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.

Final thoughts on the Foard game

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


Trevin Parks wins a battle with Jameel Owens

Thinking about Fred T. Foard

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

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

Here are some Wednesday observations about the Tigers.

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

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

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

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

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

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

THIS MEANS WAR!

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.

In honor of Fred T. Foard's first win in Maiden since 1982...

This was the height of "cool" in 1982!

But here is something that I'm sure the Foard folks who were in school that year remember very well...

Top 10 Music Singles from August, 1982

1. Eye Of The Tiger ...Survivor
2. Hurt's So Good ...John Cougar
3. Abracadabra ...Steve Miller Band
4. Hold Me ...Fleetwood Mac
5. Hard To Say I'm Sorry ...Chicago
6. Even The Nights Are Better ...Air Supply
7. Keep The Fire Burnin' ...REO Speedwagon
8. Vacation ...Go-Go's
9. Wasted On The Way ...Crosby, Stills & Nash
10.Take It Away ...Paul McCartney

But genuine cool was on the way! In September of 1982 one of the great television comedies of all time premiered on NBC... NORM!

Pick 'em Week 4 recap

This week I'm going to combine my Pick 'em recap with the regular weekly recap of CVAC games that didn't involve the Red Tornadoes. As you know, I am definitely not a "professional expert" like some. So it gives me great pride to point out that I was a perfect 11-0 this past week picking the outcome of local football games. So now that I'm 100% correct, there's really no need to compare myself with anybody else. It wouldn't be fair to the others...

Obviously the big news from Friday night was the shocker down in Maiden. After more than two decades of frustration and failure the Fred T. Foard Tigers unloaded on the Blue Devils, 47-14. Apparently the final score is a little misleading when you consider that the score was 40-0 at halftime. So not only did the Tigers humiliate the Blue Devils on their own field but they actually called off the dogs in the second half and took it easy on the homers. I had a feeling that Foard would pull off the upset and I gave the reasons why: Foard has a strong running game and an equally strong defense. Maiden has neither of those things. And because Maiden can't run the ball effectively or play defense, the aspect of their game that is supposed to be "good" - the passing attack - is rendered harmless. I mentioned last week that this was an opportunity for the Tigers to make a statement about how good or how average they were going to be this season. Well, now we have our answer. Hickory has Fred T. Foard for Homecoming this season. Too bad it couldn't be Maiden!

The other big matchup involved our friends from Springs Road and the Dirt Devils from out there in Rootin' Tootin' Newton. In this case the contest was much closer than the final score indicates. Newton was only up 8-6 going into the fourth quarter. So either the Devils have some inconsistency problems or (I believe) the Indians really do have a good defense. Don't forget what a difference it made to Alexander Central when they lost to St. Stephens in Week 2. The Cougars racked up 455 yard in total offense in a 56-3 win over last year's Class 3A West Region champ, North Gaston. The Indians, however, cut that yardage total in half and held Central to a single score in a 10-7 win over the Cougars.

The difference maker in the Newton-Saint game was Red Devil running back Dorian Jones. He ran for approximately 100 yards and a touchdown in the final period to seal the victory. St. Stephens is struggling offensively, scoring just 16 points in their last two ballgames. There will be a lot more on the Indians as the week progresses.

The Patton Panthers have now won two football games. So far, so good for the folks up on Enola Road in Morganton. There are several severe beatings awaiting the new kids later this season but in the meantime they certainly can enjoy the reality of being tied with Hickory in the CVAC standings. My advice? Take a photograph and frame it quick. The good times ain't gonna last, friends.

Finally, don't tell anybody this (it's a big secret) but Hibriten is pretty good this year. Shhhhhhhhh! That's just between me and you. I got that from a reliable source, though... We'll talk later about the situation in Lenoir.

Great moments in schadenfreude

If you don't know what the word schadenfreude means, click here. But if you want some good schadenfreude, just check out these comments posted by various Blue Devil fans on NCPreps.com following Maiden's humiliating loss to the new "Big Blue" - Fred T. Foard!

"Foard wins 47 to 14. The actual score was 40 - 0 (halftime). Maiden refuses to play football. At least 2 starters sitting on the sideline for not showing up for practice. We seem to be more worried about how we look in the uniform than doing what we need to do to play well in them. I believe this team has found a different way to spell teIIIIIIIIIIIIam.

