"I'm gonna put this right foot..."

Of the four games that Hickory and Kings Mountain played against each other earlier in this decade I think my favorite was the first one. Like tonight, the Red Tornadoes made the trip down to Kings Mountain to take on the Mountaineers. Like tonight, the game turned out to be KM's last game of the season.

The thing that sticks out in my mind the most is not that fact that Hickory won but how the game was won. And what exactly does Billy Jack have to do with it? Well, it's all about a very talented and dangerous foot.

In 2001 the foot belonged to Hickory's freshman kicking specialist, Ryan Succop. As I am typing this it occurs to me that I was wrong the other week when I said that you had to look to the early- and mid-1990s to find a freshman starting for the varsity in the regular season. I forgot about Ryan Succop. He was a four-year starter on the varsity and was outstanding from beginning to end.

The 2001 encounter between Hickory and Kings Mountain was definitely a defensive struggle. Succop kicked off to the Mountaineers to start the game. The Red Tornado defense forced Kings Mountain to punt after three plays. After the punt Hickory started its drive from the Kings Mountain 42 yard line. Anytime you begin a drive inside enemy territory after a punt you know you're winning the field possession battle.

Hickory used 10 plays to score. The touchdown came on a 10-yard pass from Cole Kenworthy to Craig Barnette. Succop's PAT made the score 7-0.

Kings Mountain looked like it would tie the score late in the second half when Aquino Simmons appeared to have scored on an eight-yard run. But he fumbled as he crossed the goal line and the ball was recovered in the end zone by Hickory resulting in a touchback.

By the end of the third quarter the scoreboard still showed a 7-0 lead for Hickory. Succop missed two field goals (45 and 50 yards) in the second half but more than made up for it with his punting. But Kings Mountain could not be held out of the end zone forever.

Simmons finally scored for the Mountaineers, on a five-yard run. Pablo Peralta nailed the extra point to tie the game at 7-7. In a game as tight as that anything is possible. But nobody expected what happened next.

Hickory was unable to move the ball. With about 2:00 left in the game Succop was back to punt and he boomed a 52-yarder that was downed inside the Mountaineer one yard line. The Mountaineers ran a play that had Renaldo Tate trying to run to the right. He was hit by Hickory's Richard "Big Cat" Parker and Jamey Yarbrough and buried in the end zone for a safety.

Just like that, Hickory was up 9-7. Hickory then received the kick off and ran out the clock to preserve the stunning victory. The win boosted Hickory to 5-1 in the conference and 7-3 overall. The Red Tornadoes would ultimately finish as the runner-up behind undefeated Crest. Kings Mountain dropped to 6-4 and 3-3. It was the end of their season because they did not make the playoffs.

So, remember what I said about the power of the foot? Here's how it relates to everybody's hero, Billy Jack. Check this out!

The Thriller...Hickory vs. Burns in 2003

Michael Baker after the Burns game in '03

One of the greatest and most exciting Hickory victories in recent years happened in October of 2003. That was my first season to cover Hickory football online. I didn't have the use of a good camera then so I concentrated even more on writing up the Red Tornado games. The article I wrote and posted on the website the day after the game is long an detailed. I wanted it to be that way because it was such an exciting victory. Click on the link below to read all about the game as written by an eyewitness (me!) the day after. Think about this season's game against Hibriten (but with 3 OT periods and a Hickory win) and you will know what it was like. Good times!

Hickory defeats Burns in triple overtime!

Rest In Peace?

Hickory is a big underdog in tomorrow night's game down at Kings Mountain. As I demonstrated in my last post about the 1964 playoff game in which another underdog Tornado team knocked off a favored Mountaineer squad, anything can happen on any given Friday night.

Another example of Hickory rising to the occasion and beating the odds occurred in 1990 when Hickory celebrated its Homecoming by knocking off an undefeated Freedom team that was ranked #6 in the state and riding a 13-game winning streak. If you're a current Tornado player be sure and ask Coach Wittenberg about this game. He was a starting offensive guard in the game. Coaches Worley, Hopper and Davis were assistants on head coach Larry Wittenberg's staff.

