Breaking down tonight's CVAC games

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.

Breaking down tonight's CVAC games

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!

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

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!

Breaking down this week's CVAC games

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.

Breaking down this week's CVAC games

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.

Breaking down this week's CVAC games

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.

Leaders, chasers and stragglers in the CVAC race

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.

Pick 'em Week 5

I said last week at this time that things were going to get interesting in the CVAC and boy did they ever! Fred T. Foard and Patton are up near the top of the standings while Maiden is near the bottom and Bandys is down at the end of Lonely Street in...Heartbreak Hotel. Meanwhile, in the Northwestern Conference, league play doesn't begin until next week. It's a down year for the conference and I'm thinking that the only undefeated team left - A.C. Reynolds - could taste defeat tonight in Waynesville. Let's do this.

Bunker Hill at West Caldwell
Winner: Bunker Hill

St. Stephens at Hickory
Winner: Hickory

Maiden at Newton-Conover
Winner: Newton-Conover

Patton at Fred T. Foard
Winner: Fred T. Foard

Alexander Central at Wilkes Central
Winner: Wilkes Central

Ashe County at Watauga
Winner: Watauga

McDowell at Surry Central
Winner: McDowell

A.C. Reynolds at Tuscola
Winner: Tuscola

South Iredell at South Caldwell
Winner: South Iredell

Starmount at East Burke
Winner: East Burke

T.C. Roberson at Freedom
Winner: T.C. Roberson

Hickory beat Bandys with defense

I am so proud of the Red Tornado defense. In years past the Achilles Heel on defense for Hickory was the secondary. The primary threat posed by the Bandys Trojans on Friday was the throwing ability of junior quarterback Kyle Houser. The area's leading passer, Houser lit up the Tornado coverage last season for nearly 300 yards and five touchdowns to erase Hickory's 21-0 lead and force the game into overtime. The fact that the Tornadoes eventually won the game did nothing to diminish the effect of Houser's passing. He was only a sophomore. How much more damage would he do with a year's worth of maturation?

Fast forward to last week. As expected, Houser began the season in a blaze of passing yardage despite being one of only three returning starters on offense. After his first three games he was quickly approaching the 1,000-yard mark already. And what about big Seth Cranfill, the 6'3, 215-pound wide receiver? How on earth would the Tornado cornerbacks match up with him? Some of the "professional experts" were picking the Trojans to win, despite their 1-2 record. A common sentiment on the message boards was that while Hickory "should win" there was something out there that made it seem like Bandys might shock everybody and pull the upset. And then there was the thing about the last time Hickory's varsity visited Gary Butler Stadium the Trojans got their only win over the Tornadoes.

But the Red Tornadoes had the cure for all the doubters: just win baby! For the fourth consecutive time the game was decided in the final 12 minutes of the contest and for the third time in four meetings it was Hickory that came out on top. And now that Bandys has joined other area schools in refusing to play Hickory anymore this marks the end of this faux-rivalry. All the talk of the great new rivalry between Hickory and Bandys turned out to be just that: a lot of hot air.

Except on the field.

I can't remember seeing four consecutive years where the game was as tight as these games with Bandys. The average margin of victory over the course of the four games was less than a touchdown.

In 2005 Hickory led 10-7 after three quarters only to see Bandys surge ahead, 19-13. Darrien Burch's 84-yard kickoff return for a touchdown brought the score back to a tie at 19-19 (San San Te's PAT failed). Carlos Shade scored the game-winning touchdown after LeQuan McCorkle lost a fumble. The final Trojan scoring threat ended with less than two minutes to go in the game on an interception.

The 2006 game ended in a Bandys victory only after Hickory failed on a 2-point conversion attempt that would have sent the game into overtime. Last year's game did go into overtime. Last Friday's game probably would have gone into overtime if not for the kind of late-game heroics we are becoming accustomed to from Kevin Shelton and Trevin Parks.

Please don't let the headline of this piece fool you. I am definitely not overlooking the accomplishments of the offense. It gives us the fans a great sense of confidence whenever we see the team finding ways to put points on the board exactly when the team needs them the most. Even in the loss to Statesville it was gratifying to see the offense still pounding and passing its way down the field.

But in my mind the unit that faced the biggest test was the defense. The Bandys defense was very green - not just in uniform but in experience. They only had one starter returning from last season. So to a certain degree it was expected that Hickory's offense would have success against a young Trojan defense. But nobody had stopped the Bandys passing attack. And if Bandys picked up exactly where it left off at the end of the 2007 game then last Friday might have been a bad, bad night for Hickory.