Very disappointed." ...Azul Diablo


"I don't see us winning very many games this year if any more at all.We have NO defense !!!!!!!!!!! 22 and 20 looked good again when they seen playing time. My only thing Azul is Team begins with the leaders that unify the " Team " and I'm just not seeing it . There's way to much talent on this team to take a beat down like we did tonight.The right guys have to be in the right places and I don't think we've found that yet.We still need to put some of that beef on the D-line I don't care if their not that great at least they could clog a hole and give the linebackers time to read the play.Oh well better luck next week ! Sorry if I tick some people off with my assessment I just think you should call an apple a apple." ...bluestorm


"I was disapointed in the teams play, like Azul Diablo said ,it looks like theres not a team effort on the field.I know some people will disagree but I cant help but noticing it, this is FOOTBALL there should be no sugar coating it. This game was one of the most lack luster of a game ive witnessed at Maiden .To me your representing the town and the fans that come to the game ,if theres a problem on the team sit down discuss it get over it and start playing like a team , we that support you deserve your best effort" ...maidenUSA


"I have never seen a Maiden team play this bad. This is a team that has good players and there not really weak in any positions. There not really great but there good. They just dont act like they want to be out there. The offense couldnt get anything together the defense looked like they were afraid to tackle. I thought you learned how to tackle in peewee. They just play with no HEART. With the score as bad as it was at halftime im surprised the fans stayed around as long as they did. Maybe that was just for the 50/50 but they stayed. I heard that they had 6 players quit this week to." ...Tarheels#1


"The fact of the matter is this team does not have the desire. I agree that they do have some talent, but you play like you practice and if you don't practice then you don't play. I am glad Brian sat those guys down and I hope they get the message. Another thing I am wondering is if they work on tackling at all during practice. Evidently, they think this is two hand tag.

Great job by Foard. They came to kick Maiden's butt and they did. I hope they can keep it going." ...SlyOldDevil


"I have been going to MHS football games since I was six years old (1957). I've missed only about 20 games during those 50+ years. This is the worst game that I have ever seen a Maiden team play. This is, without a doubt, the least amount of effort that I have ever seen a Maiden team put forth.

I didn't think we were going to be overly talented this year, but I did think that maybe we could match last year's 6-5 regular season mark. Based upon what I saw last night, I'd say winning four games is absolute best-case scenario for this group." ...Smokin'DeepBlue


"Ive heard rumors same as you did blue storm that the qb will only throw to one reciever .I cant help but think that somethings going on with the team. I dont know if its the I factor or what, I do know theres no unity on this team .If it is the I factor , let me say 1 or 2 guys are not going to win any games alone I dont care who you are or how good you think you are, it takes team work ,if this is true get over all that bull ,it takes the WHOLE TEAM to win games.WE that come to the games come to see the team play not 1 or 2 players . It actually makes me mad to see a player trying to be the team. AS IN THE WORDS OF THE BEATLES COME TOGEATHER" ...maidenUSA

You just know it's bad when the Beatles references come out! Let's keep the poor Blue Devils in our thoughts in the hope that they can truly "come togeather."

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?

#4 FRED T. FOARD

It might surprise some folks to see the Foard picked to finish ahead of both Bandys and Maiden but you might as well get over the shock because the Tigers could be for real this time. The Tigers return 17 starters from last season. With that kind of stability on both sides of the ball the boys from Propst Crossroads can definitely make waves in the CVAC in 2008.

AT A GLANCE

2007 Record: 4-7 overall, 3-5 CVAC

Coach: Ryan Gettys
Career: 17-40 (5 years)

Returning Starters: 17; 9 on offense, 8 on defense

Primary Strengths: The first thing that jumps out at you when examining Foard's prospects in 2008 is the experience level of the players. With 17 starters returning the Tigers may be the CVAC's most experienced team. Senior quarterback Landon Isenhour is a skilled passer (1,090 yards and 8 TDs in 2007) and a husky kid who can get some tough yards on the ground when called upon. He'll be joined once again in the backfield by senior running backs Alex Miller and Jaheil Washington. Their numbers last season were not impressive due to a "committee" approach to running the ball but they can be effective. Isenhour's top targets from last year, Taylor Lassiter and Trent Safrit, also return. The defense will also feature a heavy dose of experience and better-than-usual speed.

Potential Problems: The Tigers must do a better job of running the football in 2008. Last year's offense only managed 1,274 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns for the entire season. Only Bunker Hill and West Caldwell did worse than Foard in the rushing department. Contrast that with Hickory, which led the league in rushing with 4,284 yards and 59 touchdowns. The experience factor could be nullified if the offense is unable to make plays. Speed on defense is lacking.

Key Losses: The Tigers only lost five starters from last year's squad. By far the most valuable of those was the kicker, Jon Teague.

Overview: Fred T. Foard missed the playoffs last season and so getting back to "the dance" is the top priority in 2008. With the kind of experience the Tigers possess on both sides of the ball there is little chance of them getting left out again. In my opinion the Tigers will wind up in a four-team race for 4th place in the CVAC, along with Bandys, Maiden and St. Stephens. Foard may have an edge, not only because of experience, but also because the other schools have experienced upheavals and distractions in the off-season. The Tigers, on the other hand, have benefited from a slow-but-steady progression that should bear fruit this season.