Hickory and Freedom were members of the Northwestern 4A Conference. Prior to the game the league standings looked like this:

1. Freedom (7-0, 3-0)
2. East Burke (6-2, 3-1)
3. Hickory (5-2, 2-1)
4. Alexander Central (4-3, 2-2)
5. McDowell (4-4, 2-2)
6. Watauga (2-5, 0-3)
7. South Caldwell (0-7, 0-3)

The competition in those days for playoff spots was fierce. Plenty of good teams were left out of the postseason dance and to qualify for the playoffs was a thing of great pride. The NW4A was always a close, exciting slugfest from beginning to end. Hickory's Homecoming would prove to be no exception.

The stage had been set the week before. Hickory had bounced back from a lopsided loss to East Burke with a resounding 50-25 win over McDowell in Marion. The beating was bad enough to prompt Titan coaches to accuse Hickory of running up the score. The fact of the matter is that the margin of victory wasn't particularly outlandish.

That same night Freedom had whipped Alexander Central 28-0 and East Burke had wiped out South Caldwell, 41-0. Both wins were by wider margins than Hickory's victory over McDowell. But what it really signified was that these three teams, Freedom, East Burke, and Hickory were the best in the league and they were establishing their primacy.

Another interesting aspect of Freedom's win over Alexander Central was that all four touchdowns had been scored by junior quarterback Leon Johnson, the future Tar Heel and NFL star. Many people forget that although he was a running back on the collegiate and professional level Johnson was the fleet-footed QB who led the Patriots for two seasons. He was the best that the NW4A had to offer in terms of bluechip prospects.

Hickory was not without weapons, however. Leading the way was senior quarterback Michael Glasheen. The 6'3, 180-pound senior quarterback was soon to receive his invitation to represent North Carolina in the Shrine Bowl. Glasheen was an athlete who was a good passer but also an effective runner. He could get a first down on his own when necessary.

Glasheen had a couple of favorite receivers in the speedy Chad Bumgarner and big Robby Johnson (6'6, 225). Senior fullback Todd Austin (6'0, 220) was a battering ram, as was junior Richard Gaither (5'9, 220). Garon Erby provided the speed at tailback.

Hickory's defensive coordinator, David Elder, had a plan to deal with Freedom's wishbone offense. He placed as many as nine defenders in the box to put maximum pressure on the point of attack. The best way to stop an option attack is to blow it up at or behind the line of scrimmage. It's that simple.

Freedom took the opening kickoff and, despite Hickory's best efforts, managed to drive 76 yards for a touchdown. At one point the Tornadoes stopped the Patriots short on a third-down play only to let them have an automatic first down due to an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. On 1st-and-10 from the Hickory 22, Leon Johnson went around left end for seven yards and then lateraled to Anthony Fleming who carried the ball into the end zone from there. The PAT was successful and the Patriots were up, 7-0.

Hickory came right back, though, and put together an 83-yard scoring drive. On 2nd-and-8 at the Freedom 36, Glasheen rolled left and hit Bumgarner at the goal line for the touchdown. Roger Young's PAT tied the game at 7-7 with 1:53 left in the opening period.

The Hickory defense stymied the Patriots on Freedom's next drive and Matthew Pitts partially blocked a punt that set Hickory up at the Freedom 38. Hickory's drive was highlighted by Glasheen's 14-yard option run. The Tornadoes drove to the Freedom two before getting pushed back by a nine-yard loss and a penalty. That put Hickory in a 3rd-and-goal situation from the 17. Glasheen rolled to the right and threw towards Bumgarner. Freedom's Girard Scott tipped the pass but it still fell into the arms of Bumgarner for the touchdown. Another successful PAT made the score 14-7 in Hickory's favor. That was still the score when the first half ended.

Hickory took the opening kickoff in the second half and drove deep into Patriot territory until Garon Erby fumbled and Freedom's Kevin Summers recovered at the 11. It took Freedom 11 plays to score. Fleming did the honors with a leaping touchdown run from the Hickory three yard line. The kick was good and the game was tied 14-14 with 2:04 left in the third quarter.