For the record, Kyle Houser entered the contest averaging approximately 328 passing yards per game. By the time the Tornado defenders were done with him 48 minutes later, he only had 98 yards on 11 completions. His completion percentage was a mere 39%. He had no touchdown passes. And Cranfill? He suffered from an acute case of David Dula all evening long and wound up with only one reception for 14 meaningless yards. And this is why I say that the defense won this game. The opponent's primary weapon was simply taken away.

To give Bandys head coach Randy Lowman a little credit it should be mentioned that he did make a sound adjustment at halftime and turned the ball over to senior tailback Josh McCombs and junior fullback Trenton Millsaps. The Trojans had some success on the ground. But even then it took a blocked punt and a bogus call by a line judge to set up the second and third Bandys touchdowns.

Although he doesn't get nearly as much acclaim for his passing skills as Houser and the kid from Maiden, our own Kevin Shelton has been very sharp in all three games thus far. Against Bandys he went 7-13-1 (54%) for 158 yards and a touchdown. And even his interception was actually a catchable ball that landed in the arms of the Bandys cornerback after being tipped by the intended receiver.

So yeah, the Hickory quarterback had a much higher completion percentage as well as 50 more yards. Shelton had two touchdown passes...the phenom from Balls Creek had exactly none. How do you like them apples?

I did not get the two 100-yard rushers that I was hoping to see. Instead I got a couple of 80-yard rushers. But that's ok by me. We'll get 'em next time. Rakim Barrett runs as hard on every play as anybody I've seen out there. When the offensive line finally gets their act together he will shine. And Tyshon Chisholm has proven to be not just a great runner but also a reliable receiver coming out of the backfield. His versatility will be key in the crucial games coming up in the next six weeks.

Finally, I can't say enough about senior Trevin Parks. I've yet to see him lose focus or lose his cool in a game, even when the team seems to be struggling. I remarked on it after the Border Bash and I've seen it in every game since then. Like the outstanding pointguard that he is, Trevin wants the ball in his hands when the game is on the line, period. I saw it again Friday night. Not only did he catch Shelton's pass late in the game but he kept himself from falling out of bounds and got into the end zone with second effort. He turned a completed pass into the game-winning touchdown. It won't be the last time. Of that I am absolutely certain.

Folks, business is about to pick up.

My thoughts on tonight's game

I freely admit that this short but spirited series is completely impossible to analyze beyond the mundane stuff like: "The team that makes the fewest mistakes will win. Or the team that gets the ball last will score to win the game." All very true, of course. But there is no common thread that runs through all the games these past three years except that you just never know for sure how it will end. Three straight times the game has been decided in the 4th quarter OR beyond!

Do I think Hickory will win? Yes, I've picked them to win. Do I have a clue as to how they will win? Not really. It could be a fumble recovery or interception returned for a touchdown to clinch the victory. It could be a punt or kickoff return. It might be a career night rushing the ball for Rakim Barrett or a career night throwing the ball by Kevin Shelton.

I know this: Each team is hoping to grow up a lot tonight. Bandys has the added pressure of facing elimination from the CVAC race if they lose tonight. The Tornadoes won't be technically out of the running with a loss but the way things are shaping up with Newton-Conover and Hibriten it would not bode well for Hickory in the long run. Plus starting the season at 1-2 would be really uncool.

This will be the last time these two teams meet on a football field for a long time - if ever. Let's make this a great one tonight!

The last word on last week!

Wow, for some reason I am still running way behind schedule here. Maybe it's because of the beginning of the college football season on top of Labor Day on top of...yada yada yada, blah, blah, blah! I don't know!

Anyway, before I proceed with the discussion about this week's opponent there are a few observations about the games from last Friday that I would like to make.

• As expected, Brian Brown's debut as Maiden's head coach was successful. Of course, why wouldn't it? For the 15th straight time the Blue Devils beat the crap out of everybody's favorite opponent, West Lincoln. I can't think of another team that has been as successful as the Rebels at getting the other team's season off to a fantastic start. I mean it's almost pointless to go over the details of the 38-7 win because the Rebels are profoundly awful. I was surprised to see that Justin Sizemore only threw for 119 yards and one touchdown. Maybe he was pulled fairly quickly because of the impending blowout. I'll take a look at the quarterback situation shortly.



• The Bandys Trojans found a way to lose to East Lincoln, the same team that Newton-Conover dismantled in Week 1. But hats off to the Trojans for fighting back from a 28-12 deficit after three quarters and tying the game at 28 all before giving up the game-winning touchdown with 1:49 left in the final period. This makes two weeks in a row that quarterback Kyle Houser has put up big passing numbers that normally would signal a big victory - but didn't.



