin Shelton had a good night throwing the football, completing 50% of his passes for 118 yards and four touchdowns. I'm still looking but I can't find a Hickory game where the Tornado quarterback threw four touchdown passes. I've found several with three touchdown passes, but not four. And not only that but Hickory had four different receivers catching those TD passes. Last week I praised Foard for spreading the scoring around and so I have to give the Tornado offense props, too. Hickory had seven different players catch passes. That's good variety and, frankly, 118 passing yards combined with 267 rushing yards should always be enough for Hickory to win a game - if the defense is taking care of its business...

Michael Shook was the leading tackler (for the 3rd time in the last five games) and that just highlights how bad a night it was for the Tornado defense. Yes, the defense got after the Tigers early in the game. I saw some outstanding individual efforts from the cornerbacks in one-on-one situations with the Foard wide receivers. I loved the way David Dula fought for and won the battle with Trent Safrit for a pass that would have been a touchdown but, instead, became an interception. I've already praised Mikey Shook for his 14 solo tackles that, in most cases, were touchdown-saving stops. Tyler Barnette's punt block was excellent and set up Hickory's second touchdown. So the defense was making stops and setting up the offense to score. But once the score reached 21-6 the rest of the game was a long, frustrating retreat. Rakim Barrett's fumble late in the second quarter was quickly converted by the Tigers into a touchdown that closed the gap to 21-14, giving Foard the edge in momentum going into halftime. The third quarter was a draw with each team scoring a touchdown. Hickory held a slim 28-21 lead two minutes into the fourth quarter. Then came the collapse. After that the Tiger offense had its way with the Tornado defense. It was ugly. But even before that you couldn't help but feel that the Tiger offense was rapidly gaining confidence in its ability to move the ball. In thse situations there is simply no room for errors. The difference between this season and past seasons is that teams like St. Stephens and Fred T. Foard are good enough to exploit Hickory's mistakes whereas most of the time Hickory can get away with some sloppy play. The goal now must be eliminating the sloppiness. It's way too expensive these days.

Hickory must not panic if the Tigers start the game with a scoring blitz. The Tigers are known for piling on the points early in the game and then coasting. Last week was the first time all year that the Tiger starters had to play in the second half - and they lost. So whatever happens with the Tigers on offense it is important that the Tornadoes not let it rattle them. Being able to run the ball effectively will help that situation. Also, Isenhour only throws the ball 9-10 times a game, no more than that. If the defense can shut down the passing game in the first half it should not be a factor in the second half. But they must always be on the alert for a Hail Mary downfield. Foard loves to score on the "big play."

The Tigers did indeed score in bunches but they flipped the script by doing it at the end of the game rather than the beginning. I was thrilled to see Hickory jump out to a 21-6 lead and assumed that they had successfully negated the "shock and awe" that Foard likes to inflict on an opponent to start the game. But the deluge did finally come and it turned a close game into an embarrassing one. I guessed wrong about Foard's passing game. They stuck with it even though it was not immediately successful. In the end they wound up with better passing numbers than Hickory. But that didn't stop Quinton Owens from having a career night rushing the ball. And the Tigers continued to specialize in the big play. Landon Isenhour complete to Jameel Owens for a 23-yard touchdown pass. Isenhour complete to Chase Robinson for a 43-yard touchdown pass. Isenhour complete to Safrit for a 15-yard touchdown pass. Quinton Owens scores on a 68-yard run. As I said last week, the Tigers are scary fast.

Hickory must avoid turnovers and costly penalties. Since the loss at Statesville the Tornado ballcarriers have been very good at holding onto the football. Sure, in the downpour last Friday there were some fumbles but they did not affect the outcome of the game. Fumbles are going to happen in the rain. Tonight, however, will be clear and cool - perfect football weather. No excuses tonight. Hickory can't afford to give the Tigers any breaks. The same goes for penalties. Hickory is still one of the most penalized teams in the area. The yellow flags can absolutely ruin a good gameplan and make players become reluctant and hesitant. And the Tigers definitely don't need the help. Hopefully we will have a qualified crew of striped-shirts who won't feel the need to make themselves bigger than the game itself.

Turnovers and penalties can absolutely kill you in a tight ballgame. Hickory fumbled twice and Foard recovered the ball both times. And both times the Tigers immediately made Hickory pay for it. On Foard's first play after recovering Rakim's fumble (which came at the end of a nice run) Isenhour hit Chase Robinson for a 43-yard touchdown. In the fourth quarter a bungled snap from center by Hickory was recovered by Foard. On the next play Isenhour scored on a 13-yard keeper. Two fumbles, two touchdowns. It doesn't get any simpler than that. David Dula threw an interception late in the game that also led eventually to a Tiger touchdown but by then the game was already lost. Statistically speaking, the penalty situation for Hickory wasn't bad. Officially, the Tornadoes were only penalized three times for 30 yards, which is by far the lowest total this season. But still Hickory shot itself in the foot with needless penalties. With first-and-goal on the Tiger five, Hickory had back-to-back penalties that pushed the Tornadoes back to the 15 yard line. One of the penalties was for lining up offsides. Why does that happen? So instead of scoring a touchdown Hickory was forced to try a field goal. That attempt was ruined by a bad snap. Failure in the red zone due to stupid penalties and poor execution by the special teams. That's a prime example of why Hickory is at .500 for the season.

There are some good things happening these days for Hickory. But for every positive aspect there is a nagging problem that has yet to be solved. The good news is that the problems are fixable. The bad news is that time is running out.

Trevin Parks wins a battle with Jameel Owens

The Triple T Award is back in familiar hands...

2008-10-07T08:30:00.004-04:00

The Terrible Terry Tate Defensive MVP Award goes to senior safety Michael Shook for the second time this season. He has been the team's leading tackler in four of Hickory's six games. His tackle stats last week were more impressive than ever - which is both good and bad. I'm certainly excited about his hustle and his talent for getting to the man with the football and taking him down. However, I am not happy that our safety is having to make all the tackles!

I made mention of it in my pre-game post.

"We simply can't afford to have the safety making all the tackles tonight. If Mikey Shook is forced to be the run stopper then Hickory will lose, period."

Well, Mikey led the team in tackles with 25. That's 12 more than the second guy on the list, Buddy Withers. So not only was Mikey the top tackler but he was the top tackler by a mile! We're running a 4-4 defense, people. With eight men in the box why is the safety leading the team in tackles almost every week? Why is it that Shook's total of 25 is more than the combined tackles of Cole Smithey, Drew Siciliano, Clay Johnson, Dijon McGill, Chavis Shuford, Alex Dezayas and D.J. Holloway? Shook had 14 solo tackles. Basically this means that 14 times in the game if Mikey doesn't make the tackle, the Tigers score. What's up with that? Just sayin'...

Succop Named Draddy Semifinalist

2008-10-06T12:21:00.000-04:00

Nominated by their schools, which are limited to one nominee each, semifinalists must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of eligibility, have a GPA of at least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale, have outstanding football ability as a first team player or significant contributor, and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship. Established to honor former NFF Chairman Vincent dePaul Draddy, a Manhattan College quarterback who developed the Izod and Lacoste brands, the award comes with a 25-pound bronze trophy and a $25,000 post-graduate scholarship.

"The Draddy Trophy is one of college football's most sought after and competitive awards," said NFF Chairman Archie Manning whose sons Peyton (Draddy winner) and Eli were named NFF National Scholar-Athletes in 1997 and 2003, respectively. "It recognizes an individual as the absolute best in the country for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary community leadership, and we're incredibly proud to select the next winner from this remarkable group of semifinalists."

Click here to read more about the Draddy Award.

Ben & Jerry's anyone?

2008-10-06T12:15:00.000-04:00

It's "Vol Week" for my Georgia Bulldogs and even though I wish Hickory's own Austin Johnson the best of luck in everything he does I am still a Dawg fan. So I thought I'd highlight this post from
Blogging Pantsless in which Mackalicious gives some ideas for new Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavors with a Volunteer twist. For instance...

Rocky Topper - There is no better comfort food than this. Portable and refreshing, Rocky Topper is a spirit-warming base of corn whiskey ice cream with a blast of peanut butter & jelly sandwich bits. Under each lid is a picture of Tee Martin giving you a smile, a wink, and a thumbs up with a passage reading, "Never give up."

ENJOY!

Pick 'em Week 7 recap

2008-10-05T15:19:00.003-04:00

This past Friday night was not a good one for picking games. I deliberately picked Bunker Hill to knock off a Bandys squad that was playing without its quarterback and top receiver. I thought it might be a the perfect time for the Bears to take advantage, especially since they were at home. The Trojans won the game anyway. But at least I can take some comfort in the that fact that they won it the way I said they would: unleashing tailback Josh McCombs.

