Busy week for Red Tornado football

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!

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.

Pick 'em Week 6 recap

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...

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

Breaking down tonight's CVAC games

The CVAC championship race suffered its first casualty last week. Stick a fork in Bandys 'cause the Trojans are done. The Red Tornadoes held Kyle Houser to less than 100 yards passing, approximately 200 yards below his per game average. Three more teams will be officially eliminated from contention tonight.

Meanwhile, the race goes on for the true contenders: Hickory, Hibriten and Newton-Conover. Oh...and Fred T. Foard! Sorry, I'm still getting used to the idea that Mountain View is the new Biggest Little Football Town in the World!

MAIDEN (0-1, 1-2) at Newton-Conover (1-0, 3-0)

Series Notes: The Blue Devils are clinging to a slim 20-17-1 lead in this series but it's the Red Devils who have been dominating lately. The two teams have played each other four times in the past two seasons with Newton claiming three victories.

What to look for tonight: Tonight the Red Devils pick up where they left off last season when they eliminated Maiden from the Class 2A playoffs. In fact, Newton-Conover beat the Blue Devils twice last season. Folks, this is not a good Maiden football team. On top of having almost no rushing attack to speak of, the Blue Devils are reeling from last week's shocker and the chemistry is all wrong. Even if Tom Brown were still stalking the sidelines I wouldn't give Maiden much of a chance but without his motivational skills I just can't see this team getting its act together enough to derail the Red Devil Express. Don't be surprised if A.J. Bazzle out-performs Justin Sizemore in the passing department tonight. Entering the season most people would have pegged Sizemore as the second-best passer in the CVAC behind Kyle Houser. Nobody would have said Foard's Landon Isenhour ranked with either of them. Yet Isenhour completed 50% of his passes last week for 111 yards while Sizemore completed only 25% of his passes for a grand total of 50 yards. He also threw two interceptions. The difference between Bazzle and Sizemore tonight will be the fact that Newton-Conover has a much more balanced offense and one that can move the ball effectively on the ground. This will create a greater number of favorable opportunities for Bazzle when it's time to go airborne. The Blue Devils don't do anything very well - offensively or defensively. Tonight Maiden joins Bandys on the bench with the other teams that won't compete for the CVAC title.

PATTON (1-0, 2-1) at FRED T. FOARD (1-0, 3-0)

Series Notes: Stop! You had me at hello... These teams have never played each other in a varsity game.

What to look for tonight: I seriously doubt anybody saw this coming. The Tigers have a really good chance of going 4-0 tonight when they host the New Kids. I don't know if or when the Tigers have ever begun a season with four straight wins but I think it will happen, barring a bizarre meltdown in the form of costly turnovers and penalties. I'm still not buying the notion that Patton is for real. Beating tiny Andrews and woeful West Caldwell may be cause for celebration on Enola Road but it's not gonna cut the mustard in the CVAC. Reality sets in for Patton and the long road to nowhere begins at Propst Crossroads. The least experienced varsity team in the conference comes face-to-face with the most experienced. With Landon Isenhour under center the Tigers have the ability to burn the Panthers via the airways almost as easily as on the ground. As previously mentioned Isenhour had a great night throwing the ball against Maiden. Also impressive, however, was running back Jaheil Washington, who picked up 102 yards rushing and a pair of touchdowns. His running mate, Quinton Owens scored three rushing touchdowns and also scored on a 27-yard pick-6. But Patton has a couple of running backs who can make things happen, too. Brandon Bethel is Patton's leading rusher and he broke loose for 150 yards last week in a 20-18 win over West Caldwell. Winfield Johnson came close to the century mark with 95 yards and two touchdowns. The quarterback, Cody Story, is also a threat to run with the football. But Patton hasn't dealt with a defense like Foard's and everybody's stats are going to suffer. Foard wins this one hands down.

BUNKER HILL (0-1, 0-3) at WEST CALDWELL (0-1, 0-3)

Series Notes: Once upon a time Bunker Hill had a 7-0 lead in this series. But West has won the last four encounters. Last year's contest down in Claremont went to overtime, with the Warriors coming out on top, 23-17.