• I didn't think it was possible but Hickory was not the most persecuted...um, penalized team in the area Friday night. The East Lincoln Mustangs suffered the indignity of getting flagged 15 times for a spine-chilling 161 yards! Seriously? It's amazing because the week before in the first game of the season the Mustangs were only penalized six times for 45 yards. Now I'm not an "expert" but it would seem to me that a team would be more likely to play undisciplined football in the season opener than in the Week 2 game. We're supposed to believe that a team that managed to control itself in the opener suddenly lost its marbles and went on a rule-breaking rampage in the second game? No folks, the difference is that some officiating crews choose to do their jobs properly while others choose to act like guards at a prison camp. From now on this phenomenon will be referred to as Burke County Referee Syndrome or BCRS. Unacceptable!

Once upon a time Paul Newman was afflicted by BCRS. Here is a classic demonstration and application of BCRS and what it does to a man's pyche.



• Hey, Hibriten can pass the ball, too! Before the season began one of the key issues for the Panthers was finding a successor for graduated quarterback Billy Crane. Well Week 1 provided a first look but Week 2 confirmed what I suspected: Jamichael Walton can not only run with the football when necessary but he can also throw it. In a 35-0 stomping of rival South Caldwell Walton completed six of eight passing attempts for 161 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions - in the first half!

Well, I guess that does it.

Week 1 recap

Dang. There were some very scary performances turned in around the Unifour on Friday!

When looking back at Friday night's local games the first thing that jumps out at me and goes BOO! is the number of individual blockbuster performances. Topping the list has to be the Bandys tag team of quarterback Kyle Houser and wide receiver Seth Cranfill. Don't you dare call him "Doogie" because Houser was "da man" against the Mooresville Blue Devils, completing 16 of 27 passes for 452 yards and four touchdowns. The 452 yards set a new CVAC single-game record, as did Cranfill's 239 receiving yards from 10 receptions. Cranfill caught two of Houser's touchdown passes. And yet...

Bandys only won the game by five points, 40-35. As impressive as the air strike was for the Trojans their defense against the run was non-existent. Mooresville halfback Jjshaun Pinkston had a career night, scorching the Trojans for 268 yards and five touchdowns on 29 carries. The Blue Devils have never been known as a team that likes to go airborne and this year's group is no different. Quarterback Nathan Abraham only completed 50% of his 10 passes for a whopping 28 yards. So, if the Blue Devils are no threat from above shouldn't the Trojans have been able to stack the line and shut down the run?

And on the subject of rushing attacks it should be noted that Bandys tailback Josh McCombs led his team in that category, picking up 57 yards on 19 carries (3 yards per carry). I would have thought that with the Devils forced to back up and defend the pass that McCombs should have gained more than he did. Sure, you might argue that the Trojans didn't need a rushing game since they were deadly with the pass. But what happens when they face a team that does have a defense?

Another outstanding performance from Friday night was turned in by Newton-Conover's senior defensive back Shea Corpening. Corpening, a former standout at Grandview Middle School, sparked the Red Devils with a 95-yard kickoff return following East Lincoln's first touchdown. Corpening also picked off a pair of Mustang passes to help keep East out of the end zone for the rest of the night. The first interception was in his own end zone and the second was on the Newton 2-yard line. The only other Mustang points came on a 35-yard field goal in the 4th quarter. The play of Corpening accurately reflected the typical Newton-Conover way of winning ball games: DEFENSE!

The Mustangs actually outgained the Devils, 363-305, and yet lost by 27 points (37-10). The reason? The Red Devils won the turnover battle in a big way. East Lincoln gave the ball away six times (3 picks, 3 fumbles) while Newton only lost one fumble and had no interceptions. I don't know but I would be willing to bet that most, if not all, the Mustang fumbles were actually stripped away by Red Devil defenders. East quarterback Josh Wilson had the football literally taken away when he switched it from his right to his left hand. The thief, Chris Coulter, wasn't hauled down until he was inside the Mustang five. The Red Devils scored two plays later.

Believe me when I tell you that the most important league statistic to monitor this season will be the takeaway-giveaway ratio. Newton-Conover is usually at the top of the list and when the Red Devils are doing it "their way" they are awfully tough to beat. It should be noted, by the way, that Hickory led that statistic last season enroute to an 11-0 regular season.

I was also impressed with the performances of Hibriten's "Mighty Quin" Smith in a 32-16 win over Wilkes Central and St. Stephens' new quarterback, Matt Fussell (yes, it's spelled Fussell!) who led the Indians to a 43-14 massacre of the West Lincoln Rebels.