As for the St. Stephens-West Caldwell game, I honestly don't know why I picked West Caldwell. That was a case of me being in a hurry and typing the wrong team. I never thought West would beat Saint but somehow I typed it anyway and so that's my tough luck.

And then there was my usual blunder with South Caldwell. I thought Butch and the boys from Sawmills were ready to mug Cryin' Mike Biggerstaff's Cavs but turns out "them Icard boys" are desperate to enjoy this, the program's final season of football glory before sinking into the abyss that is waiting to engulf them once Draughn's varsity program gets cranked up next season. Tick tock, Cavaliers...

Congratulations to Queen Patrice Baptista!

2008-10-04T23:50:00.010-04:00

3 things Hickory must do tonight

2008-10-03T17:59:00.003-04:00

Forget about the past. Forget about all the times that the Red Tornadoes have crushed the Tigers. None of that matters now because the 2008 Fred T. Foard Tigers are a very good football team. Everybody needs to understand that the Red Tornadoes are the underdogs in this contest. The fans need to approach the game with that in mind. What does it mean? It means that every first down, every good play, every hard hit by the Tornadoes needs to cause an explosion of cheering in the stands. There will be no throwaway plays in this game. Here is what Hickory needs to accomplish in order to win this game.

1. I would love to see Hickory get the ball first to start the game. If that happens then it is crucial that the Tornado offensive line establish itself and take control of the line of scrimmage. They have to play angry (but under control) and get very physical with the Tiger D-line. If Hickory can dominate the line of scrimmage then the Tornadoes will be able to run the ball effectively which will, in turn, loosen things up for the passing game. By contrast, if the Tornado O-line can't get any push against the Tigers then it will be a long night. The same goes for the Hickory defensive front. We simply can't afford to have the safety making all the tackles tonight. If Mikey Shook is forced to be the run stopper then Hickory will lose, period.

2. Hickory must not panic if the Tigers start the game with a scoring blitz. The Tigers are known for piling on the points early in the game and then coasting. Last week was the first time all year that the Tiger starters had to play in the second half - and they lost. So whatever happens with the Tigers on offense it is important that the Tornadoes not let it rattle them. Being able to run the ball effectively will help that situation. Also, Isenhour only throws the ball 9-10 times a game, no more than that. If the defense can shut down the passing game in the first half it should not be a factor in the second half. But they must always be on the alert for a Hail Mary downfield. Foard loves to score on the "big play."

3. Hickory must avoid turnovers and costly penalties. Since the loss at Statesville the Tornado ballcarriers have been very good at holding onto the football. Sure, in the downpour last Friday there were some fumbles but they did not affect the outcome of the game. Fumbles are going to happen in the rain. Tonight, however, will be clear and cool - perfect football weather. No excuses tonight. Hickory can't afford to give the Tigers any breaks. The same goes for penalties. Hickory is still one of the most penalized teams in the area. The yellow flags can absolutely ruin a good gameplan and make players become reluctant and hesitant. And the Tigers definitely don't need the help. Hopefully we will have a qualified crew of striped-shirts who won't feel the need to make themselves bigger than the game itself.

GO HICKORY!!

It's October 3rd. On this date in...

2008-10-03T15:53:00.005-04:00

1958 backfield l-r: Rudisill, Jackson, Isenhour, Huffman

1958: The Red Tornadoes celebrated Homecoming by crushing their archrivals from Newton-Conover by a score of 45-6. Hickory's offensive backfield, led by junior halfback Larry "Red" Rudisill, was stellar against the Red Devils. Rudisill racked up 204 yards and two touchdowns on just 14 carries (14.6 yards per carry). Also scoring touchdowns for Hickory were junior halfback Richard Jackson, senior quarterback Harper "Hoppy" Huffman (twice), sophomore fullback Gene Isenhour and junior fullback Barney Deal. Newton-Conover avoided the shutout by scoring in the last minute of the contest. The win improved Hickory's record to 5-0. The Red Tornadoes would go 11-0 before losing Asheboro in the WNCHSAA title game.

1969: Hickory defeated the Eagles of East Mecklenburg in a key District 6, Southwestern 4A Conference matchup. In a defensive struggle the difference maker was senior Chuck Munday's remarkable special teams performance. Munday, who would play in the Shrine Bowl, punted four times for an average of 46.5 yards. Time and time again he got the Red Tornadoes out of bad field position and put the pressure back on East Meck. Hickory scored first with 7:14 left in the first quarter. Halfback Claude "Cool Breeze" Evans broke loose for two large gains as the Tornadoes moved 66 yards on their first drive of the game. On the first play Evans ran around right end for 18 yards. On the next play Evans again got the call and scampered for 28 yards to the Eagle 28 yard line. After two plays gained only one yard quarterback Ricky Dula kept the ball on a sweep around left end and gained 26 yards to the one. He scored on the next play. Fullback David Williams kicked the PAT and Hickory had a 7-0 lead. East Meck got on the board in the third quarter on a 64-yard touchdown run by James Barber. Quarterback Joe Thompson completed a pass on the 2-point conversion attempt but it was nullified by a penalty. On the next attempt the Tornado defense snuffed it out to preserve a 7-6 lead. That's how the game ended. The Hickory defense was led by Lee Bost and Marvin Everett (who would join Chuck Munday in the Shrine Bowl).

1975: The Big One. Hickory played Newton-Conover for the first time since 1967. Many oldtimers still consider Don Patrick's 1975 Red Devil squad to be the best in school history. Newton-Conover featured two great running backs, Butch Baker and Dennis McCorkle, and a rock-ribbed defense. The Red Devils were 4-0 going into the contest. Hickory was 3-1 and also had a quality tailback in Herbert Thompson. The Red Tornadoes also had a stout defensive unit. In the end, it was the two defenses who ruled the evening. In those kinds of games the special teams will always decide who wins. Such was the case on this night 33 years ago. It would have been a good night for David Bumgarner simply because he recovered two Red Devil fumbles. But with 2:20 left to play in a 0-0 game Bumgarner gave the Tornado Nation something to shout about when he calmly nailed a 25-yard field goal. Newton tried to win the game in the final minute by going to the air. Barry Wilson's first-down pass fell short. His second pass caused a controversy when it looked to some that Donnie Newsome had made a great catch but the officials ruled that he had trapped the ball. On third down Wilson's pass was deflected by Hickory's Berry Dunlap. On Newton's last gasp Ronnie Hopper (yes, Coach Hopper!) knocked the ball away. The final 3-0 score was extremely sweet for Coach Frank Barger and his Tornadoes.

1997: Hickory slaughtered the East Lincoln Mustangs, 35-6. The victory was Hickory's 22nd in a row, which broke the previous school record. There was no emotional letdown a week after the huge victory over Mooresville. The Red Tornadoes spread the scoring opportunities among several key players. Lee Wilson began the touchdown parade on a three-yard run. Anthony Foust got on the board next with an 11-yard run. Then it was quarterback Tim Swanson's turn when he connected with Menyel Flowers on a 49-yard touchdown pass. Wesley Gatewood got in on the act with a 49-yard touchdown run. Even rarely-used tailback Thomas Farley hit paydirt. He scored on a 30-yard run. Cory Morgan was A-U-T-O-matic on his PATs. The Mustangs avoided the shutout in the third quarter on a two-yard quarterback keeper.

2003: Hickory racked up 509 yards of total offense and 56 points against St. Stephens while holding the Indians to a mere 84 yards and no points. Quarterback Chris Rogers scored on a 12-yard run to start the scoring. Fullback Paul Martin followed that up with a burst from four yards out. The Tornadoes exploded for four touchdowns in the second quarter. First Rogers scored again from the four. Ryan Succop's PAT went wide. Then Alex Wilson scored from the 10. Rogers sneaked in for the 2-point conversion. Martin bulled his way in on a seven-yard run. Then came the shocker: Rogers went deep to split end Keon Hill for a 49-yard touchdown. Coach Worley took his foot off the gas pedal in the second half. Wilson got his second touchdown of the night on a 28-yard run. Finally, third-string tailback Ryan Greene reached the end zone from six yards out. Ironically, Hickory's leading rusher, Kejuan Wright, finished with 162 yards on just 9 carries (18 yards per carry) but never got into the end zone.

Good times!

Junior Varsity crushes Fred T. Foard

2008-10-03T14:03:00.006-04:00

Tyree Rhinehardt on his way to paydirt

The Young Tornadoes maintained their lead in a tight conference race by whipping the Tiger Kittens 40-14 in their own stadium. Quarterback Michael Helms had a good night throwing the football. He found Steven Davenport on a 14-yard touchdown pass and later hit Ciani Vega for a 46-yard score.

