Remember the hypothetical grocery store on Trailer Park Road? Remember the scenario I laid out in which the Blue Devils did to Saint what they couldn't do against Hickory? Well the horror story has come true. St. Stephens is now faced with the daunting task of having to beat Fred T. Foard next Friday just to finish in a tie with Hickory in the CVAC.
To make things worse for the Indians they are not only facing a superior team in Foard but also a team locked in a struggle to clinch a share of the CVAC championship. The Tigers aren't about to let it all slip away by losing to St. Stephens. So, you know...good luck with that Indians!
So, remember that cute little story that the local "sports editor" told a few weeks ago about the hypothetical Hickory fan who was getting messed with by his rabid Indian co-workers about Saint's historical victory over the Red Tornadoes? You remember, right? The hypothetical Hickory fan supposedly called the "sports editor" for help. Hmmmmmm...
What I heard was that those rabid Indian fans got so carried away with it that they decided to get mohawks and dress up like Indians to demonstrate their fanatical support of St. Stephens football. They thought it was cool. Turns out they were wrong...
I'm thinking about the game tonight over on Trailer Park Road between St. Stephens and Maiden. Wow, a visit from Devils on Halloween. Too cool!
It's pretty freakin' scary for the Indians, though. One false step and they can kiss their edge on Hickory goodbye. Going into tonight's round of games St. Stephens is a full game ahead of Hickory in the standings with the head-to-head tiebreaker in hand as well. But...
It's finally Hickory's turn to gobble up the conference cupcakes, West Caldwell (0-9) and Bunker Hill (1-8), in the final weeks of the regular season. So it's pretty much a given that the Red Tornadoes are done losing for the time being. Meanwhile the Indians face a surging Maiden tonight and the best Fred T. Foard team anybody has seen in nearly 30 years. Oops! What if Maiden beats St. Stephens tonight in the Trailer Park? What if the Indians found themselves in a must-win situation next week against Fred T. Foard? What if Hickory wound up finishing ahead of St. Stephens? This 2008 season is the worst we've seen since 1994. St. Stephens actually beat Hickory for the first time since 1993. What if none of that really mattered because the Indians tripped and fell just shy of the finish line?
It reminds me of a movie I saw last year. Picture if you will a grocery store on Trailer Park Road. It's Halloween and the smoke from Maiden rolls in... The Indian season is in dire peril. How would a group of Saint fans trapped in that grocery store handle the situation? It might go something like this:
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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...
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.
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.
Nevermind the fact that there were players in this game who were newly-born infants the last time St. Stephens defeated Hickory on the football field. I've discovered something really weird...
Did you know that in 1993, the year that Saint managed a 21-7 win over the Red Tornadoes, there was also bloody conflict in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia? That year the conflict involved not South Ossetia but the other separatist enclave within Georgia's boundaries: Abkhazia. Russian troops intervened in that conflict, as well. Let's hope that the peace process continues over there. We don't need any more trouble here at home!
But seriously folks...
Despite the history-making loss to the Indians, there were some bright spots for the Red Tornadoes. The best thing about the game was seeing Rakim Barrett and Kyshell Geter churning out 100-yard performances. I'm not sure why Tyshon Chisholm wasn't used more on offense but I'm not going to second-guess the coaches on that one.
The passing game was, on the whole, pretty good. The pick-6 that gave Saint its first touchdown was just bizarre and I'm sure Kevin would love to have that one back. Interceptions returned for touchdowns happen from time to time. Heck, Mikey Shook almost returned the favor with his interception that got us close to the goal line. Take away the pick-6 from Caleb Peterson (who had a career night against us) and it's tied, 21-21. Each offense scored three touchdowns.
I would also like to point out that the 3rd-down call in the fourth quarter was a good one. Despite what the idiot line judge said, the pass was complete to Trevin Parks and would have been a first down. I was standing right there and he clearly caught the ball, had control of it, and was beginning to advance on the goal line when the Indians caught up with him and knocked the ball loose. It was a catch and a fumble out of bounds, period. The linesman blew it and stubbornly refused to even consider that he might have been out of position and simply made a bad call. Nope, he had to go all BCRS on the coaches, which is a shame.
The odds are pretty good that Hickory scores a touchdown if that pass play had stood. Then the coaches would have had the option of kicking for the tie or, maybe, going for the win with a 2-point conversion. Now we'll never know. But for the people who want to say it was bad playcalling on Coach Worley's part, I have to disagree with them. It was a good call not only because the catch was made and should have been a first down but also because it's a play that we have run successfully in previous games this season...and scored touchdowns with it!