Expectations are sky-high for Smith in 2008 on the heels of his verbal commitment to Steve Spurrier's Gamecocks over the summer. The Mighty Quin did not disappoint his fans, rushing for 125 yards on only 15 carries (8.3 per carry) and scoring four touchdowns (3 rushing, 1 receiving). This is an impressive win for two reasons: the game was up in North Wilkesboro, a difficult place to win ballgames, and because Wilkes Central is expected to have a big year themselves. This was definitely not an easy season opener for either side but it was Hibriten that took the victory in the end.

Fussell and the Indians, meanwhile, ruined the debut of West Lincoln's latest head coach, Mark Latham. In his first start for the Indians Fussell was nearly flawless, completing 10 of 11 passes (no picks) for 144 yards and a touchdown. He also ran the ball 11 times for 60 yards and two touchdowns. As expected, Fussell's favorite target was senior Patrick Jenkins with eight catches for 144 yards, including a 50-yard touchdown. Jenkins also scored a rushing TD. So in the battle of teams with new head coaches it was Fred Whalen of St. Stephens who got his tenure off to a winning start. It doesn't usually happen like that for new Indian head coaches. Oops!

UNIFOUR SCORES FOR AUG. 22ND

Bandys over Mooresville 40-35
Hibriten over Wilkes Central 32-16
Cherryville over Bunker Hill 49-41
St. Stephens over West Lincoln 43-14
Fred T. Foard over South Caldwell 33-7
Newton-Conover over East Lincoln 37-10
Freedom over Patton 29-13
Alexander Central over North Gaston 56-3

#5 BANDYS

The story of the Bandys Trojans in 2008 reminds me of an old Clint Eastwood spaghetti western. The Good: pass-happy quarterback Kyle Houser returns for his junior season after leading the league in yards-per-game (174.3) and touchdown passes (26). The Bad: Bandys only has two other starters returning on offense. The Ugly: They've only got one starter returning on defense. Ouch!

AT A GLANCE

2007 Record: 6-6 overall; 5-3 CVAC

Coach: Randy Lowman
Career: 166-92-1 (21 years)

Returning Starters: 4; 3 on offense, 1 on defense

Primary Strengths: Without out a doubt the rockstar on the Bandys roster is junior quarterback Kyle Houser. In his first season on the varsity all he did was complete 133 of 257 passes (51.8%) for 2,092 yards and 26 touchdowns. Nobody knows what Houser is capable of more than the Red Tornadoes. The sophomore signal caller led his 0-3 Trojans into Frank Barger Stadium and led the way as they overcame a 21-0 deficit to push the Tornadoes into overtime. Before it was over Houser had racked up 294 yards passing and five touchdowns. Hickory finally came out on top, 42-35, but the memory of Houser's exploits linger. Fortunately for Houser his favorite target, fellow junior Seth Cranfill, also returns for another season. Cranfill led the Trojans in receptions (49) and was second in yardage (633) behind John Mark Williams, who has graduated.

Potential Problems: Obviously inexperience will be the biggest problem for the Trojans. They were depleted on both offensive and defensive lines and so add depth issues to the lack of inexperience and it could be a bumpy ride in 2008. The Trojans will have to do a better job of running the football to relieve some of the pressure on Houser. He is not a threat to run the football so he'll have to have some other safety valve or else he will be a sitting duck. More distressing, however, is the lack of experience and size on the defense. The better teams in the league will look to drive the ball on the Trojans and thereby limit Houser's opportunities to make plays. The Trojans have been plagued with inconsistent play the last three years and must overcome that in order to be successful.

Key Losses: Almost the entire defense, including a handful of three-year starters. Top rusher LeQuan McCorkle has graduated. Other than Cranfill all of Houser's top targets from last year, John Mark Williams, Zach Hamby, Kyle Flynn, have graduated. Four of last season's starting offensive linemen are gone.

Overview: On top of losing practically their entire offensive and defensive starting units the Trojans almost lost their long-time head coach. Randy Lowman made the decision to retire from teaching after last season with the intent of returning as head coach after a six month waiting period. He almost didn't make it back due to circumstances that I won't delve into here. Fortunately for Bandys they have an experienced and tight-knit coaching staff that managed to carry on during all the off-season distractions. There is no question that Houser is very good at what he does and is expected to get even better as he continues to mature. But the Trojans will have to find a go-to guy for the running game. The first option is senior Josh McCombs, who racked up 501 yards on 88 carries in limited action last season. After him the Trojans will have to rely on somebody moving up from the JV. On the strength of Houser's abilities and the stability of the Bandys coaching staff I have picked them to finish fifth in the CVAC. I don't see them finishing higher than that but I can definitely see them finishing lower if they can't fill all the holes.