Bobblehead goes to the playoffs

This is a week late so I'll get right to the point. Hickory came ready to play last Saturday down in Kings Mountain. They faced a tough challenge to begin with but then it became more acute once it was confirmed that the Red Tornadoes would not have rushing leader Rakim Barrett. Without the 1,000-yard rusher it would be even more important to contain the explosive Mountaineer offense.

Kings Mountain came into the game averaging 343 yards in total offense. That broke down into 243 yards rushing and 100 yards passing. When the game finally ended, however, the Mountaineers only had 261 total yards (209 rushing yards, 52 passing). Kings Mountain didn't light up the scoreboard until late in the third quarter. It was a good job by the Hickory defense, no question about it.

The Terrible Terry Tate Defensive MVP Award for the game goes to Tyler Barnette.

The junior outside linebacker, playing his final game on defense before moving permanently to the offensive side as next season's starting quarterback, led the team in total tackles with 14. One of those was a tackle for loss. Barnette was also credited for a "quarterback pressure."

Honorable mention honors go to senior safety Michael Shook and junior outside linebacker Buddy Withers. Shook and Withers were second and third on the tackles list with 12 and nine total tackles respectively. Shook broke up three passes and caused a fumble. Withers recorded two tackles for loss and had a "quarterback pressure." Also recording tackles for loss were David Dula, Drew Siciliano, Tyshon Chisholm and Clay Johnson.

Not much defense, but...

It seems like there wasn't a lot of defense played Friday night at Frank Barger Stadium. The two teams cranked out a combined total of 944 yards and 91 points. Nevertheless, some lucky Tornado defender has to get the Terrible Terry Tate Defensive MVP Award. And the winner is...

Navaar Hamrick!

For the record, Hickory's top tacklers against Bunker Hill were juniors Tyler Barnette and Drew Siciliano, each with six total tackles. Barnette also broke up a pass while Siciliano had a tackle for loss, a sack and three "quarterback pressures."

But I'm awarding the bobblehead to Navaar, a senior, because he had four solo tackles, two sacks, three "quarterback pressures" and he also caused a fumble. Plus he is always one of the most fired-up players on the team and I really appreciate that. He did a good job Friday night.

Other top tacklers for Hickory included junior Cole Smithey and senior Clay Johnson who each recorded five total tackles. Smithey had one tackle for loss, Johnson had two. Michael Shook's tackle stats were down significatnly (four tackles, three of them solo hits). But he had a couple of "quarterback pressures". He broke up one pass and intercepted another one. Buddy Withers also intercepted a Bunker Hill pass.

It was good to see the reserves get some quality playing time. Obviously the Bears were still in there fighting for respect. Touchdowns were scored on Hickory's 2nd- and 3rd-stringers but the playing experience will help the younger players who will get another shot at it next season - if not sooner.

Finally, I'm hoping to see several players who have been out with injuries return to action this week to deal with Kings Mountain. Hickory will need all hands on deck and manning their battle stations in order to upset the Mountaineers.

Withers wins his first bobblehead

Junior linebacker Buddy Withers had a great game against West Caldwell and earned the Terrible Terry Tate Defensive MVP Award for the first time this season.

Withers racked up a team-leading 14 total tackles, including 10 solo stops and a couple of tackles for loss. He also got the Tornadoes on the board first when he scooped up a fumble and scampered 12 yards for a touchdown. That's his second fumble-return touchdown this season. He scored on a 43-yarder against Maiden.

Honorable mention goes to junior Tyler Barnette. The outside linebacker recorded six tackles (five solo), including a tackle for loss and two sacks. He also caused the fumble that Buddy Withers picked up and returned for the game's first touchdown.

Of course Mikey Shook had another great game. He finished second on the tackles chart with a total of 12. The only other defender with double-digit tackles was senior Chavis Shuford, who had a 10, including three for loss.

Other notable achievements on the defensive side of the ball were turned in by cornerback Trevin Parks who recorded a tackle for loss and a game-ending interception. Kyshell Geter, Rakim Barrett, Clay Johnson, Alex Martin and D.J. Holloway all recorded at least one tackle for loss. Barrett, Drew Siciliano and Cole Smith, all inside linebackers, were credited with "quarterback pressures."

Bobblehead is back!

I hope that there won't be anymore rain delays this season. The rain that never really came down on October 24th but forced Hickory's game with Hibriten to be postponed till last Monday night created all kinds of delays and hassles. So I'm just now able to hand out the Terrible Terry Tate Defensive MVP Award for the Hibriten game. Better late than never!

Against Hibriten there were four Tornadoes finishing in double digits for tackles. At the top of the list was senior safety Michael Shook with 16. Right behind him was junior outside linebacker Tyler Barnette with 15, including two tackles for loss. Coming in third was senior Kyshell Geter with 12 total tackles. Right behind him was sophomore Tyshon Chisholm with 11 total tackles, including one for loss.