Hickory's next drive went for 80 yards and took 13 plays. The first big play of the drive came when Richard Gaither busted off a 17-yard run on a draw play. That put Hickory on Freedom's 28. Glasheen then passed to Scott Stilwell down to the six. Todd Austin then fought off a tackle on 3rd-and-goal to give Hickory the lead once again. Young's kick made it 21-14.

Of course, Freedom had a lot to lose and didn't go down without a fight. The Patriots drove to Hickory's 40. Fleming then got around the left corner. He fumbled on a hit by Pitts but the ball rolled out of bounds at the 14. A third-down run by Leon Johnson moved the ball to the five. On fourth down Fleming crashed into the left side of the line.

With 2:17 left in the game the ball was spotted just inside the five. The chains came out. Just short! Hickory ball. The Red Tornadoes then ran out the clock to seal the win.

As Gaither told a reporter after the game: "We needed this game to go to the playoffs. We were prepared all night long. They [Freedom] sent us a wreath that said R.I.P. - Rest In Peace. We're sending it back Monday."

Hickory wound up sharing the NW4A title with East Burke, who defeated Freedom on Fat Friday two weeks after Hickory spoiled Freedom's perfect season.

Hickory vs. Kings Mountain...1964

The fact of the matter is that Friday night's Hickory-Kings Mountain matchup is not the first time the two schools have played each other in the postseason.

A very significant game was played on Friday, November 20, 1964, between the Red Tornadoes and the Mountaineers in the semifinals of the WNCHSAA's Class 3A playoffs. Hickory, a 14-point underdog in the contest, defeated Kings Mountain, 6-0. The victory punched Hickory's ticket to the state championship game for the fifth time in seven seasons.

Kings Mountain entered the game with a 10-0 record, a 19-game winning streak and consecutive Southwestern Conference titles. Hickory had won its final seven games after starting the season 0-3. Hickory had clinched the Northwestern Conference title by crushing Newton-Conover, 34-6, in the regular season finale.

Kings Mountain head coach Bill Bates had developed an impressive passing attack that featured the talented arm of senior quarterback Pat Murphy and the reliable hands of ends Richard Gold and Jimmy Cloninger. In Kings Mountain's final regular season game, a 24-6 win over Lincolnton, Murphy had completed 16 of 24 passes for 186 yards and four touchdowns. The top ballcarrier for the Mountaineers was halfback Steve Baker who was also a quality receiver. The top Mountaineer linemen were Lyn Cheshire and Hubert McGinnis.

Hickory head coach Frank Barger preferred to get things done with a punishing ground game. His backfield consisted of fullback Steve Sisk, halfbacks Kelly Rudisill and Toby Morgan and quarterback Dickie Deal. After 10 games Morgan was averaging 6.7 yards per carry. Rudisill and Sisk averaged 5.6 and 5.4 yards respectively. When Hickory did throw the ball Barger would take Deal out of the game and send in Clement Huffman.

Barger described Kings Mountain's offensive line as being "not particularly big...but effective." Hickory's line, on the other hand, was big and talented. It consisted of tackles Steve Kilby and Tommy Teague, guards Larry Miller and Rodney Houston and center Jake Shuford. The ends were Ralph Hefner and Brad Stephens. Miller, the team captain, had already been selected for the Shrine Bowl. Kilby, a junior, would go to the Shrine Bowl in 1965.

Despite all the offensive firepower the two teams possessed, the game turned out to be a fierce defensive battle. Toby Morgan had a good night for Hickory, racking up 139 yards on 21 carries. Sisk chipped in with 79 yards while Rudisill finished with 51 yards. But it was Rudisill's touchdown run from seven yards out in the second quarter that provided the winning margin. Hickory outgained Kings Mountain 276-129.

The Mountaineers came close to either tying or taking the lead in the fourth quarter. Murphy completed five passes to Gold, Cloninger, Baker and Ronnie Rhea to get Kings Mountain inside Hickory's five yard line. Murphy was then intercepted in the end zone by Steve Wilson, who returned the ball out to the 22. Hickory then used its ability to move the chains to run the clock. Kings Mountain got the ball back one more time but was completely shut down.