The ground attack wrecked the Foard defense from the beginning. After Hickory gave up a quick touchdown on Foard's opening drive of the contest the Tornado backs began running it right down the Tigers' throats. T.J. Wimbush had a big night and scored a touchdown. Also scoring rushing touchdowns for Hickory were Kyle Johnson, Casey Stinson and Tyree Rhinehardt.

The offensive line did well despite the loss of center Deangelo Morzon, who has been moved up to the varsity squad. Congratulations to Deangelo! And congratulations to his replacement, freshman Trey Huffman. Trey did a fine job in his first start and the O-line squad didn't miss a beat. I also noticed that another freshman, Torian Powell, started at right tackle. I'm not sure if that was his first start but I'm glad to see him continuing to improve.

The defense had a good night, despite giving up 14 points. Inside linebacker Michael Payne abused the Tigers on several occasions. The entire linebacker corps of Payne, Alex Williams, Jake Meade and Kyle Johnson is both mobile and hostile. I'd also like to praise the rest of the defense: line stalwarts Ryan Tyree, Perry Moore, Jordan Williams and Tyree Rhinehardt; cornerbacks Steven Davenport and Shaquan Reid and safety Dametrius Lewis.

Hickory's record is now 4-0 in the CVAC and 5-0 overall. The win was the JV's 61st consecutive and 80th in the last 81 games. Next week the Young Tornadoes will return to Frank Barger Stadium to host the very dangerous Red Devils of Newton-Conover.

Williams, Johnson, Payne and Meade attack!

Breaking down this week's CVAC games

2008-10-03T06:37:00.004-04:00

With the exception of the Hickory-Foard game the pickings are pretty easy tonight. The big question is whether or not Bandys has enough firepower to escape Bunker Hill with a win. The Trojans are flying without their ace quarterback Kyle Houser and his favorite wingman Seth Cranfill (not to mention tackle Kyle Talbert) due to their two-game suspension for fighting in last week's game with West Caldwell. NCHSAA rules are specific: If a player is ejected from a game for fighting then he will be ineligible to participate in the next two games. Hibriten looks to hammer another nail in Maiden's coffin while Patton visits Gurley Stadium to face the Red Devils. Good luck with that! St. Stephens versus West Caldwell? Yawn.

BANDYS (1-2, 2-3) AT BUNKER HILL (1-2, 1-4)

Series Notes: These two teams have played each other 50 times with Bandys winning 26 of the contests. Bunker Hill's last victory over Bandys was in 2000.

What to look for tonight: It's been a season of streak-breaking victories and this could be another one. The engine that makes the Bandys offense run not be on the field tonight. Without Kyle Houser the Trojans are in danger of becoming very one dimensional. If they try to maintain their usual passing attack with a first-time starter it could be disastrous. I believe Coach Lowman will emphasize the running game tonight to relieve the pressure on the new quarterback. The Trojans are capable of pounding the ball with Josh McCombs and Trent Millsaps against a thin Bear defense. I don't think the Trojans will abandon the passing game altogether, however. But the rushing game will be used to set up the pass, which is not how Bandys normally operates. Even though Cranfill is banned for two games there are still some highly-qualified receivers to utilize. The Bears can also pass the ball and Davontaye Wilson has breakaway speed. Bunker Hill may be able to mix things up on offense just enough to create some chaos for the Trojan defense. Remember that the Trojans have not been particularly stingy on that side of the ball this season.

MAIDEN (0-3, 1-4) AT HIBRITEN (3-0, 5-0)

Series Notes: These two teams haven't played each other very often but Maiden has dominated the series, 6-1. Maiden has never lost in Hibriten's Jeff Storie Memorial Stadium.

What to look for tonight: Maiden has never lost to Hibriten in Lenoir...until tonight. Hibriten is simply too good this season to blow it against a team like Maiden. The Blue Devil faithful are all scratching their heads and talking out loud about all the "talent" Maiden has and wondering why such talented players aren't doing a better job. The answer is simple: Maiden does not have talent on their team this season. The big name coming into the season was Justin Sizemore, the quarterback. But after five games he has looked merely average at best. He has thrown almost three times as many interceptions as he has touchdowns. How pathetic is that? Even his raw numbers are unimpressive, despite the fact that he is a spread formation quarterback. Hibriten runs the ball well enough that the Panthers may not even bother with the passing game tonight. They will control the ball, run that clock and shorten the game. Last year the Blue Devils upset the Panthers in Tom Brown Stadium. There's zero chance of that happening tonight up in Lenoir.

PATTON (2-1, 3-2) AT NEWTON-CONOVER (3-0, 5-0)

Series Notes: These two teams have never played each other.

What to look for tonight: There is a chance that the Panthers might put up more of a fight than most people would expect. But honestly, I don't see Patton knocking off the Red Devils. Last week Newton-Conover defeated Foard, the most experienced team in the league. The first-year varsity program from Morganton doesn't even know what it's like to deal with the Devils in Gurley Stadium. One matchup that will be somewhat interesting will be the duel between Newton's Dorian Jones and Patton's Brandon Bethel. Statistically they are two of the best backs in the CVAC. Jones is more experienced and more versatile but Bethel is a quality young running back. He will be even better next season. There are interesting similarities between Newton quarterback A.J. Bazzle and Patton quarterback Cody Story. They are capable of getting first downs with their feet as well as their throwing arms. When it's all said and done, however, Patton will head home with its second CVAC loss.

ST. STEPHENS (1-2, 3-2) AT WEST CALDWELL (0-3, 0-5)

Series Notes: West Caldwell owns the series, 11-4, but the Indians have won the last two games.

What to look for tonight: Tonight's game will mark the beginning of a five-game winning streak for the Indians. Hear me now, believe me later people! The Indians have two conference losses but that's only because they've already played the top two teams in the league. In fact, they have played perhaps the three toughest CVAC opponents they will face all season. The only quality team left on Saint's schedule is Fred T. Foard on November 7th. The local "professional experts" will probably trip all over themselves praising the magnificent "turnaround" of the Indians. Don't be fooled, though. The reason the Indians are about to embark on winning streak is because the teams they are playing include the following: West Caldwell (0-5), Bunker Hill (1-4), Bandys (2-3), Patton (3-2) and Maiden (1-4). It's too soon to tell how well the Indians will do against Fred T. Foard. If I'm right about this, then it just illustrates how crucial the Hickory-Foard game is to the playoff picture. St. Stephens could very well be 6-2 in the CVAC going into the final week of the regular season.

Red Tornadoes defeat Tigers in overtime!

2008-10-02T23:32:00.005-04:00

One of my all-time favorite memories of watching Red Tornado football occurred 10 years ago when Hickory hosted Fred T. Foard for Homecoming. To be specific, the date was October 23, 1998 and it was easily the coldest Friday night of the season up to that point. It was the coldest Homecoming night in more than a decade. But the action on the field was smoking hot for the full 48 minutes - and then some!

To fully appreciate the game itself it's important to know just what was at stake.

Hickory and Foard were fighting for position in the Western Foothills Conference. The Tigers entered the contest with a 5-3 record overall and a 3-1 mark in the Western Foothills. Foard was tied with East Lincoln for second place in the standings. Undefeated Mooresville was out in front at 4-0 and 8-0. Thus the Tigers were hoping for a stumble by the Blue Devils that might allow Foard to grab at least a share of the WFC title.

Hickory and South Caldwell were tied for fourth place in the standings with 2-2 league marks. Hickory had battled to a 4-3 record after dropping below .500 at 2-3 following consecutive losses to Newton-Conover, Mooresville and East Lincoln. With virtually no shot at the conference title the Red Tornadoes were trying to stay in the hunt for a playoff berth.

It should have been a better season for Hickory. After compiling a 28-1 record over the previous two seasons and winning two conference titles and the 1996 Class 3A state championship the Red Tornadoes looked forward to returning two of the area's top running backs in junior tailback Anthony Foust and senior wingback Wesley Gatewood. In 1997 the two had combined for 2,315 yards rushing. But in August it was determined that both were academically ineligible for the 1998 season. That was the end of the line for Gatewood. Foust would find redemption in his senior season of 1999. In the meantime, Hickory was left with a gaping hole where its rushing game used to be as the 1998 season began.

Coach David Elder did have a few weapons in the arsenal and now they would play a crucial role in Hickory's success. First among these was junior quarterback Tim Swanson. Although officially the "new" starter Swanson did have varsity experience and had even started a couple of key games in '97 while regular starter Dean Powell was sidelined with an ankle injury. The highlight of Swanson's career had been the showdown with Mooresville. In a battle of unbeatens in front of more than 8,000 fans Swanson had held his own and led the team to victory. He was a strong kid, a good leader and a terrific passer.