What to look for tonight: One thing is for certain: Somebody has to win this pillow fight. Yes, that's right. One of these teams is going to have their perfect season ruined. West Caldwell has dominated this series recently but on paper it seems that Bunker Hill has the more dangerous weapons. The Warriors played well against Patton but still couldn't put the New Kids away. Bunker Hill took a 49-0 beating at the hands of the visiting Hibriten Panthers. Since West has already blown its opportunity with Patton I'm afraid that if the Warriors can't beat the Bears tonight they may not beat anybody this season. If Bunker Hill loses tonight the Bears can still go on the road next week and hope for victory against Patton. I think the Bears do win this one thanks mostly to the combination of quarterback Cameron Beard, tailback Devontaye Wilson and wide receiver Robert Davis. They've also played a tougher schedule (hard to believe but Cherryville, North Lincoln and Hibriten trumps Ashe Co., South Caldwell and Patton). This is where Bunker Hill's 22-game losing streak comes to an end.

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!

Breaking down Friday's CVAC games

Bandys and Hibriten got the ball rolling last week in the CVAC's first game of 2008. Hibriten took an early lead in the standings by ripping the Trojans to shreds, 45-27. This week everybody else jumps into the fray. Three new head coaches (Brian Brown of Maiden, Fred Whalen of St. Stephens and Mike Setzer of West Caldwell) will get their first taste of life in the CVAC when they get that W or L next to their name. This week's slate of games should tell us quite a bit about who the real contenders will be for the final "original" CVAC title. Let the games begin!

FRED T. FOARD (2-0) at MAIDEN (1-1)

Series Notes: The Tigers are hoping that this is the year they can break a Maiden winning streak that now stands at 22 and counting. Maiden shutout Foard 35-0 last year. The last Tiger victory in this series was in 1985.

What to look for tonight: This is the week when Foard either puts up or shuts up. At 2-0 the Tigers can use this game to make a statement that they're ready to be a contender or they can do what comes naturally and take another beating at the hands of the Blue Devils. The Tiger defense has only allowed seven points in two ballgames. In fact, Foard hasn't allowed a score in the last seven quarters. The top offensive threats for the Tigers are quarterback Landon Isenhour (averaging 113 passing yards per game and 51 yards rushing), receiver Trent Safrit (4 catches for 100 yards) and running back Quinton Owens (12 carries for 96 yards - 8 per carry). Maiden will counter with its spread offense, featuring quarterback Justin Sizemore (27-55-1, 372 yards, 3 TDs). Sizemore is a talented passer who reminds folks, visually anyway, of a poor-man's Tim Tebow. But like the Gators, Maiden's ground game is highly suspect. Equally questionable is the Blue Devil defense. Last week Maiden gave up 345 rushing yards in a 40-23 loss to Lincolnton. If the Tigers can withstand the Maiden air assault and not panic they can control the tempo of the game with their superior rushing attack. Give me a stout defense over a pass-happy offense anytime.

HIBRITEN (3-0) at BUNKER HILL (0-2)

Series Notes: Hibriten has won three in a row against the Bears and is 12-8 overall in the series. The Panthers crushed Bunker Hill up in Lenoir last year by the score of 56-0.

What to look for tonight: This one could get out of hand real quick. Hibriten is better than it was last year at this time while Bunker Hill is suffering through a 21-game losing streak. Last year's experienced Bear ballclub went 0-11. The Bears graduated a bunch of players and entered this season in rebuilding mode. But then almost every season is a fixer-upper in Claremont. In last week's 45-27 romp over Bandys the Panthers scored pretty much whenever they wanted to until the starters got bored and the reserves got a chance to play. I doubt many of Hibriten's starters see the field after halftime in this one. Consider this: last week the Panthers had five guys rush for at least 50 yards. The total was 311. New quarterback Jamichael Walton only completed three passes - but they went for a total of 101 yards and a couple of touchdowns. Besides, the word on the street is that Hibriten wants to be the object of everybody's affection.

WEST CALDWELL (0-2) at PATTON (1-1)

Series Notes: Stop! You had me at hello... These teams have never played each other in a varsity game.