When the game ended a jubilant Frank Barger was carried on the shoulders of Ralph Hefner and Johnny Hudson. The victory was an upset but apparently did not surprise Coach Barger. He had been quoted in the newspaper, predicting the victory. He said, "I think we will roll right over them. I don't think they can stop us."

Calling your shot and then making it happen... That's why the man was a legend.

Upset? It could happen...

Damon King runs against Shelby, 1986


Nobody on the planet would deny that it will be a huge upset when Hickory beats Newton-Conover tomorrow night. I'm sure that all of the "professional experts" will be picking the Red Devils to win. But sometimes the unthinkable happens and the underdog wins. Certainly there have been times when Newton has pulled off upsets against Hickory.

The loss in 1999 is a good example. Hickory went 10-1 in the regular season that year. The only loss was to a Newton team that was 0-2 going into the game. I remember it well because the game was at Frank Barger Stadium and it was the night they dedicated the press box to the living legend, Bill Bass. Usually when Hickory gets upset by Newton the loss can be blamed on Red Tornado turnovers. That was certainly the case that night.

Another notable upset occurred in 2005. That was another case of Hickory giving the game away. When the Red Tornadoes hold a team to just seven points their supposed to win. The fact that Hickory could only muster a field goal and lost 7-3 was evidence that the Red Tornadoes came out flat as a pancake. Hickory was the better team that year, period. But they weren't the better team that night, unfortunately.

But I want to talk about a game where it was the Tornadoes who shocked the world and defied all the "professional experts."

It took place on October 17, 1986. The Red Tornadoes hit the road to Marion to take on the undefeated McDowell Titans in a Northwestern Conference game. The Titans were 7-0 and ranked #6 in state for Class 4A. Hickory was 4-2 overall and had been 2-2 after the first four games. Both teams were 2-0 in NW4A action. Thus the game was for conference supremacy.

It was a classic matchup of an offensive juggernaut (McDowell) versus a swarming defense (Hickory) loaded with headhunters who hit with reckless abandon. The Northwestern Conference has always placed a premium on defense and Hickory had the best one in the league, bar none. The Titans knew what to expect but still weren't prepared for what Coach Larry Wittenberg's Tornadoes brought to town.

The first step in engineering a big upset is to get on the scoreboard first. Hickory did just that when Darin Burch returned a Titan punt 71 yards for a touchdown. Troy Harris nailed the PAT and Hickory went up 7-0, which is how the first quarter ended.

McDowell responded with a 17-play, 69-yard drive that ate up eight minutes of the clock. It began in the first quarter but ended with 8:52 left in the second when quarterback Jeremy Styles connected with star wide receiver Johnny Maples for a 7-yard touchdown. After the kick the score was tied, 7-7, and remained that way for the rest of the half.

Hickory got the ball first to start the second half and promptly fumbled on its own 12 yard line. Three plays later Richard Chambers went over from four yards out to put the Titans back on top. The 14-7 lead was the only one the home team would enjoy for the rest of the night.

Another key to pulling off an upset is to get help from the other team. On Hickory's next drive McDowell repeatedly hurt itself with penalties. The Titans were penalized twice for a total of 35 yards to give life to the Tornado drive. Darrell Banks capped a 65-yard drive at 5:07 in the third on a five-yard dash. The game was tied at 21-21.

A fumble recovery by defensive end Tracy Saddler set Hickory up at the McDowell 43. Seven plays later Damon King scored from 10 yards out on a well-executed counter. With the kick Hickory took the lead with 33 seconds left in the third quarter.

The teams traded possessions as the clock became an enemy to the Titans. With four minutes left in the game McDowell tried to convert on a 4th-and-9 play and were stopped cold at the 50. On Hickory's first play King bounced to the outside and showed his speed by outrunning three defenders for the game-clinching touchdown.

The final minutes of the game were sloppy and ugly. The yellow laundry was all over the field. McDowell had 70 yards of penalties in the final period, 152 yards for the game. Hickory had 40 penalty yards in the fourth and 92 for the game.