And the bobblehead goes to... Tyler Barnette in a squeaker. On the strength of his two tackles for loss Tyler edged out Mikey Shook for the coveted award. Of course this will be Tyler's one and only varsity season on the defensive side of the ball as he is the heir apparent at quarterback. But as the 2008 season has progressed, so has Tyler as a football player. Hats off to him!

As far as the overall defensive effort against the Panthers is concerned, I was pleased to see the adjustments that were made. Against Hibriten the Red Tornado defense lined up in a 3-5-3 alignment designed to clog up the middle with one less down lineman but with an additional linebacker. It did not shut down the Panther offense but it did slow it down enough to allow Hickory's offense to keep up. The fact that it was 28-28 when time expired proves that the strategy worked.

Once the game went into overtime, it truly was anybody's ballgame.

Another aspect that pleased me was to see continued contributions by younger players. The entire linebacking corps all season long has been comprised of underclassmen. Against Hibriten sophomore Alex Williams got his first varsity start. He wound up with eight total tackles. That makes two sophomores who have now started at least one varsity game at linebacker.

The other one, Tyshon Chisholm, has even won the prestigious TTT Defensive MVP Award. That's a strong investment in the future. Also keep in mind that it was a freshman, Dametrius Lewis, who had the monster hit on the Panther kickoff returner that caused the fumble that was quickly converted into the game-tying touchdown.

It was a pretty good night for the down linemen, particularly seniors Clay Johnson and Chavis Shuford. They both recorded eight total tackles.

Another name that pops out is Rakim Barrett. This was his first game to see significant playing time on the defensive side of the ball. He made the most of it by racking up six tackles, five of which were solo hits. Barrett plays with so much heart. I am very proud of him.

I am very proud of all the Red Tornadoes for how they fought in a game that nobody expected them to win. As I mentioned in a previous post it was truly inspiring to be on the sideline, watching the players enjoying the moment. Good times.

And the bobblehead goes to...

You'll never guess who had the most tackles in last Friday's victory over Patton. Surprise! It was Michael Shook, again. For the record, Shook had 18 total tackles, half of which were solos. Second on the list was sophomore Tyshon Chisholm with nine total tackles, including three tackles-for-loss and a sack. There was a tie for third place between juniors Alex Martin and Tyler Barnette.

Even though Shook had the most tackles I'm going to award the Terrible Terry Tate Defensive MVP Award this week to Alex Martin. It was a close call between Alex and Tyshon. But I have been disappointed this season by the overall performance of the defensive line. So I was thrilled to see major improvement on Friday night. This is a very good indicator of the D-Line's potential. In addition to his eight tackles Alex also recovered a fumble and even broke up a pass attempt. Excellent work.

I would also like to recognize the efforts of some players who made the most of their opportunities against Patton. It was good to see sophomore Alex Williams get some quality playing time in a varsity game. He wound up with four tackles, three of which were solos. Williams, of course, has been a stalwart of the JV defense all season. I really appreciate his approach to the game and the intensity he brings to the field. It was also good to see Branden Andersen, Greylan Steele, Dalton Hudson and Jordan Thompson getting a chance to hit 'em some licks out there. Reggie Robinson had a solo tackle, too.

Although I was pleased by the effort put forth I am still troubled by the difficulty we had stopping Patton's Winfield Johnson. Yes, the freshman fullback is a load at 212 pounds but still - he is a freshman. If tackling a freshman is a problem then it could be a very long night when Quin Smith hits town this Friday night. Clearly this would be a good time to throw everything but the kitchen sink at Hibriten's relentless rushing attack. Pressure will have to be applied in order to disrupt the triple option. That's the mission. Impossible? Show up at the stadium on Friday night and find out for yourself!

Shook refuses to give up the bobblehead...

It was a poor night of tackling for the Red Tornadoes at Gurley Stadium. For some it was a clear drop in defensive effectiveness while others maintained their usual minimum of stops. Whatever the case may be, Mikey Shook led the charts again this week with nine total tackles (eight solo). He also caused a couple of fumbles. Behind him was sophomore Tyshon Chisholm with seven tackles.

They finally put Devan Mackey into the game for a couple of plays and he still managed to record a solo tackle. Hmmm, two plays, one tackle. That's a pretty good ratio when you consider that several starters had the same number of tackles as Mackey. Maybe he should be getting a little more playing time. And for the record, I want to see Michael Boyce get in the game, too. Seriously, it was ridiculous that he wasn't sent in at the end of the game like others were. I'm sure it was just an oversight on somebody's part.

The Triple T Award is back in familiar hands...

The Terrible Terry Tate Defensive MVP Award goes to senior safety Michael Shook for the second time this season. He has been the team's leading tackler in four of Hickory's six games. His tackle stats last week were more impressive than ever - which is both good and bad. I'm certainly excited about his hustle and his talent for getting to the man with the football and taking him down. However, I am not happy that our safety is having to make all the tackles!