In the late '90s Hickory had several tall, lanky wide receivers but none were quite as good as Menyel Flowers. A 6'4 senior, Flowers had been on the varsity since his sophomore season and was extremely cool under pressure. He had the good instincts as a receiver that allowed him to make the most of his athletic abilities. Together he and Swanson would rewrite the school passing and receiving records.

A third member of the offense who was less well-known when the season began but who would also step up and be a team leader was senior tailback Brandon Michaux. Although not on the same level as Anthony Foust, Michaux was a very capable back with plenty of speed. In the end he would join the ranks of Hickory's illustrious 1,000-yard rushing fraternity.

The first five games of the season were a series of losses and near-losses. Hickory managed to begin the season with a couple of home wins over East Burke and Statesville. But both were close, come-from-behind affairs that hardly inspired confidence among the Tornado Nation. Nevertheless, at that point in time Hickory had won 30 of its last 31 games.

Then came three straight losses, beginning with a stunning 33-20 beating at the hands of Newton-Conover. After a bye week the disappointments continued with a 37-0 shellacking at Mooresville followed by a heartbreaking 21-20 loss at East Lincoln. Michaux had been injured in the Statesville game and had not played at all against Newton-Conover and only sparingly against Mooresville. Suddenly Hickory wasn't a team that had won 30 times in its last 31 games but merely a team with a losing record going nowhere fast.

The next two weeks saw the Red Tornadoes bounce back with wins over South Iredell at home and South Caldwell on the road. Those wins helped set the stage for what would happen in the Foard game. It was now Homecoming.

The Fred T. Foard Tigers were a laughing stock in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Of all Hickory's important rivalries the one with Foard is the newest. The two teams played each other for the first time in 1991. Hickory won the first two meetings and then lost in 1993 during Bob Hanna's final year as head coach. With a new head coach in charge beginning in 1994 the Red Tornadoes strung together four consecutive wins over the Tigers with only the last one, in 1997, being close. In a miserable, rainy downpour the Red Tornadoes squeezed out a 21-6 victory that was closer than the final score would imply.

The Tigers had momentum coming into the 1998 season. They had great size, more speed than usual and a promising quarterback in Randall Bost. Running back B.J. Walton led the conference in rushing and also in scoring. Then, as now, the Foard liked to utilize the committee approach to running the ball and so in addition to B.J. Walton they relied on his brother, Jerrell, as well as Jeremy Dula and Ben Eggers. The Tigers also had an excellent kicker in James Raven.

Foard had been 3-0 in the conference before losing to Mooresville a week prior to the Hickory game. The Tigers had played as well as anybody against the Blue Devils and were favored to get the school's second-ever win over Hickory. The Tigers hoped that if they could stay within a game of Mooresville then perhaps they could still get a share of the title if the Blue Devils happened to lose in their final regular season game against East Lincoln on November 7.

All eyes were scanning the skies just prior to kickoff as the gameball was delivered to the the field by a skydiver who landed right in the logo at midfield. It was an exciting beginning to what would turn out to be an absolute classic of a game.

Hickory opened the scoring with an 81-yard touchdown pass from Swanson to Flowers. Adam Joseph, a new kicker for Hickory, nailed the PAT. The Red Tornado defense made that score stand up for the rest of the quarter. After 12 minutes of gametime Hickory held a 7-0 lead.

Using its punishing ground attack Foard dominated the second quarter. Jeremy Dula scampered into the end zone from 28 yards out to put the Tigers on the board. The attempted 2-point conversion failed. When the Tigers got the ball back they went on another scoring drive that culminated in B.J. Walton's three-yard touchdown run. Walton then ran in the conversion to give Foard a 14-7 lead. The Tigers would take that lead into halftime.

Hickory struck first in the third quarter on Brandon Michaux's 67-yard touchdown run. Joseph's kick was successful, knotting the score at 14-14. The rest of the third quarter belonged to the Tigers as Randall Bost capped a scoring drive with a 13-yard run. Raven's kick put the visitors up 21-14. After stopping the Tornadoes on their next drive the Tigers increased their lead when fullback Ben Eggers scored from four yards out. Another successful Raven PAT gave Foard a 28-14 lead as the quarter came to an end.

The Red Tornadoes continued to fight, however, and put together a drive that ended with Swanson's keeper from the one. After Joseph's PAT the Tiger lead was cut to a single touchdown. Hickory's defense did its job on Foard's next possession and forced them to punt. The Tornado Nation had witnessed Swanson lead the team to a come-from-behind victory on more than one occasion and hopes were high that he could do it again. But when Foard's Aaron Wilkie intercepted a Swanson pass and turned it into a "pick-6" I can remember how crushing it was for the fans. Raven was automatic with his PATs and suddenly Hickory was trailing 35-21 with 7:54 left to play.

After the kickoff the Red Tornadoes set up shop on their own 33 yard line. After six plays the ball was resting on Foard's 30. That's when Coach Elder reached into the trick bag and pulled out the old hook-and-lateral play. Swanson found Flowers at the 22 and then Flowers instantly pitched to a streaking Brandon Michaux who took it to the house for an electrifying touchdown that had everybody on the home side going wild. The excitement was dampened temporarily when Joseph's kick was low and no good.

Leading 35-27, Foard took the kickoff and ran six plays before being forced to punt. Hickory took over on the Tiger 49 and Swanson went back to the air immediately. His first pass was complete to Flowers down to the 31. His second pass was complete to Flowers for a 31-yard touchdown strike. Down 35-33 with only 1:29 left in the game, the Tornadoes had no choice but to go for two. The Tigers were expecting either a run or perhaps a pass to Flowers but instead Swanson looked for Jeremy Sherrill, a 6'3 senior, in the right rear corner of the end zone. The pass was placed in such a way that either Sherrill caught it or nobody caught it. The ball was a bit overthrown but Sherrill stretched out and made a one-handed catch that, again, sent the home crowd into a frenzy. By this time my voice was pretty much gone.

But still the Tornadoes weren't out of the woods. Foard put together a lightning drive of its own and James Raven, the oustanding kicker, was given an opportunity to win the game on a 37-yard field goal attempt as time ran out. His kick went wide left and the Tornado Nation heaved a sigh of relief.

Hickory got the ball first in the overtime period and wasted no time. On the first play Michaux took the handoff and scored the 10-yard touchdown. Joseph nailed the all-important PAT, giving Hickory it's first lead since the opening minutes of the game.

Foard took three plays to go nine yards. On 4th-and-goal from the one, Bost sneaked in for the touchdown. Then Foard's head coach, Allan Gorry, made the decision to go for the win rather than the tie. Bost rolled left and dived for the end zone pylon. He was smacked by several Tornado defenders who stopped him just inches from paydirt. For a split second there was doubt and then the Tornadoes started jumping up and down as the officials signaled that the conversion was no good. Hickory had pulled off a remarkable 42-41 victory.

The game was especially sweet for Tim Swanson and Menyel Flowers. Swanson set a new school record for passing yards in a single game. His totals that night were 12-21-1, 252 yards and two touchdowns. Flowers set a new single-game record for receiving yards. He finished with eight catches for 178 yards and two touchdowns. Brandon Michaux also had a good night, racking up 108 yards and three touchdowns. He was the game's leading rusher (Jeremy Dula led the Tigers with 89 yards).

The Red Tornadoes went on to win their next three games, including a playoff win on the road at North Surry. Hickory was eliminated in the second round by North Buncombe. One can only wonder just how good the Red Tornadoes would have been if Foust and Gatewood had been available but there is no doubt that on Homecoming night in 1998 the Red Tornadoes made memories to last a lifetime.

Pick 'em Week 7

2008-10-02T23:10:00.003-04:00

Without a doubt the biggest game in the Unifour this Friday night will take place at Frank Barger Stadium on the campus of Hickory High. It's Homecoming at Hickory and what better way to celebrate it than with a shocking win over the Tigers of Fred T. Foard. Both teams are still in the hunt for at least a share of the CVAC title but when the game is over one of them will be out of the running. The other big matchup in the area has Cryin' Mike Biggerstaff and his sub-.500 Cavaliers visiting Sawmills to take on Butch Carter's Spartans. I've been wrong about South Caldwell the past couple of weeks. We'll see how it goes this around. Let's get ready to rummmmmmmmmmble!