On a positive note, Damon King finished with 130 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries. The Tornado defense held Styles, Maples and company to a mere 40 yards passing. Styles completed only six of his 41 pass attempts. The Titans got just 96 yards out of their ground attack.

Hickory and McDowell ended the regular season tied for the Northwestern Conference championship. But Hickory got the league's #1 seed because on October 17, 1986 the Tornadoes shocked the football world.

That's why we play these games...

A quick review of Hickory vs. Newton

The rivalry between Hickory and Newton is the rivalry in this county. The local media will try to say that it's Maiden vs. Bandys or Newton vs. Maiden. Not even close! The Red Tornadoes and Red Devils (both of whom adopted their nicknames in 1927) have been playing each other since 1923. That's a good 40 years since Tom Brown ever heard of Maiden. Bandys? There was no such thing as Bandys until the 1950s. There is only one grand old rivalry in Catawba County and this week marks the 66th meeting between the two schools on the gridiron.

No, the two teams have not met every season since 1923. I will go into much more detail on why that is in another post. The two did play each other every year from 1923 through 1967. The rivalry was renewed in 1975. The rivalry lapsed in 1976 before renewed again in 1977. Hickory and Newton played each other through the 1982 season then it went dormant again. When Hickory dropped down to Class 3A in 1993 and the schedule had to be completely revamped Newton popped up again and the Tornadoes and Devils have been playing each other ever since. The creation of the CVAC placed Hickory and Newton-Conover in the same conference for the first time since 1967.

Here are some interesting facts about the rivalry...

• Hickory High's first-ever football victory was won against Newton on October 5, 1923. The score was 26-0. Hickory won the first eight games between the two schools by a combined score of 280-0. That string of wins included the epic 121-0 annihilation of Newton in 1928. That 1928 squad, led by legends such as Norman "Pinkie" James, William "Bus" Newton and Johnny Mackorell, set a school scoring record (493 points in 11 games) that stood for 68 years until it was broken in 1996.



• The Red Devils finally got their first win against Hickory in 1933, the same year that Franklin D. Roosevelt was sworn in as this country's 32nd President. The score in that one was 20-8. Newton followed up the next season with another win over Hickory. That final score was 7-0. During the next 12 years the Red Devils would pick up five more victories (1937, 1938, 1942, 1945 and 1946). At that point Hickory led the overall series, 14-7-1.



• In 1947 Hickory High got a new head coach. His name was Buddy Luper and the first thing he did was make sure that the Red Devils got the message that good times were over for them. In a brutal contest that resulted in several injuries (mostly to Newton players) Luper's Tornadoes rolled to a 20-2 victory. The beating Newton took that evening marked the beginning of a long period of absolute domination by Hickory over the Red Devils. Hickory would build a 21-0-1 record against Newton in the next 22 meetings.



• Hickory's record against Newton-Conover was 35-7-2 going into the 1977 contest. It was a lousy season for Hickory in terms of wins and losses. The Red Devils defeated the Red Tornadoes by the score of 14-7. After that, Hickory pounded Newton five straight times from 1978 through 1982. That increased Hickory's lead in the series to 40-8-2. Perhaps not surprisingly Newton head coach Don Patrick decided to quit playing Hickory. This latest hiatus lasted through the 1992 season.



• Since the two old rivals began playing each other again the Red Devils have certainly made things interesting. The truth is that Newton-Conover has tended to dominate the series over the past 15 years, winning 10 times. Hickory has won three of the last five games but memories of the 2005 Homecoming loss to the Red Devils are still painful. That year it was Hickory who built a 6-0 record prior to the game. Newton was 4-2 but had a bye week (as usual) before playing Hickory. When heavy rain forced a postponement till the following Monday the Red Tornadoes lost the emotional edge and came out flat as a pancake. The result was a shocking 7-3 loss. A trip to Gurley Stadium the following year resulted in a 20-7 Devil victory.