I made mention of it in my pre-game post.

"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."

Well, Mikey led the team in tackles with 25. That's 12 more than the second guy on the list, Buddy Withers. So not only was Mikey the top tackler but he was the top tackler by a mile! We're running a 4-4 defense, people. With eight men in the box why is the safety leading the team in tackles almost every week? Why is it that Shook's total of 25 is more than the combined tackles of Cole Smithey, Drew Siciliano, Clay Johnson, Dijon McGill, Chavis Shuford, Alex Dezayas and D.J. Holloway? Shook had 14 solo tackles. Basically this means that 14 times in the game if Mikey doesn't make the tackle, the Tigers score. What's up with that? Just sayin'...

Sophomore power!

Wooo baby, yeah! The Terrible Terry Tate Defensive MVP Award goes to sophomore Tyshon Chisholm for his breakout performance against Maiden. I have already been impressed with his running and receiving capabilities. It doesn't surprise me at all to see him running wild on the defensive side of the ball as well. Offensively or defensively this kid needs to be on the field somewhere as much as possible. He is a playmaker, period. For the record, Tyshon's defensive numbers were 14 total tackles (11 solos), two tackles-for-loss and a sack.

Tyshon was certainly not the only one making things happen on defense last Friday night. Mikey Shook had his usual excellent game, finishing with 13 total tackles. Mikey also caused the fumble that Buddy Withers returned for Hickory's first touchdown. Our senior cornerbacks Trevin Parks and David Dula both made contributions to Justin Sizemore's interception total. Trevin had two picks and Dula had one. Fellow seniors Clay Johnson and Chavis Shuford also turned in good performances. Those two combined for 15 tackles, including a couple of tackles-for-loss by Shuford. He also was credited with a "quarterback pressure."

But I want to make a special point of bragging on the underclassmen. Considering his lack of varsity defensive experience, Tyshon's performance against Maiden was thoroughly impressive. But he was just one of many underclassmen who were getting it done in such a big way that it creates real excitement for what they can accomplish next season.

Keep in mind that seven of the top 10 tacklers last week were underclassmen. There are no senior linebackers this season. The outside linebackers, Buddy Withers and Tyler Barnette, combined for 21 total tackles. Barnette also snagged an interception while Withers lived every defender's dream by converting a turnover into six points. Buddy also broke up a pass and was credited with a "quarterback pressure." On the inside it was Drew Siciliano and Chisholm taking care of business. Siciliano finished the night with eight tackles. Cole Smithey saw limited action after last week's injury but he got a tackle and a "quarterback pressure."

There was also improved line play from the underclassmen. Junior tackles Alex Martin and Alex Dezayas combined for 10 tackles, easily their best performance of the season. And then there was defensive end D.J. Holloway. He finished with seven tackles, three of which were tackles-for-loss and another was a big sack of Justin Sizemore. With the nightmare part of the schedule now upon us, the rapid development of the younger defensive players is happening at just the right time.

Listen for the Pain Train. It's coming...

And the bobblehead goes to...

After playing second fiddle to Tyler Barnette in the Bandys game, senior Mikey Shook took back his spot at the top of the tackles chart with a great game against St. Stephens. Therefore, the Terrible Terry Tate Defensive MVP Award for outstanding service against the heatherns from Trailer Park Road goes to #11, Michael Shook.

For the record, Shook racked up 18 total tackles (10 solos) to which he added an interception that he almost took into the end zone. While I'm happy for Mikey, I would rather have the linebackers making all the tackles. The linebacking corps was pretty consistent. Smithey and Withers each had nine tackles while Barnette and Siciliano finished the night with eight tackles apiece. Siciliano led the team in tackles for loss with two. Geter and Smithey also recorded tackles for loss. D.J. Holloway was credited with a quarterback pressure.

A new award for the defense

As you know by now, the defensive stats from each game can be found on the 2008 Tornado Stats page of TornadoPride.com. For the record, the team's leading tackler in each of the first two games was senior safety Michael Shook (16 total tackles in each game). This past week, however, junior linebacker Tyler Barnette topped the charts with 16 total tackles. He also broke up a pass and had a couple of "quarterback pressures." So I'm awarding The Garnet & Gold Report's Terrible Terry Tate Defensive MVP Award to Tyler this week.

I also want to give some special recognition to junior Jason Hill. Jason saw significant playing time Friday night as an extra defensive back to defend against the Bandys passing attack. Jason finished the game with eight total tackles (putting him 3rd on the list behind Barnette and Shook) and also intercepted a Trojan pass and caused a fumble. He is also one of the fastest players on the team, so this is clearly just the beginning of his impact on the defense. I am looking forward to seeing him continue to develop as a player. Congratulations to Tyler Barnette, Jason Hill and the entire Tornado defense!