Fred T. Foard at Hickory
Winner: Hickory

East Burke at South Caldwell
Winner: South Caldwell

Bandys at Bunker Hill
Winner: Bunker Hill

Maiden at Hibriten
Winner: Hibriten

Patton at Newton-Conover
Winner: Newton-Conover

St. Stephens at West Caldwell
Winner: West Caldwell

McDowell at Freedom
Winner: Freedom

A.C. Reynolds at Alexander Central
Winner: A.C. Reynolds

Watauga at Shelby
Winner: Shelby

Thinking about Fred T. Foard

2008-10-01T12:29:00.001-04:00

Did you know that this year marks the Golden Anniversary of Fred T. Foard football? It was in 1958 that the first Tiger football squad took the field. And throughout the past half-century there have been a few "big moments" for Tiger football. Most of them took place back in the early 1980s. A few more moments happened about 10 years ago. The 2008 season has already gotten off to a historic start for the Tigers and has all the earmarks of being one of the best seasons in school history.

Make no mistake about it: Beating the Red Tornadoes in Frank Barger Stadium on Hickory's Homecoming would be the icing on the cake. Not to mention that a Tiger victory on Friday would eliminate Hickory from the CVAC title chase and seriously jeopardize our playoff hopes. It's happened before. In 2000 the Tigers defeated a depleted Tornado team in Frank Barger Stadium and prevented Hickory from making the postseason. That was the second and last time the Tigers got a win over the Red Tornadoes. Hickory has won the last seven meetings between the schools. Click here for more information about the Tigers.

Here are some Wednesday observations about the Tigers.

The Tigers are extremely athletic and have speed on both sides of the ball. It's a scary thought, actually, but I believe in this respect the Tigers are a lot like Catholic. Quinton Owens, Jaheil Washington, Alex Miller, Trent Safrit, Tyler Ruth and others are as fast a group as any Hickory has faced this year, including Statesville. The evidence can be found when you look at how Fred T. Foard scores its points. Take the season-opening win over South Caldwell. After spotting the Spartans a touchdown in the first quarter the Tigers scored 33 unanswered points on five touchdowns. Touchdown #1: Quinton Owens on a 53-yard run. Touchdown #2: Trent Safrit on a 50-yard pass from Landon Isenhour. Touchdown #3: Alex Miller on an 18-yard run. Touchdown #4: Jake Sweatt on a 66-yard pass from Isenhour. Touchdown #5: Jaheil Washington on a 27-yard run. That's five different players winding up in the end zone. That's multi-dimensional football. That, my friends, is an arsenal.

Although it was the slaughter of Maiden in Tom Brown Stadium that first caught people's attention and sounded the alarm that the Tigers are "for real," I believe that Foard's most impressive victory was the opener against South Caldwell. The offense averaged 7.2 yards per carry. The passing game averaged 37.5 yards per reception. Half of Landon Isenhour's pass completions were for touchdowns. The Tigers did not turn the ball over. They were only flagged six times for 55 yards. And perhaps the most impressive thing of all is that Foard was not at all affected by South Caldwell's clear advantage in size. One of the knocks against Foard this year is that they are not very big. South Caldwell, on the other hand, is huge. So the wishful thinking that maybe Foard can be pushed around by a more physical team was disproved in the very first week of the season. Which doesn't mean that the Tigers are ready to take on the Carolina Panthers. Size alone is not a guarantee. Size + speed + power is the killer. Somewhere down the line Foard may face a team with players who are both big and fast, but realistically that won't happen till they are deep in the playoffs.

The Tigers score points in bunches. They score a lot of points early in the game. They score points in a variety ways. Last week I mentioned that while Newton-Conover likes to play rope-a-dope in the first half the Tigers like to go for a quick kill. When you break down the Tiger scoring by quarters you will see that they have outscored the opposition 62-22 in the first quarter and 64-0 in the second quarter. More specifically, the Tigers gave up a touchdown to South Caldwell in the first quarter of the first game of the season and then did not allow another score in the first half until last week when Newton got off to a fast start and put up 15 points in the first quarter. How did Foard respond to suddenly being down 15-0? The Tigers roared back (no pun intended) in the second quarter and scored 20 points while shutting the Devils down to take a 20-15 lead into halftime. The Tigers are capable of overwhelming an opponent but they do not get rattled by what the opponent is able to accomplish against them. And it's not good enough to simply stop the offense. Against West Lincoln the Tigers opened the scoring on a 95-yard kickoff return by Quinton Owens. Later in the game Tiger linebacker Jake Sweatt scored on a 49-yard interception return. In the Maiden game it was Quinton Owens scoring four first-half touchdowns on runs of six, five and nine yards, followed by a 28-yard interception return. Against Patton the Tigers scored a touchdown when Taylor Lassiter recovered a Panther fumble and took that 65 yards "to the house." What's the common denominator? You guessed it: speed!

Tiger quarterback Landon Isenhour reminds me of former Red Tornado quarterback Chris Rogers. The things that I really appreciated about Chris were his speed and his toughness. There is no question that Chris Rogers was one of the fastest quarterbacks in Hickory's long football history. His running ability gave Hickory an extra weapon in 2003 and proved deadly to the opposition. He was a decent passer and also just a tough hombre. I see all those qualities in Isenhour. He is a three-sport athlete who can run, throw and take a hit. He had a 55-yard touchdown run against West Lincoln. He's rushed for 186 yards so far this season. He averages more than 100 yards passing per game. He can scramble and he doesn't make bad decisions. He is a leader and a prime example of the experience and efficiency of the Tiger offensive machine.

If Isenhour is the leader then Quinton Owens is the spark for the Tigers. He is Foard's leading rusher and also a key member of the defensive secondary. He also is a dangerous return man. He has already scored touchdowns not just on offense but defense and special teams as well. But he is just one of several playmakers the Tigers can rely on for production. Jaheil Washington is right behind Owens on the rushing charts. Alex Miller and fullback Micah Huffman are also valuable. The Tiger receiving corps is as dangerous as any Hickory will face this season.

The Tiger defense leads the CVAC in almost every category. That's pretty much all you need to know about Foard's prowess on that side of the line of scrimmage. Only Hibriten has allowed fewer points this season. The Tiger defense couldn't maintain Foard's halftime lead last week and it cost them their first loss of the season. Odds are good that they will be looking to atone for that this week against Hickory...

THIS MEANS WAR!

Succop does it again!

2008-09-30T17:01:00.000-04:00

Former Red Tornado star Ryan Succop has been the most reliable member of the 2008 South Carolina Gamecocks football team. In recognition for his efforts in last Saturday's victory over the University of Alabama-Birmingham Ryan has been selected the SEC Special Teams Player of the Week.

This is Ryan's third time to be named SEC Player of the Week. The other two times were following South Carolina's victory over Mississippi State in 2006 and Georgia in 2007. The Ol' Ball Coach will be sorry to see Ryan go, that's for sure!

Great job, Mr. Succop!

Sophomore power!

2008-09-30T12:59:00.002-04:00

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...

Pick 'em Week 6 recap

2008-09-30T12:47:00.001-04:00

Well it wasn't a great week for picks. The final game of the week was played last night up in Morganton with the expected outcome: another loss for the Freedom Patriots. That improved my results to 6-3 for the week. For the second week in a row I had trouble with South Caldwell and Alexander Central. The Spartans shutout McDowell in Marion and improved their record to 3-3 after a 1-3 start. Suddenly South is a contender in the NW4A? Meanwhile, Watauga beat Alexander Central in Taylorsville using a ball-control passing attack. The Northwestern Conference race should be an interesting one.

I also whiffed on my upset special, Fred T. Foard vs. Newton-Conover. I thought that Foard's "double e" (experience + efficiency) would be just enough to turn back the Red Devils. But Newton came out and applied their usual 2nd-half sleeper hold on the opposition. Boom, boom, out went the lights. How lucky is Hickory to be able to play these two teams in back-to-back weeks? Never a dull moment around here!

The biggest surprise in my opinion was how easily Hibriten rolled over St. Stephens out on Trailer Park Road. Makeup games can be tricky (Hickory's 2005 Homecoming game with Newton being a prime example) but I thought Saint would give the Panthers a much harder time than that! Coming a week after Hickory failed to beat the Indians and suddenly St. Stephens morphs into the French Army and waves the white flag in the first quarter? WTF? Hopefully the lopsided margin had more to do with St. Stephens suffering an emotional letdown after the natural high of finally beating Hickory than with the raw power of the Panthers! I guess we'll all find out in a few weeks...

The biggest little what?

2008-09-29T18:14:00.001-04:00

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.

Junior Varsity makes it 60 in a row

2008-09-29T12:52:00.002-04:00

Last Thursday night the rain did not let up. Neither did the Hickory High Junior Varsity as the Young Tornadoes pounded Maiden, 36-8, at Frank Barger Stadium.

