And so it begins...

The Red Tornadoes opened their 2008 preseason with 99 players on the practice field promptly at 6:00 Friday evening. The anticipation level is particularly high this August due to a significant number of returning starters from last year's 13-1 campaign that brought Hickory its second CVAC title in the conference's brief history.

Although Friday's practice marked the official beginning of preseason preparation the Red Tornadoes have been typically active this summer. The numbers in the weight room have been strong and consistent. As I reported a few weeks ago the Red Tornadoes did well in the 7-on-7 competition at Lenoir-Rhyne. They also did well in a 7-on-7 against West Iredell on Wednesday. But now is the time for all the pieces of the puzzle to come together - and quickly.

One of the most important concepts that the coaching staff is constantly working to impress upon the players is the need for speed. Not just footspeed from the skill players but an overall accelerated movement: from station to station, to and from the sideline, into and out of the huddle and up to the line... The key is to keep the tempo lively. The defense will have to read and react and get to the ballcarrier with speed and violence. This is what preseason work is all about. Honing the fundamentals and making it automatic - and thereby faster.

There is also a need for the mostly new offensive line to gel into a cohesive, machine-like unit. Senior left tackle Dalton Abee is the only returning starter. And the forging of a new offensive line can't happen fast enough because in two weeks the Red Tornadoes will board their chartered buses and travel deep into the mountains to face Knoxville Fulton, the best 3A team in Tennessee. If you have watched the videos from the Falcons' 2006 state championship run then you have an idea what they're all about. More on the Border Bash II in days to come.

Early indications are that Abee will be joined on the line by fellow seniors Clay Johnson at right tackle, Triston Smith at right guard, Darrin Willis at center and junior Alex Martin at left guard. But of course the preseason is all about players winning and losing their starting positions so there could very well be some drastic changes in the coming two weeks. As Coach Worley is fond of saying, it all starts with the offensive line. Last year's group was ridiculously undersized but was extremely experienced, quick and dedicated. This year's line, whatever the final combination, will have much more size. The key will be how quickly they can overcome their relative inexperience. That's definitely something that will be closely monitored.

The other glaring hole in the Tornado starting lineup is at the inside linebacker positions. This time last year Bruiser Johnson was one of only two returning starters. Now the defense, overall, is in a much stronger position despite the graduation of Johnson and his fellow insider, Daniel Wakin. One of the players counted on to fill the void this season is no longer attending Hickory High while yet another contender for the inside is waiting to see if he will be academically eligible. Junior Drew Siciliano will most likely fill one slot. The other spot might go to a sophomore. That is still to be determined so I won't even speculate on here about it just yet. Stay tuned for more on that.

Let me take this opportunity to remind all readers that unless I specify that Coach Worley has informed me directly about an issue you should understand that these are simply my observations from the sideline. There will never be a need to go to Coach Worley and ask him if something that I've blogged is the "truth." I will let you know when Coach Worley has confirmed information for me. Otherwise it is merely my own educated but unofficial observations.

I will wait until next week to discuss other aspects of the offense and defense. I will mention, however, that the offense if blessed with probably the largest number of quality receivers Hickory has ever had. During the championship years of the 1990s Hickory utilized several talented and tall receivers: Ty Hunt and Jovan Hoover, Tyrek Holmes and Menyel Flowers, Jeremy Sherrill, Keith Connor and Lance Johnson. Later there was Roddy Long, Will Baker and Brent Johnson. The 2008 Red Tornadoes once again have multiple tall receivers who will present match-up problems for opposing secondaries. The new tall Tornadoes include underclassmen Fearious Anderson and Montavious Sims. The tight ends also have good height.

But not all of Hickory's best receivers over the past 12 years or so have been tall. Johnnie Dillingham, for instance, was a mighty mite who sucked up any ball that was remotely in his area. Hickory's most experienced receivers are not necessarily very tall (senior Mikey Shook is a tweener, I'd say) but are fast and sure-handed. These include senior Trevin Parks and Step Banner along with junior Anthony Wilson. The bottomline here is that Hickory is loaded at wide receiver and wingback and has an experienced, strong-armed quarterback who can get them the ball. Everybody knows that Hickory can roll up big numbers on the ground. But if Hickory really commits to using the pass as a weapon rather than merely a defense-stretching diversion then fans will witness the kind of balanced attack that the opposition will be hard-pressed to contain, let alone stop. That's good stuff!