Regarding the areas where I think the team has struggled (O-line, defense, special teams) I have to give passing marks to the O-line and the defense. It's hard to be negative about the blockers when you have a pair of backs who each get 100+ yards on the ground and a quarterback who was one blown call by a ref away from another 100-yard passing performance.
Other than the three scoring drives by the Indians our defense shut 'em down for the most part. It was either feast or famine for Saint's offense. The key to their success was the ability to convert on third down. They got the yards when they needed them the most. That's the sign of a pretty good ballclub, which St. Stephens is.
Special teams was still a little shaky but the impressive thing was not that our guys did poorly but that St. Stephens' kicker, Brandon Hall, pulled off a great impression of Ryan Succop. Every kickoff went into the end zone for a touchback, forcing Hickory to march 80 yards every time. That's what our opponents used to have to deal with on a regular basis. Luckily both Hall and Peterson (and Patrick Jenkins and Graham McRary) will be gone after this season.
This loss reminds me of the shock I felt when we lost to East Burke in the 2003 season opener. It was shocking for two reasons, actually. First, everybody knew that the Red Tornadoes were going to be very good. So it was surprising for them to lose coming out of the gate. Second, the Cavaliers hadn't beaten Hickory since 1991. Was it the end of the world? It felt like it a little bit that night. But it didn't prevent the Red Tornadoes from compiling a 10-3 record and a trip to the second round of the playoffs. The only thing that really stood in Hickory's way that year was the eventual 3AA state champion Crest Chargers. The loss to East Burke was aggravating for a brief moment...and then the Red Tornadoes got down to business. I expect them to do something similar this week against Maiden.
I didn't really expect to witness history in the making last Friday night but that's what happened. For only the second time in 22 attempts the Indians of St. Stephens managed to get a win against the Red Tornadoes. The last time it happened (1993) the only thing that happened afterwards was a string of 14-straight wins by Hickory over Saint. So if history repeats itself then today's newborns will be in high school the next time the Indians "make history." By then, of course, the folks at St. Stephens will have been forced to scrap their nickname and everything associated with it for the sake of political correctness. C'est la vie!
I misfired on a couple of Northwestern Conference games to bring my record for the night to 8-3. In the case of Alexander Central versus Wilkes Central and South Caldwell versus South Iredell, it was the 4A schools who dominated. Normally this is exactly what you might expect but around here the 2A schools always hold their own against bigger schools. I thought South Iredell might get one against South Caldwell based on the fact that the Vikings knocked off Statesville the week before. Now it looks as though the Greyhounds just gave that game away. Meanwhile, the Cougar running back tandem of Logan Chapman and Kyle Bradshaw continued to power the Alexander Central offense. The Cougars beat the Eagles by three touchdowns. So, there you go.
There's been some chatter this week that maybe the Indians have Hickory's number this year. I seriously doubt it... Yes, the Indians have the same overall record as Hickory and they do have some weapons. But the 2008 St. Stephens Indians have nothing on the 2001 team. Now that team was a challenge for Hickory.
If you recall, when Hickory hosted St. Stephens at Frank Barger Stadium on October 12, 2001, the Indians boasted a 6-1 overall record. They were on a six-game winning streak after dropping their opener to Newton-Conover. They had senior tailback Thomas Gordon, the most producive back in the conference. Gordon was averaging 167 yards and two touchdowns per game. Even more impressive was the fact that he averaged exactly 10 yards per carry.
In a chilling preview of what Hickory could expect from Gordon and the Indians, St. Stephens had annihilated Fred T. Foard the week before, 68-6. Gordon was Superman that night, rushing for 277 yards on 10 carries, scoring five touchdowns on the ground and also catching a 13-yard TD pass. That same evening the Red Tornadoes had celebrated Homecoming by throttling the R-S Central Hilltoppers, 55-0.
But Hickory's record was only 3-3 overall and 1-1 in the conference. Their losses (to Statesville, Newton-Conover and Crest) had all been by wide margins. Prior to crushing the Hilltoppers, Hickory's other victories (over East Burke and South Caldwell) had been close contests that had not been particularly inspirational for the Tornadoes. Coming a week after suffering a bad defeat down at Crest (and falling below .500) the romp over R-S Central provided a big boost for Hickory's football psyche. It paved the way for what was shaping up to be an epic Battle of Hickory.