Hickory's JV is now the only undefeated team in the CVAC. There is a big logjam of teams tied for second-place as we head into Week 7. Once again signs are pointing to Newton-Conover being the major threat to yet another conference title and, of course, The Streak. The Newton game will take place in the friendly confines of Frank Barger Stadium. The Young Tornadoes will have to face Hibriten in Lenoir, which can be a tricky place to win a ballgame. However, the Panthers have already lost a couple of games this season so that they may not be the threat they have been the last two seasons. But certainly they are not to be taken lightly.

The Hickory JV winning streak now stands at 60. The Red Tornadoes have also won 79 of the past 80 games going back to the 2000 season. That 2000 season was the last time Hickory JV did not win a conference championship.

In the first three victories this season the freshmen running back tandem of Casey Stinson and Quai Linebarger has simply and literally run roughshod over the competition. Stinson, for instance, racked up 379 yards and two touchdowns on only 31 carries (12.2 yards per carry, 126 per game). Linebarger was right behind him, with 345 yards and seven touchdowns on 47 carries (7.3 yards per carry, 115 per game). Linebarger in particular had a signature game against St. Stephens when he rushed for 209 yards and four touchdowns on 23 carries.

In last week's Maiden game, however, it was sophomore T.J. Wimbush's turn to shine, even in the downpour. Wimbush picked up 129 yards and three touchdowns on just six carries. In other words, half of his touches resulted in scores and he averaged 21.5 yards per carry. Quai Linebarger was on his way to a great night (3 carries for 33 yards and a TD) when he suffered an injury and had to leave the game. Stinson finished the night with seven carries for 44 yards. Two other Tornado backs, Shaquan Reid (3 carries for 19 yards) and Tyree Rhinehardt (3 carries for 26 yards), also had brief but productive moments running the ball.

How dominant is the Hickory JV right now? Even in pouring rain the Tornadoes had success throwing the ball against Maiden. With sophomore starter Nick Bush sidelined with a fractured collarbone the freshmen quarterbacks, Kyle Johnson and Michael Helms, have struggled with the passing attack. But last Friday night they each completed their only pass attempts. Johnson found Jordan Walls-Davis on a 38-yard pass that should have been a touchdown. The referee insisted that the receiver was down at the one. Hickory scored on the next play. Later it was Helms connecting with Ciani Vega on a 52-yard touchdown pass. Two passes by two different quarterbacks to two different receivers resulting in two completions for 90 yards and a touchdown. You know what I call that? Sweet.

For the record, both Johnson and Helms have completed passes on 2-point conversion attempts. Johnson hit Walls-Davis for a 2-pointer against Bandys and found Steven Davenport open in the end zone on a conversion pass against St. Stephens. Last Friday night Helms connected with tight end Michael Payne for two points.

But it's not just on offense that the Young Tornadoes have been impressive. I can't say enough about the defense. There a great deal of speed on the defensive side of the ball. But the best thing about the defensive unit is the hardnosed, aggressive attitude. It's clear that these players, and really the entire JV squad for that matter, just really enjoy playing the game of football and love to hit and make noise and represent.

Of course, they aren't the first JV squad to have success on the field, along with the swagger and boldness that comes with the territory. It's an unfortunate fact of life that sometimes, as players mature and move on to the varsity and get closer to graduation, the enthusiasm for the game dissipates. I really feel, however, that this 2008 JV has the right attitude and hunger for the game and that it will continue to grow when they move up to varsity.

I can't wait to see what happens next!

My thoughts on tonight's game

2008-09-26T17:25:00.003-04:00

This is a must-win game for both teams. Maiden hasn't lost four consecutive games since Ronald Reagan was in the White House. And the Blue Devils haven't missed the playoffs in a long time, either. But that's what they are facing if they can't find a way to beat the Red Tornadoes.

Hickory needs to get right with this season in a hurry. There is no time left for soul-searching and "figuring things out." With Fred T. Foard and Newton-Conover up next things could get out of hand very quickly. As it is, Hickory is facing a potential playoff problem. Keep in mind that the CVAC only receives two playoff spots for its trio of 3A teams. Somebody is always the odd man out. In the past three years that has been somebody else's problem - not Hickory's. But after losing to St. Stephens last week and with Fred T. Foard coming to town next week it just might be Hickory left without a chair when the music stops. The last time Hickory lost to Foard was also the last time Hickory failed to make the playoffs. That's ominous. Please note that I'm suggesting that a loss to Foard automatically means Hickory won't go to the playoffs. That's not how it works. But obviously losing to both St. Stephens and Foard would put Hickory in a difficult spot. The Red Tornadoes must finish the season ahead of at least one of those teams.

I don't know why the Maiden folks decided to go ahead and play the game tonight in the rain. The Blue Devils want to establish their passing game and make good use of quarterback Justin Sizemore. The running game is not that strong and it got even less strong with the suspension of fullback Joshua Friday. The bad weather should not affect Hickory nearly as much. The offense is geared toward pounding the ball. The rain shouldn't be a factor. Perhaps Brian Brown has come up with a completely new strategy...or maybe he just wants to get this over with.

The big question tonight: Who wants it more?

Bad timing...

2008-09-26T17:17:00.003-04:00

Talk about pain at the pump!

But there is plenty of rain...

Breaking down this week's CVAC games

2008-09-26T03:51:00.006-04:00

Tonight's games should provide some clarity in the murky CVAC title chase. Somebody is guaranteed to get their first loss of the season when Newton-Conover visits Fred T. Foard. And if St. Stephens can keep the momentum going following last week's historic win over Hickory, the Indians might be able to knock Hibriten from the ranks of the unbeaten. The flip side of that coin is that a Hibriten victory will eliminate the Indians from title contention. Three other teams, Hickory, Patton and Bunker Hill are hoping to stay in the hunt. There are also playoff implications for a couple of teams. There are only two playoff berths available for the CVAC's three Class 3A teams. For the first time in the league's short history the playoff race for the 3A schools is wide open.

NEWTON-CONOVER (2-0, 4-0) AT FOARD (2-0, 4-0)

Series Notes: The Red Devils have won seven of the last eight meetings in this rivalry, including the last three. Last season the Tigers hung with the Red Devils for most of three quarters before bowing out. Newton scored 16 unanswered points to turn a slim 21-17 lead into a 37-17 final.

What to look for tonight: Newton-Conover is the #3 team in the AP poll for Class 2A while the Tigers are now receiving votes in the Class 3A poll. A win tonight would surely push Foard into the state's top 10 for the first time since...when? But that's all just window dressing. The real issue at stake here is the race for the CVAC title. Newton shared the title in 2005 and 2006. Fred T. Foard hasn't competed for a conference championship since 2000. Strength of schedule favors the Red Devils but the Tigers have steamrolled over the opposition this season and are probably as well-equipped to deal with the Red Devils as anybody in the Unifour. The Tigers have played virtually flawless football this season. An argument could be made, however, that tonight's game is the first real test for Foard. Starting tonight, the Tigers could be facing a three-game losing streak (Hickory and Hibriten are their next two opponents). The key matchup tonight will be Newton's explosive offense versus Foard's league-leading defense. As I mentioned a couple of days ago the Tigers have a tendency to jump all over the opposition in the first half and force them to be one-dimensional. Newton plays rope-a-dope in the first half and then relies on halftime adjustments and occasionally a thrown chair by the head coach to pulverize teams in the second half. If Newton falls behind early in the contest the Red Devils may not be able to come back against the Tigers. On the other hand, Foard has not yet been tested in the latter stages of a game. The pressure of a tight ballgame with time running out may derail the Tigers. The Red Devils have been tested and have not blinked. We'll see if the Tigers have got the nerve.

HIBRITEN (2-0, 4-0) AT ST. STEPHENS (1-1, 3-1)

Series Notes: The Panthers have won three in a row in this series. Prior to 2005 St. Stephens had owned Hibriten, winning five straight. Last season the Indians took the Panthers into overtime before falling on the road, 27-24.

What to look for Saturday tonight: The Panthers and Indians are in a situation that is very similar to Newton-Conover and Fred T. Foard. The only difference is that St. Stephens has already visited Newton's woodshed. Hibriten wants to keep pace with Newton-Conover while St. Stephens wants to avoid being eliminated from the title chase. The Indians also don't want to fall behind Foard and Hickory in the battle for the league's two Class 3A playoff berths. St. Stephens was in this position last year, too. In 2007 the Indians took a 3-0 record into their game with Hickory only to lose it by a single point in the final seconds of the contest. St. Stephens went to Lenoir the next week and lost to Hibriten. So for the second week in a row the Indians are looking to avoid a repeat of history. The Panthers have played all but one of their games this season on the road and have not been hurt by the experience at all. Hibriten hung tough in North Wilkesboro and came away with a big win over Wilkes Central. Indian Stadium will be rockin' Saturday night but nothing that the Panthers can't handle. This contest will probably turn on three things: defense, special teams and turnovers. It may be that Saint's best weapon is kicker Brandon Hall. If he can do to the Panthers what he did to Hickory then Hibriten might have trouble putting points on the board. By the same token, Quin Smith is a game-changer and has the ability to disrupt anything the Indians might attempt on offense. Whichever team protects the football best will win.