• Last year Hickory avenged those losses on Homecoming by bushwhacking the Red Devils at Frank Barger Stadium. Before the visitors knew what had hit them the score was 42-0 at halftime. Hickory cruised in the second half to a 59-20 final score. The Red Devils and their fans whined and cried about how awful Hickory had been to "run up the score." The words "no class" were used a lot. This despite that fact that just the year before Newton had hung a 71-32 loss on Bandys. For the Newton fans who can't count, that's a margin of 39 points for both games. No apologies from this side of the fault line. Just win baby!

Yes, Hickory is the underdog this Friday. But that's what makes this very interesting. Stay tuned...

D.J. Holloway applies pressure in 2007 win

It's October 3rd. On this date in...

1958 backfield l-r: Rudisill, Jackson, Isenhour, Huffman


1958: The Red Tornadoes celebrated Homecoming by crushing their archrivals from Newton-Conover by a score of 45-6. Hickory's offensive backfield, led by junior halfback Larry "Red" Rudisill, was stellar against the Red Devils. Rudisill racked up 204 yards and two touchdowns on just 14 carries (14.6 yards per carry). Also scoring touchdowns for Hickory were junior halfback Richard Jackson, senior quarterback Harper "Hoppy" Huffman (twice), sophomore fullback Gene Isenhour and junior fullback Barney Deal. Newton-Conover avoided the shutout by scoring in the last minute of the contest. The win improved Hickory's record to 5-0. The Red Tornadoes would go 11-0 before losing Asheboro in the WNCHSAA title game.

1969: Hickory defeated the Eagles of East Mecklenburg in a key District 6, Southwestern 4A Conference matchup. In a defensive struggle the difference maker was senior Chuck Munday's remarkable special teams performance. Munday, who would play in the Shrine Bowl, punted four times for an average of 46.5 yards. Time and time again he got the Red Tornadoes out of bad field position and put the pressure back on East Meck. Hickory scored first with 7:14 left in the first quarter. Halfback Claude "Cool Breeze" Evans broke loose for two large gains as the Tornadoes moved 66 yards on their first drive of the game. On the first play Evans ran around right end for 18 yards. On the next play Evans again got the call and scampered for 28 yards to the Eagle 28 yard line. After two plays gained only one yard quarterback Ricky Dula kept the ball on a sweep around left end and gained 26 yards to the one. He scored on the next play. Fullback David Williams kicked the PAT and Hickory had a 7-0 lead. East Meck got on the board in the third quarter on a 64-yard touchdown run by James Barber. Quarterback Joe Thompson completed a pass on the 2-point conversion attempt but it was nullified by a penalty. On the next attempt the Tornado defense snuffed it out to preserve a 7-6 lead. That's how the game ended. The Hickory defense was led by Lee Bost and Marvin Everett (who would join Chuck Munday in the Shrine Bowl).

1975: The Big One. Hickory played Newton-Conover for the first time since 1967. Many oldtimers still consider Don Patrick's 1975 Red Devil squad to be the best in school history. Newton-Conover featured two great running backs, Butch Baker and Dennis McCorkle, and a rock-ribbed defense. The Red Devils were 4-0 going into the contest. Hickory was 3-1 and also had a quality tailback in Herbert Thompson. The Red Tornadoes also had a stout defensive unit. In the end, it was the two defenses who ruled the evening. In those kinds of games the special teams will always decide who wins. Such was the case on this night 33 years ago. It would have been a good night for David Bumgarner simply because he recovered two Red Devil fumbles. But with 2:20 left to play in a 0-0 game Bumgarner gave the Tornado Nation something to shout about when he calmly nailed a 25-yard field goal. Newton tried to win the game in the final minute by going to the air. Barry Wilson's first-down pass fell short. His second pass caused a controversy when it looked to some that Donnie Newsome had made a great catch but the officials ruled that he had trapped the ball. On third down Wilson's pass was deflected by Hickory's Berry Dunlap. On Newton's last gasp Ronnie Hopper (yes, Coach Hopper!) knocked the ball away. The final 3-0 score was extremely sweet for Coach Frank Barger and his Tornadoes.