What to look for tonight: The new kids on the block had to go deep into the Smoky Mountains to find that elusive first-ever victory...but they got it done. Patton beat tiny Andrews High, 34-24, to claim the school's first varsity victory. The Panthers scored in a variety of ways, including a nice 48-yard TD run by Brandon Bethel, a 35-yard pass from quarterback Cody Story to Zack Cole, a 40-yard fumble return by Chris Wiseman and finally a 60-yard scamper by Story. Even though this is Patton's first season of varsity competition the Panthers did have a pretty good JV team last season and Burke County has strong middle school programs. So the Panthers may be a little better equipped than other teams in a similar situation. West Caldwell continues to struggle but I still maintain that the future is bright for the Warriors under new head coach Mike Setzer. This game is a golden opportunity to get off the snide and back into a winning mindset. To know exactly how tough things are right now up in Gamewell just consider that last Friday the Warriors took a 35-0 beating from South Caldwell - the same South Caldwell team that took a similar beating from Fred T. Foard in Week 1. The good news for the Warriors is that even if they don't get a win this time there is always Bunker Hill next week!

Newton-Conover (2-0) at St. Stephens (2-0)

Series Notes: In 2007 the Indians snapped Newton's 10-game winning streak in this series with a 13-10 victory. But that's only their second win in the last 16 meetings.

What to look for tonight: Somebody is gonna get their first loss tonight. It isn't often that we can say that about this game. There have been times in the recent past when neither one of these teams was worth much. That is definitely not the case this time around, however. Last week the Red Devils road-tripped to Icard and slaughtered the East Burke Cavaliers, 35-8, for what was apparently the "Championship of the Unifour." I'm still scratching my head over that one... On paper it did look like one heck of a matchup. But the Red Devils quickly and easily brought the Cavs to their knees, taking a 29-0 lead before the homers finally put some points on the board. As expected, Dorian Jones is having a great season for the Red Devils. Against the Cavs he exploded for 174 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries (10.9 yards per carry). He also caught three passes for 48 yards and a touchdown. I heard he also worked the concession stand in the 4th quarter and then drove the team bus back to Newton. What a player! All of this behind a completely rebuilt offensive line. Scary, seriously.

St. Stephens has looked good in their two victories (43-14 over West Lincoln and 10-7 over Alexander Central). Although the margin of victory was much slimmer against Central the victory was actually a lot more impressive. West Lincoln is a punchline, period. But we know that the Cougars can play some football. Quality win for the Indians, just like it was for the Red Tornadoes. However, in my humble opinion, the jury is still out on the Indians. What does it say about an offense when the quarterback is the team's leading rusher? I don't care who it is - St. Stephens or the University of Florida - if you're relying on your quarterback to get it done on the ground as well as in the air, you've got a problem. Quarterback Matt Fussell is the Indian rushing leader (72 yards per game) as well as the passing leader (88 yards per game). That won't be enough to get a victory over a complete team like Newton-Conover. On the bright side, St. Stephens did have an extra week to prepare for this. That's got to be worth something, right?

NEWS FLASH!! NEWS FLASH!!

EUREKA! The Daily Record's ace sportswriter Captain Obvious has discovered that water is wet and the sun is hot...

But wait! There's more!

In the best tradition of Woodward, Bernstein and other legendary investigative journalists, Captain Obvious has laid it all on the line and risked his reputation to uncover and expose the truth behind the recent success of the Hibriten Panthers: they're really, really good!

Wow, that's hot. I wouldn't have gone there...oh wait. I did go there on August 21st and picked the Panthers to finish second in the CVAC. (Like I was really going to pick them ahead of the Tornadoes) and talked about why the Panthers are a dangerous team.But now...well, now Captain Obvious is starting to re-think the CVAC situation. The Panthers are now 3-0 for the season with a league victory over Bandys already in hand. Shocker! Except that Hibriten administered a similar spanking to the Trojans in last season's CVAC opener. Throughout most of the 2007 season the common wisdom was that Hibriten was the last test for Hickory on the way to an undisputed conference title. Emphasis on test. The Panthers were a dangerous team then and they're an even more dangerous team this year - and nobody who follows local football here is surprised by that.

He then continues with a brief synopsis of the season so far:I can let the reference to "our affection" go as poetic license. Because as we all know, the Daily Record sports department is waaaaaay above playing favorites... But the idea that any of us need enlightening as to the undeniable strengths of the Panthers is precious. Bless his lil heart! He is a true professional expert.