As usual, there was plenty of trash talking and promises on the part of Indian players and fans that they were going to humiliate the Red Tornadoes in their own stadium. They said that St. Stephens was the program of the future in Hickory while the Red Tornadoes were in decline. Gordon was going to run all over the Tornado defense. Quarterback Shane Matthews would pass at will to his top receiver, Brent Downs. They were going to do this in Hickory's stadium...
WBTV's "Mountain Man" Steve Ohnesorge was there to film the game for Football Friday Night. Frank Barger Stadium was packed as it always is for the Battle of Hickory. But the Indian fans made a crucial mistake. They placed a large paper banner on the front of their stands that read OUR HOUSE. I was infuriated. I know everybody else on the home was not at all pleased by this bit of disrespect. The Indians, under then-head coach John Jarman, were notoriously rambunctious. Just the year before Jarman had denied Hickory the use of the visitors locker room in the Indian field house. So Coach Elder had warmed up the team at Hickory and then bussed over, arriving after the National Anthem. Then the Red Tornadoes walked silently onto the field. A year later the Indians were really full of themselves. They thought they had good reason to be...
On the first play from scrimmage, the Indians lined up in an peculiar, unbalanced formation and tried to throw deep. Well, Shane Matthews threw it deep all right but right into the arms of Tornado safety Brian Parson at the Hickory 29. It took the Red Tornadoes six plays to score the first touchdown (a 42-yard pass from Cole Kenworthy to Roddy Long). Ryan Succop's PAT made the score 7-0 in favor of the "underdog" Tornadoes.
Succop's kickoff pinned the Indians deep and the defense forced the Indians into a 3-and-out situation. The snap sailed over the punter's head and through the end zone for a safety. After a 19-yard return by Desmond Burch on the free kick gave Hickory possession at its 48, the Red Tornado offense went back to work.
Kenworthy hooked up with Sterling Sanders for a 47-yard pass completion to the St. Stephens eight. Hickory was flagged for illegal procedure, pushing the ball back to the 13. Fullback Craig Barnette scored on the next play. Succop's kick made it 16-0 with 6:29 left in the opening quarter. Hickory put two more touchdowns on the board before halftime (5-yard run by Parson and a 13-yard run by Barnette) to take a 31-0 lead into the locker room. Mysteriously, the OUR HOUSE sign vanished from the Indians' wall.
St. Stephens saved some face in the second half, scoring a couple of touchdowns in the third quarter and one more in the final 12 minutes. But Hickory also scored a couple of touchdowns after the half, both involving Barnette. Craig caught a 9-yard pass from Kenworthy (whose dad was a former Indian quarterback in the early '80s) and also got in on a 3-yard run. The final score was 45-20. The humiliation and humbling of the upstart Indians was a beautiful thing for every member of the Tornado Nation. What a night it was! I must have watched the segment on Football Friday Night a thousand times. It never gets old. That's what this rivalry is all about!
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
Business has picked up the last couple of years in the Battle of Hickory. The perennial underdog St. Stephens Indians have been knocking on the door and are hoping that this week's clash at Frank Barger Stadium will finally bust that door open. Beating Hickory High would take the Indians to a whole other level of excitement and satisfaction.
The misery and frustration that the Indians and their fans have suffered at the hands of Hickory High is not as long-standing as that of the Foard faithful against Maiden. Afterall, Saint did beat Hickory in 1993, nearly a decade after Foard's previous win against the Blue Devils. To be exact, the Indian losing streak to Hickory now stands at 13 and counting.
During that span there have been some close calls and several blowouts. Just in the last four games we have seen the extremes of both ends of the spectrum. The 2003 and 2004 games ended with Hickory on top, 56-0 and 47-0. The past two seasons, however, have been sickeningly close: 17-10 in 2006 and 31-30 last year. But for a missed PAT as time expired the game would have gone into overtime. The worst part about that game was the big lead that the Red Tornadoes squandered in the second half. Don't think for a moment that the memory this near disaster doesn't linger on for the Tornadoes.
So now it's 2008 and once again Hickory High enters the contest as the favorite despite having an identical 2-1 record as St. Stephens. Once again there is optimism over on Springs Road that this could be "the year." And true to form the Indian fans like to run their mouths about why they think their team will win. Usually such conversations include a reference to Hickory's program being on the "decline" or that Hickory lost too many great players to graduation and is rebuilding or the Indians have an impressive new player who transferred in from somewhere else and is going to "run all over" Hickory. We've all heard it many, many times.