1997: Hickory slaughtered the East Lincoln Mustangs, 35-6. The victory was Hickory's 22nd in a row, which broke the previous school record. There was no emotional letdown a week after the huge victory over Mooresville. The Red Tornadoes spread the scoring opportunities among several key players. Lee Wilson began the touchdown parade on a three-yard run. Anthony Foust got on the board next with an 11-yard run. Then it was quarterback Tim Swanson's turn when he connected with Menyel Flowers on a 49-yard touchdown pass. Wesley Gatewood got in on the act with a 49-yard touchdown run. Even rarely-used tailback Thomas Farley hit paydirt. He scored on a 30-yard run. Cory Morgan was A-U-T-O-matic on his PATs. The Mustangs avoided the shutout in the third quarter on a two-yard quarterback keeper.

2003: Hickory racked up 509 yards of total offense and 56 points against St. Stephens while holding the Indians to a mere 84 yards and no points. Quarterback Chris Rogers scored on a 12-yard run to start the scoring. Fullback Paul Martin followed that up with a burst from four yards out. The Tornadoes exploded for four touchdowns in the second quarter. First Rogers scored again from the four. Ryan Succop's PAT went wide. Then Alex Wilson scored from the 10. Rogers sneaked in for the 2-point conversion. Martin bulled his way in on a seven-yard run. Then came the shocker: Rogers went deep to split end Keon Hill for a 49-yard touchdown. Coach Worley took his foot off the gas pedal in the second half. Wilson got his second touchdown of the night on a 28-yard run. Finally, third-string tailback Ryan Greene reached the end zone from six yards out. Ironically, Hickory's leading rusher, Kejuan Wright, finished with 162 yards on just 9 carries (18 yards per carry) but never got into the end zone.

Good times!

Red Tornadoes defeat Tigers in overtime!

One of my all-time favorite memories of watching Red Tornado football occurred 10 years ago when Hickory hosted Fred T. Foard for Homecoming. To be specific, the date was October 23, 1998 and it was easily the coldest Friday night of the season up to that point. It was the coldest Homecoming night in more than a decade. But the action on the field was smoking hot for the full 48 minutes - and then some!

To fully appreciate the game itself it's important to know just what was at stake.

Hickory and Foard were fighting for position in the Western Foothills Conference. The Tigers entered the contest with a 5-3 record overall and a 3-1 mark in the Western Foothills. Foard was tied with East Lincoln for second place in the standings. Undefeated Mooresville was out in front at 4-0 and 8-0. Thus the Tigers were hoping for a stumble by the Blue Devils that might allow Foard to grab at least a share of the WFC title.

Hickory and South Caldwell were tied for fourth place in the standings with 2-2 league marks. Hickory had battled to a 4-3 record after dropping below .500 at 2-3 following consecutive losses to Newton-Conover, Mooresville and East Lincoln. With virtually no shot at the conference title the Red Tornadoes were trying to stay in the hunt for a playoff berth.

It should have been a better season for Hickory. After compiling a 28-1 record over the previous two seasons and winning two conference titles and the 1996 Class 3A state championship the Red Tornadoes looked forward to returning two of the area's top running backs in junior tailback Anthony Foust and senior wingback Wesley Gatewood. In 1997 the two had combined for 2,315 yards rushing. But in August it was determined that both were academically ineligible for the 1998 season. That was the end of the line for Gatewood. Foust would find redemption in his senior season of 1999. In the meantime, Hickory was left with a gaping hole where its rushing game used to be as the 1998 season began.

Coach David Elder did have a few weapons in the arsenal and now they would play a crucial role in Hickory's success. First among these was junior quarterback Tim Swanson. Although officially the "new" starter Swanson did have varsity experience and had even started a couple of key games in '97 while regular starter Dean Powell was sidelined with an ankle injury. The highlight of Swanson's career had been the showdown with Mooresville. In a battle of unbeatens in front of more than 8,000 fans Swanson had held his own and led the team to victory. He was a strong kid, a good leader and a terrific passer.