BUNKER HILL (1-1, 1-3) AT PATTON (1-1, 2-2)

Series Record: This is the first meeting between these two juggernauts.

What to look for tonight: Here we have another good news, bad news situation. The good news is that both teams are currently tied for second place in the CVAC with one conference win apiece. The bad news is that there are no more West Caldwell's on their schedules. The good news is that somebody is going to get a win tonight. The bad news is that neither team will win another game this season. I have to give the nod to Patton in this contest because they have the stronger rushing attack and a better defense. The Panther backfield has scoring threats in running backs Brandon Bethel and Winfield Johnson but also a quarterback - Cody Story - who can beat a defense with his legs. When he airs it out Story likes to look for sophomore receiver Zack Cole, who averages 25 yards per reception. Bunker Hill will continue to rely on sophomore running back Devontaye Wilson and junior quarterback Cameron Beard. This outcome of this one is really anybody's guess. If Patton gets a win tonight they will looking to sneak up on somebody and get the required fourth win to become eligible for the playoffs. That, the homefield advantage and the natural enthusiasm of a new program should help the Panthers keep moving in the right direction.

WEST CALDWELL (0-2, 0-4) AT BANDYS (0-2, 1-3)

Series Notes: Bandys holds a comfortable 9-2 advantage in this series. The Trojans have no fear of the Warriors when playing at home, either. West Caldwell has never won a game at Butler Stadium.

What to look for Saturday night: Obviously Bandys is not the program that it once was but with a week off to pull things together the Trojans definitely have enough offense to blow the Warriors away. Mike Setzer's team is learning and growing but I don't see them standing up to the passing attack that we know Kyle Houser possesses. Plus I was impressed with how well Bandys ran the ball against us in the second half. If the Trojans can duplicate that effort again tomorrow night then they should roll over West Caldwell...for whatever that's worth.

Pick 'em Week 6

2008-09-26T00:02:00.000-04:00

The big CVAC matchup of the week takes place down at Fred T. Foard when the Red Devils of Newton-Conover come calling. We are now entering some weird, alternative universe where the Tigers are hosting a battle of 4-0 teams. Surely the alarm clock will go off in a minute and wake me up from this nightmare! Hibriten will get tested at St. Stephens. The other game in the area that interests me will take place at Cougar Flats when the Watauga Pioneers come down from the mountain to visit Alexander Central. Let's get down to business.

Hickory at Maiden
Winner: Hickory

Bunker Hill at Patton
Winner: Patton

Hibriten at St. Stephens
Winner: Hibriten

Newton-Conover at Fred T. Foard
Winner: Fred T. Foard

West Caldwell at Bandys
Winner: Bandys

East Burke at A.C. Reynolds
Winner: A.C. Reynolds

South Caldwell at McDowell
Winner: McDowell

Watauga at Alexander Central
Winner: Alexander Central

Asheville at Freedom
Winner: Asheville

Grandview, Northview rolling right along

2008-09-25T20:54:00.004-04:00

Grandview's Daniel Davis (#11) and Jordan Lockhart (#49)

The Grandview Eagles and Northview Hawks are the kings of the Catawba County middle school football world.

Last season the two Hickory High feeder schools rolled through their seasons undefeated and faced off in the All-American City Classic last October. The Hawks won a thriller and completed their season undefeated at 7-0. The Eagles, who had won the previous two Classics, settled for the runner-up spot and a 6-1 record.

This season both schools have picked up right where they left off last season. After yesterday's games the Hawks are 3-0 while the Eagles are 2-0. For more information on Hickory's middle school powerhouses, visit the middle school football page on TornadoPride.com.

Northview defeats Newton-Conover, 12-6

The Hawks went on the road for the first time this season and scored a crucial win over the Red Devils. Corey Stinson and Jalen Thompson scored for Northview to give the Hawks a 12-0. The Red Devils took advantage of a Hawk fumble to pull within a touchdown but a defensive stalemate ensued. Neither team was able to score in the second half. Coach Mike Mackie's team will face the Jacobs Fork Jaguars next Wednesday at Fred T. Foard's Tiger Stadium. The Hawks will look to increase their 10-game winning streak.

Grandview holds off Arndt, 12-6, in overtime

Coach Todd Teague's Eagles took on the Arndt Redskins at St. Stephens and came away with a hardfought overtime victory. The Eagles literally ate up the entire first quarter on their initial offensive possession. They eventually scored in the second quarter on a short run by Shaquille Smith. The Redskins managed to tie the score late in the game to send it into overtime. Grandview scored immediately and then held off the Redskin offense to clinch the win. The Eagles will be at home next Wednesday to host the Mill Creek Green Knights.

Leaders, chasers and stragglers in the CVAC race

2008-09-24T19:39:00.004-04:00

With the first quarter of the 2008 season now in the books, it's time to take a look at how each team in the CVAC has fared so far. Each team has played four games overall and two games against CVAC opponents. Right now the league breaks down into three neat little groups. At the top are three teams with 2-0 records in the CVAC. At the bottom are three teams that are winless in the CVAC. In the middle are the other four teams, each with one conference loss. It's guaranteed that these groups will be broken up this week when Newton-Conover visits Fred T. Foard and West Caldwell makes the long drive down to Bandys. But for the moment here's how each CVAC team has stacked up so far.

THE LEADERS:

Fred T. Foard... The Tigers have been explosive in rolling to a 4-0 record this season. The signature win was a 47-14 road victory against Maiden. It was Foard's first win in Maiden since 1982. The Tigers piled up a 40-0 halftime lead against the Blue Devils, highlighted by Quinton Owens' four touchdowns. Owens, who finished the game with 77 yards on 12 carries, reached the end zone on runs of six, five and nine yards and then punctuated his performance by intercepting a Justin Sizemore pass and returning it 28 yards for yet another touchdown. Quarterback Landon Isenhour directs the offense with workman-like precision and has made good use of Trent Safrit. The senior wide receiver is averaging 25 yards per catch so far this season. As you might expect from a team with 17 returning starters, the Tigers have been fundamentally sound on both sides of the ball and in all aspects of the game. Foard leads the league in total defense by a wide margin.

Hibriten... The Panthers piled up a 4-0 record before taking last week off. Like Foard, Hibriten is among the CVAC's top three in both total offense, total defense and turnover ratio. The passing game is not as essential to the Hibriten offensive attack but quarterback Jamichael Walton can strike through the air when necessary. He torched the South Caldwell defense in Week 2 by completing six of eight passes (75%) for 160 yards and three touchdowns in a 35-0 romp. The Panthers tend to blow out the opposition in the first half and then cruise through the final couple of quarters. But when the game is on the line in the fourth quarter, like it was in Week 1 against Wilkes Central, the Panthers take care of business. In that game the Eagles cut Hibriten's lead to 19-16 in the final period. The Panthers responded by scoring two quick touchdowns (South Carolina-bound Quin Smith scored on runs of 1 and 28, respectively) to win going away. Smith is as good as advertised on defense. He is everywhere.

Newton-Conover... Like Foard and Hibriten the Red Devils are 4-0 on the season. But Nick Bazzle's team goes about its business a little differently. Whereas the Tigers and Panthers go for the quick knockout, the Red Devils seem to prefer the "rope-a-dope" technique for wearing an opponent down before applying the knockout punch in the later stages of the game. In each of their past two games the Red Devils have appeared to struggle in the first half against St. Stephens and Maiden. Newton's halftime lead against the Indians was 8-0 with star tailback Dorian Jones having nothing to show for his efforts. Last week in a win over Maiden the halftime score was 7-0 in favor of the Red Devils. After the half, it's a different story. Newton scored a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter to clinch a 21-6 win over the Indians. Jones picked up almost all of his 137 rushing yards in that final period. Last week against Maiden the explosion came in the third quarter as the Red Devils scored 29 unanswered points in a 36-7 win. Another scary aspect of Newton's game is the uncanny ability of the Red Devils to create turnovers. Newton is currently +10 in turnover margin, which is by far the best in the CVAC.