Sometimes there is even some truth to the talk. There is no question that Jamelle Jeffries, a transfer from Cherryville, played a big part in Saint's near-victory in 2006. Sometimes the transfer occurs much closer to home, as in the case of former Red Tornado linebacker Jerry Grillo. For the past four years he was the linebacker of the future for Hickory. Now he is the linebacker of the here-and-now for St. Stephens. It was a good pickup for the Indians and he's already helped to solidify what has been a pretty good defensive unit so far. He set up Saint's only touchdown against Alexander Central in Week 2 with his 50-yard fumble return. His presence will add spice to Friday night's game for sure.
Another reason for high spirits in Indian Territory is the new head coach, Fred Whalen. The former offensive coordinator under Doug Justice, Whalen is responsible for installing the spread offense at St. Stephens. When Justice left suddenly to take the job at North Henderson back in June, the SSHS didn't hesitate to elevate Whalen because that's what the players and other coaches wanted. So everybody over there is happy about the way that situation turned out. And Coach Whalen got the best kind of start to his first season as "the skipper": an impressive 43-14 win on the road at West Lincoln. This was followed up by a rousing performance by the defense in a 10-7 win against Alexander Central in the home opener. First-game wins by first-year head coaches at St. Stephens don't happen very often. That's just another reason why the Indian faithful are highly energized these days.
Even in last week's 21-6 loss to Newton-Conover had some silver linings for the Indians. With an extra week to prepare, the Saint defense literally shut down the high-powered Red Devil offense. Newton's Dorian Jones, arguably the top running back in the CVAC, was completely held in check and had next to nothing in terms of yardage in the first half. The Devils and Mr. Jones got it cranked up in the final two quarters and won going away. But the Indian defense definitely made a statement last week. And you know that they don't have the same respect for Hickory's 2008 offense that they did for Newton. Frankly, Hickory is still struggling somewhat on the offensive side of the ball. The Indians think they see a chance to disrupt Hickory's plans this Friday. That means it's time to circle the wagons and protect Red's House!
Can you hear the drums? And are those smoke signals I see coming from the East Side?
G&G: Terry, it's been over 25 years since your last game in a Tornado uniform. You're back in town this week to watch Hickory High play St. Stephens this Friday night. Are you excited?
TTT: Hell yeah, Triple T is excited. I remember playin' those boys my first three years in school. After we got through with them my junior year they tucked tail and ran, man. What was that score?
G&G: The final score in the '82 game was 53-6.
TTT: Sounds about right. That's how we rolled back then, man. Those boys from over there had nothin' on us when we got on the field. We taught them to fear us, baby.
G&G: Exactly right. Well, it's still that way today. What would you say to this year's Tornadoes as they prepare for the big game on Friday?
TTT: Hell, I'd probably tell 'em a couple of things that I learned a long time ago, baby. First of all, there ain't no secret to success in business or in life! The solution is simple, baby! One hundred percent heart, all day, everyday. Only quitters quit, and Triple T is a hitter, not a quitter. Believe that! That's what Coach Barger told us back in the day. He was right about it then just like I'm right about it now.
G&G: That's good stuff. What else would you tell the players?
TTT: Well I'd remind them boys to not take the so-called Indians for granted. I mean, you know... They ain't got much goin' on over there but that don't mean they won't try to throw everything but the kitchen sink at Hickory this Friday. Ain't no days off in this league, baby! Look man, fun is fun. Ain't no problem with chillin', when the chillin's right. But when things ain't happenin' the way they supposed to happen, you know it's time to condense the nonsense. I'm tellin' myself if I'm goin' out there Friday night for Hickory that just because it's Saint don't mean I'm out to lunch - I come to play, baby!
G&G: Terry, even back then you had a reputation for trash-talking that pumped up your teammates and intimidated players from the other teams. What kind of stuff would you say to Indians if you were on the field going after them this week?
TTT: [Chuckles] Well you know that me and my boy Kevin Hendrix were pretty notorious. But yeah, I'd probably get after that Indian quarterback just like in the old days. And after I drove his helmet a couple feet into the ground I'd jump up and yell somethin' like Wooo! You know you can't bring that weak ass stuff up in this humpy-bumpy! You can run, but you can't hide! Woo-baby-yeah! Your ass trapped in Red's House now, baby, Hickory's House of Pain! And there ain't no escape from that! Wooo!