He then supports his ground-breaking thesis on Hibriten football prowess by quoting the "Mighty Quin" Smith himself:Yeah, slim chance before. No chance now. Captain Obvious is absolutely not afraid to call a cat feline.

Then Captain Obvious really sticks the landing by quoting Coach Cannon on the matter of radar-awareness here in Catawba County:I'd just love to know who came up with the notion that any coach or football aficionado in this county was actually taking Hibriten for granted?

Actually saying that which goes without saying? Captain Obvious loves to go there.

Mild-mannered dude by day, thrill-seeking, truth-talking, poet-journalist on Friday night. Just doing his duty.

"I don't think Bunker Hill is bad. Just misunderstood."

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.

#9 BUNKER HILL

I guess it's safe to say that 2007 was not a happy time for the Bears. An 0-11 record is a hard pill to swallow, even for Bunker Hill people. The good news, of course, is that it literally can't get any worse! But that doesn't mean it will get better, either. But I say YES, things will get a little better in 2008.

AT A GLANCE

2007 Record: 0-11 overall, 0-8 CVAC

Coach: Ron Turner
Career: 0-11 (1 year)

Returning Starters: 9; 5 on offense, 4 on defense

Primary Strengths: The Bears have a lot of returning experience and depth at the skill positions. Top of the list is sophomore tailback Davontaye Wilson who led his team in rushing with 556 yards on 101 carries. The Bears also return senior Robert Davis, the CVAC's receptions leader, who had 52 catches for 505 yards in 2007. Senior quarterback Jeremy Abernathy has some experience as a signal caller even though he played other positions most of the time. They have decent overall team speed and much improved team strength.

Potential Problems: The Bears will have to settle on a quarterback in order to maximize production. Departed signal caller Chase Patterson was "da man" for Bunker Hill in 2007, completing 150 of 347 attempts for 1,628 yards and 12 touchdowns. The athletic Jeremy Abernathy has been battling Cameron Beard for the starting job. Bunker Hill was dead last in the CVAC in rushing last year and that will have to change if the Bears are going to make any headway in 2008. Depth will continue to be a problem.

Key Losses: Quarterback Chase Patterson, wide receiver Centrail Williamson and linebacker Jarvis Howell.

Overview: The Bears were so bad last year that they could show significant improvement this season and still be pretty lousy. But they should still beat West Caldwell.

#10 WEST CALDWELL

A new day has dawned in Gamewell...but the journey back to respectability has only just begun. It boggles the mind that despite posting a lackluster 2-9 record in 2007 the Warriors are now facing a rebuilding year in 2008! From the head coach to the placekicker the Warriors lost it all after last season. "Progress" will be a relative term for West Caldwell this season.

AT A GLANCE

2007 Record: 2-9 overall, 1-7 CVAC

Coach: Mike Setzer
Career: 24-23 (4 years)

Returning Starters: 6; 3 on offense, 3 on defense

Primary Strengths: New head coach Mike Setzer is a former Warrior himself and is extremely fired up to be back at his alma mater. His return has caused an outpouring of enthusiasm and optimism among the Warrior faithful. Setzer, a 1994 West Caldwell graduate, was announced as the new coach after a five-month hiring search that included over 40 applicants. He played college ball at Winston-Salem State and East Carolina, and eventually logged time in the Arena Football League with the Charleston Swamp Foxes. Setzer has spent the last four years as the coach at Saint Pauls High School in Robeson County, where his teams went 24-23 with three playoff appearances. Just last season, Saint Pauls won nine games and advanced to the third round of the 2A playoffs under Setzer.

Potential Problems: The Warriors must replace their quarterback, their top three running backs, their top three receivers, their kicker...you name it. Plus, they have no depth to speak of.

Key Losses: Pretty much everybody.

Overview: I believe that Mike Setzer will be good for the Warriors. He has the will and the expertise to make them a better football team. I also believe that his return may signal a shift in the balance of power in Lenoir. I have long suspected that Hibriten has been the beneficiary of the decline at West Caldwell and that the rise of Hibriten and the downfall of West Caldwell were not accidental. Now that they've got one of their own at the helm in Gamewell there may be an exodus of talented players from Hibriten back to West Caldwell. Just a theory of mine. But whatever improvements Setzer accomplishes in 2008 will not be enough to keep the Warriors out of the CVAC cellar.