THE CHASERS

Hickory... The Red Tornadoes continue to improve, despite last week's setback against St. Stephens. For the first time this season Hickory boasted not one but two running backs with 100-yard performances. With the re-emergence of tailback Kyshell Geter the CVAC now knows that Hickory does indeed have three capable backs. Rakim Barrett has been solid every week and is on pace to get that 1,000-yard season. Sophomore Tyshon Chisholm has displayed a knack for scoring big-play touchdowns both as a runner and a receiver. Quarterback Kevin Shelton is taking care of business in the passing department. Prior to the "pick-6" that he gave up to Caleb Peterson last week, Shelton had only thrown one interception and even that was really the fault of the receiver when he tipped a catchable ball into the arms of the cornerback. While the overall production of the offense is less than what it was in 2007 there is balance, which keeps the other team's defense guessing. Defensively, the Red Tornadoes have done just enough to win. From a defensive perspective the loss last week was more of a draw. The winning margin was ultimately provided by the pick-6 in the first half. The bend-but-don't-break philosophy of this defensive scheme can be frustrating at times but I have to believe that every snap takes the Red Tornadoes a little closer to where they need to be on defense. The spread offense can really wear a defense out and Hickory has seen a steady diet of it so far this season. And guess what? Maiden runs the spread, too.

St. Stephens... Obviously the big news over on Springs Road was the historic victory last week against Hickory. The win brought the Indians to 3-1 on the season and confirmed for all that St. Stephens is a fundamentally sound football team. The Indians are really the sum of their parts. You can't point to any particular aspect of their game and say "that's their bread and butter." But they are good enough to exploit the other team's mistakes, which is the mark of a good team. In years past a team could make mistakes, give up some points and still be able to pound it down Saint's throat. Not this time. You make a bad throw against the Indian defense and you will get burned. You shoot yourself in the foot with penalties, the Indians will take good field position and score. Brandon Hall's kickoffs were ruthlessly effective, a la vintage Ryan Succop. Hickory had no choice but to drive the full 80 yards and that's hard to do on a consistent basis. Hickory dominated the stats but it was St. Stephens who made the crucial plays to put the winning points on the board. Time will tell if the Indians can maintain this "just win baby" mentality.

Patton... Yes, the Panthers are technically on a level with Hickory and St. Stephens for the moment. Yes, they are probably a better team than most people would have imagined in the pre-season. No, the Panthers are not genuine contenders for anything but an early start to basketball season. Patton's two wins (over Andrews and West Caldwell) have come against teams with a combined record of 0-8. Last week's loss to Fred T. Foard provided a more realistic example of what Patton can expect the rest of the way. The Tigers rolled to a 48-0 lead before the Panthers managed to avoid the shutout late in the game. Patton's strength on offense is its rushing attack, which is always a pretty good place to start. The ground game, spearheaded by junior Brandon Bethel, is not good enough to overcome the lack of a reliable passing attack or the lack of speed and depth on defense. When all is said and done, the bottom line is that Patton is a first-year varsity program and these are the problems that a newbie is going to face. The team features 13 freshmen and sophomores but only six seniors. This time next year the Panthers could easily be 4-0. But in 2008 things are about to get ugly for the New Kids. This week they host Bunker Hill which means that a 3-2 record is very possible. Then Patton will have to go on the road against Newton-Conover. That's when the fun stops. I think a 3-8 final record is a good possibility. That isn't half bad when you consider that St. Stephens was 0-11 in 2005 and Bunker Hill posted 1-10 and 0-11 records the last couple of years.

Bunker Hill... The Bears finally got that elusive victory they've been looking for since their last win (42-28 over 1st-year team Carson on September 1, 2006), more than two years ago. So, congratulations to the boys from Claremont. They will go for consecutive wins when they drive up to Morganton this Friday for a tickle war with the Patton Panthers. If the Bears can defeat the 1st-year program on Enola Road they will have put back-to-back wins together for the first time since October of 2004. Like Patton, Bunker Hill's CVAC victory came at the expense of lowly West Caldwell and it took overtime to get it done. The oddity of last week's victory was that it did not involve the passing game. Bunker Hill quarterback Cameron Beard only threw 12 passes, which is half of what he normally attempts. The Bears had a mere 20 yards passing which is way below their average. So apparently West Caldwell came in with a plan to shut down quarterback Cameron Beard. It wasn't a problem for the Bears, however, thanks to the talent of sophomore tailback Devontaye Wilson (18 carries for 150 yards and two touchdowns). Beard and Wilson are underclassmen, so Bunker Hill may see happier times in 2009 but this week's contest at Patton is probably the last realistic opportunity for a victory. If they do win this week the Bears will have doubled their wins total from the past two seasons. I guess that qualifies as progress.

THE STRAGGLERS

Bandys... The good news for the Trojans is that they're 1-3 after four games. Last year they were 0-4. Furthermore, they've got West Caldwell, Bunker Hill and Patton coming up next. So I would expect the Trojans to be 4-3 when they host St. Stephens for Homecoming on October 17th. That's when things will get dicey again. It's ironic that of Bandys' final four opponents the least dangerous is Maiden. St. Stephens, Fred T. Foard and a season finale against Newton-Conover are all tough tests. But until then look for the Trojans to start winning and the local newspaper to start raving about the miraculous "turnaround" at Bandys. That's what happened last year but at the end of the season the result was the same: not even a sniff of a CVAC title for the Trojans. As expected, quarterback Kyle Houser has put up some big passing numbers. And against Hickory I saw some strong running by tailback Josh McCombs. But overall the ground game has not been solid and neither has the defense. The result has been a three-game losing streak on the heels of an increasingly puzzling victory over Mooresville in the opener. Mooresville hasn't lost a game since... I really can't explain how they managed to lose to Bandys. Probably the biggest casualty of all is Bandys' reputation.

Maiden... Is the glass half full...or half empty? Maiden is 0-2 in the CVAC. One could argue that it's because the Blue Devils have had the misfortune of starting off with Fred T. Foard and Newton-Conover. So, it's like they've already taken a lot of bad medicine and can now look forward to getting fat and sassy on the league cupcakes (West Caldwell on Oct. 10th, Bunker Hill the following week and Patton in the regular season finale). They also have a shot at beating archrival Bandys. The glass half empty theory, on the other hand, would suggest that one of the reasons that Foard and Newton look so strong right now is because Maiden is also a conference cupcake. In other words, are the Tigers and Red Devils really that good? Or is Maiden simply that bad. That question could be answered this Friday night when the Tornadoes blow into town. One thing we know for certain: the Blue Devils will be shorthanded on offense and defense this week (and next) due to the suspension of senior fullback/linebacker Joshua Friday (6'2, 215). Friday was ejected from last week's game against Newton-Conover for fighting and according to NCHSAA rules must sit out the next two ballgames. Friday is Maiden's top tackler as well as their short-yardage go-to guy on offense. This will hurt tremendously when the Blue Devils need to convert on 3rd- and 4th down or punch the ball into the end zone. It will also create some opportunities to exploit the Devil defense. Whoever takes his place won't be as big or as experienced. That's gotta hurt.

West Caldwell... The good news is that the future has to be better than the present or the recent past for the Warriors. There is no place to go but up and I have repeatedly insisted that Mike Setzer will get his alma mater back to where it used to be. By the time that happens, of course, West Caldwell will no longer be on Hickory's schedule so we won't really care about it. The bad news for the Warriors is that they've pretty much blown their chances to win a game in 2008. Back-to-back losses to Patton and Bunker Hill mean that West Caldwell is probably headed toward an 0-11 season. If that happens it will be the third different team in three different years during the short history of the CVAC that a league member has gone winless. The others, of course, were St. Stephens in 2005 and Bunker Hill in 2007. That's a blackeye for the CVAC and just another reason why I'm so happy to see Hickory move out of the conference and get away from the nonsense after this school year.

And the bobblehead goes to...

2008-09-23T15:39:00.004-04:00

After playing second fiddle to Tyler Barnette in the Bandys game, senior Mikey Shook took back his spot at the top of the tackles chart with a great game against St. Stephens. Therefore, the Terrible Terry Tate Defensive MVP Award for outstanding service against the heatherns from Trailer Park Road goes to #11, Michael Shook.

For the record, Shook racked up 18 total tackles (10 solos) to which he added an interception that he almost took into the end zone. While I'm happy for Mikey, I would rather have the linebackers making all the tackles. The linebacking corps was pretty consistent. Smithey and Withers each had nine tackles while Barnette and Siciliano finished the night with eight tackles apiece. Siciliano led the team in tackles for loss with two. Geter and Smithey also recorded tackles for loss. D.J. Holloway was credited with a quarterback pressure.