G&G: I hear ya! You know, it's a shame but nowadays there are so many rules about celebrating and taunting and trash-talking that it's about to ruin the game. The refs these days would bury you in yellow flags now. I'm waiting on them to start conducting sensitivity training courses for players. What do you think about that? I know it has to bug you.
TTT: Hell yeah, it freaks me out, man. It ain't right! And I see it in my workplace, too. It's everywhere. Sensitivity trainin'? Hahahaha... Hey man, I'm a sensitive motherf***er. My tacklin' knows no race, gender, or creed! So bring it on! I'm an equal opportunity hittin' machine, all day, everyday, believe that. I am an enforcer man. Don't nothin' go down in my house. It's 100% heart, baby. Sure I check a few fools. I give 'em the pain. But sometimes it's about intimidation you know. It's mind games.
G&G: Absolutely...absolutely. So I hear congratulations are in order for you. You recently won a very prestigious award?
TTT: Ha ha, yeah. I just won the OSPN Office Athlete of the Century award. I gotta admit, Double G, I'm damn proud of that award, too. And I wanna thank the good folks at Felcher & Sons for giving me the opportunity to shine. Did you see the special OSPN did on me?
G&G: I sure did, Terry. In fact we'll play a clip from that segment in just a few minutes. But first, let's talk briefly about the injury you sustained a couple of weeks ago. What happened?
TTT: Well, it was a Monday-morning thing that just kinda happened. I mean, I was movin' down the aisle by the cubicles and just as Triple T reached the corner the dude with the mail cart rammed me in my left leg. I went down quick because of my knee. You always gotta worry about those knees, you know?
G&G: And yet you're already planning to go back in there? That's amazing, considering the severity of the injury.
TTT: You can't hurt this! I'm a machine, G! I'm built for this, son! Woo! Woo! Playin' hurt? Baby, that don't phase me! I don't got time for pain. The only pain I got time for is the pain I put on fools who don't know what time it is! Any bitch-ass think I'da lost a step, 'cause of what happened? 'Cause what happened to my knee and such?? Well he in for a surprise. A rude, painful surprise!
G&G: Well, let me just conclude by saying that in all my years of working in an office I've never seen any athlete rule the cubicles like you, Terry. You are the very definition of "office linebacker" and I couldn't be more proud to claim you as one of Hickory's own.
TTT: [Chuckles] Well thanks again, Double G, baby! Hey, I just do my job man. I do what my God-given abilities allow me to do and I thank Jesus Christ for it every single day. And do I enjoy what I do? [Chuckles] Hell, yeah.
G&G: Does it bother you that your jersey looks more like a St. Stephens jersey than a Hickory one?
TTT: Well, it ain't a perfect world, you know? I'd love for some Indian fan to run his mouth about it, though!
G&G: Any final comments for the Indians?
TTT: Oh yeah! You wanna play games St. Stephens? Well Terry's back, and I got a new game for you, St. Stephens! It's called "How Much Pain Can Saint Stand, Before Saint Learns Not To Play Games Anymore". That's my game, that's Hickory's game, and when it's game time, it's pain time, baby. Woo! Get ready for the pain, Saint! The Pain Train is comin! Wooo!
***Satire is a good thing and you will see a lot of it on this site. However, The Garnet & Gold Report does not condone or encourage any kind of taunting, excessive celebration or trash-talking that may result in a costly penalty. Trash-talking and taunting belongs in the office environment - not the playing field. Please behave responsibly when you are out on the field. Humiliating the Indians by scoring 10 touchdowns, however, is strongly encouraged! lol
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.
I encourage all members of the Tornado Nation to buy a customized brick to be placed in the HHS Walk of Fame. We are in Phase II of our campaign to raise the remaining funds needed for completion of the Hickory High Athletic and Fitness Center. By buying a brick, your tax-deductible donation will allow for the completion of this state-of-the-art facility, while preserving a place in history among past, present and future students and supporters of our school.
The bricks will be placed around the front entrance of the building and eventually we hope to add them to the walkways leading from the new building to the different athletic fields and possibly to the main school building.
Each brick is 4" x 8" and cost $100. Bricks will be engraved in all capital letters, with a maximum of 21 total characters and spaces per line. You may have as many as 4 lines, but the manufacturer suggests a maximum of 3 lines looks best. All text will be centered. You can get an order form online or in the school's main office.
Please make check payable to: HHS Athletic Complex Campaign and return to school office or mail to:
Indian fans finally "get it"
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