#8 PATTON

You probably thought I'd pick them to finish last in the CVAC this season, didn't you? Well, surprise, surprise, surprise! I am prepared to go out on a limb and predict that the Panthers will get a couple of league wins under their belt during this, their first-ever varsity season of football. All eyes will be watching to see which team gets to become the answer to a trivia question: Patton got its very first league win against...whom?

AT A GLANCE

2007 Record: N/A

Coach: J.K. Adkins
Career: 13-13 (2 years)

Returning Starters: N/A

Primary Strengths: Cohesiveness due to not losing anybody from last year. Familiarity with the offensive and defensive schemes. The running game could be decent, depending on how well the line develops. Element of surprise?

Potential Problems: A complete lack of experience on the varsity level. Depth issues on both sides of the ball. They will have to rely heavily on the 8-quarter rule which allows JV players to suit up on varsity in order to provide depth. The intended starting quarterback, Cody Storie, was injured in the pre-season. Relying on underclassmen, even for established programs, is usually problematic.

Key Losses: N/A

Overview: I really have no concrete reason for picking the Panthers to finish in 8th place this season. I just have a feeling that they will find a way to upset a couple of opponents who, ironically enough, are not in much better shape in terms of varsity experience. The Patton faithful have already proven that they are diehard. I have said before that I think Patton will turn out to be the St. Stephens of Morganton: they try hard and are relentless but just can't quite get over the hump most of the time. Maybe I'm just fascinated by the idea that "beginner's luck" could actually exist and might even play a part in Patton's first varsity season. On the negative side... Because of the way Patton handled the decision to not play a varsity schedule in 2007 there are several CVAC teams thirsting for some payback for all the chaos Patton created. So look for some lopsided scores in the coming months. But I still say the Panthers ruin somebody's evening. You heard it here first!

#7 ST. STEPHENS

The Indians have a new head coach this season although he is no stranger to the program. Offensive coordinator Fred Whalen was elevated to the head coaching position when Doug Justice jumped ship to take the top job at North Henderson. What will this mean for the program over in Indian Territory? Stay tuned...

AT A GLANCE

2007 Record: 6-6 overall, 4-4 CVAC

Coach: Fred Whalen
Career: 0-0 (1st year)

Returning Starters: N/A

Primary Strengths: The Indians return some skill position players who should definitely have an impact in 2008. Probably the most important of these is senior Patrick Jenkins, who was the team's leading receiver in 2007 with 38 receptions for 549 yards and six touchdowns. Casey Peissel, Marshae Woods and Caleb Peterson are also valuable multi-purpose skill people that Whalen will rely upon.

Potential Problems: St. Stephens needs to find a quarterback in a hurry. Quarterback Matt Rowe was the heart and soul of the Indian offense last season as he completed 127 of 223 passes (57%) for 1,573 yards and 17 touchdowns. He also was the team's second-leading rusher with 583 yards and six touchdowns. He has graduated, however, and that leaves junior Matt Fussell at the helm of the offense. The fact that Fussell has zero varsity experience doesn't mean that he can't be effective. But it does mean that we don't know what is going to happen for the Indians this season. Furthermore, he will have to operate behind a completely rebuilt offensive line.

Key Losses: Quarterback Matt Rowe, top rusher Dustin Wilson, second-leading receiver Kelsey Rose, defensive end Evan Short, offensive tackle William Joseph.

Overview: The Indians made the playoffs last year by the skin of their teeth due mostly to the talents of departed quarterback Matt Rowe. He had a knack for making plays, as evidenced by the Indians' nearly-triumphant performance against Hickory last year. Another crucial element of last year's success for St. Stephens was the experience of the seniors who had suffered through consecutive 0-11 seasons in 2004 and 2005. Last year was the year of redemption for the program. Now the question is this: Have the Indians turned a corner in the evolution of their program? Or will they take a step back this fall? I say there is potential here for a successful season, at least by St. Stephens standards. They could finish a couple of spots higher...or they could finish a couple of spots lower. We shall see...