In the late '90s Hickory had several tall, lanky wide receivers but none were quite as good as Menyel Flowers. A 6'4 senior, Flowers had been on the varsity since his sophomore season and was extremely cool under pressure. He had the good instincts as a receiver that allowed him to make the most of his athletic abilities. Together he and Swanson would rewrite the school passing and receiving records.

A third member of the offense who was less well-known when the season began but who would also step up and be a team leader was senior tailback Brandon Michaux. Although not on the same level as Anthony Foust, Michaux was a very capable back with plenty of speed. In the end he would join the ranks of Hickory's illustrious 1,000-yard rushing fraternity.

The first five games of the season were a series of losses and near-losses. Hickory managed to begin the season with a couple of home wins over East Burke and Statesville. But both were close, come-from-behind affairs that hardly inspired confidence among the Tornado Nation. Nevertheless, at that point in time Hickory had won 30 of its last 31 games.

Then came three straight losses, beginning with a stunning 33-20 beating at the hands of Newton-Conover. After a bye week the disappointments continued with a 37-0 shellacking at Mooresville followed by a heartbreaking 21-20 loss at East Lincoln. Michaux had been injured in the Statesville game and had not played at all against Newton-Conover and only sparingly against Mooresville. Suddenly Hickory wasn't a team that had won 30 times in its last 31 games but merely a team with a losing record going nowhere fast.

The next two weeks saw the Red Tornadoes bounce back with wins over South Iredell at home and South Caldwell on the road. Those wins helped set the stage for what would happen in the Foard game. It was now Homecoming.

The Fred T. Foard Tigers were a laughing stock in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Of all Hickory's important rivalries the one with Foard is the newest. The two teams played each other for the first time in 1991. Hickory won the first two meetings and then lost in 1993 during Bob Hanna's final year as head coach. With a new head coach in charge beginning in 1994 the Red Tornadoes strung together four consecutive wins over the Tigers with only the last one, in 1997, being close. In a miserable, rainy downpour the Red Tornadoes squeezed out a 21-6 victory that was closer than the final score would imply.

The Tigers had momentum coming into the 1998 season. They had great size, more speed than usual and a promising quarterback in Randall Bost. Running back B.J. Walton led the conference in rushing and also in scoring. Then, as now, the Foard liked to utilize the committee approach to running the ball and so in addition to B.J. Walton they relied on his brother, Jerrell, as well as Jeremy Dula and Ben Eggers. The Tigers also had an excellent kicker in James Raven.

Foard had been 3-0 in the conference before losing to Mooresville a week prior to the Hickory game. The Tigers had played as well as anybody against the Blue Devils and were favored to get the school's second-ever win over Hickory. The Tigers hoped that if they could stay within a game of Mooresville then perhaps they could still get a share of the title if the Blue Devils happened to lose in their final regular season game against East Lincoln on November 7.

All eyes were scanning the skies just prior to kickoff as the gameball was delivered to the the field by a skydiver who landed right in the logo at midfield. It was an exciting beginning to what would turn out to be an absolute classic of a game.

Hickory opened the scoring with an 81-yard touchdown pass from Swanson to Flowers. Adam Joseph, a new kicker for Hickory, nailed the PAT. The Red Tornado defense made that score stand up for the rest of the quarter. After 12 minutes of gametime Hickory held a 7-0 lead.

Using its punishing ground attack Foard dominated the second quarter. Jeremy Dula scampered into the end zone from 28 yards out to put the Tigers on the board. The attempted 2-point conversion failed. When the Tigers got the ball back they went on another scoring drive that culminated in B.J. Walton's three-yard touchdown run. Walton then ran in the conversion to give Foard a 14-7 lead. The Tigers would take that lead into halftime.

Hickory struck first in the third quarter on Brandon Michaux's 67-yard touchdown run. Joseph's kick was successful, knotting the score at 14-14. The rest of the third quarter belonged to the Tigers as Randall Bost capped a scoring drive with a 13-yard run. Raven's kick put the visitors up 21-14. After stopping the Tornadoes on their next drive the Tigers increased their lead when fullback Ben Eggers scored from four yards out. Another successful Raven PAT gave Foard a 28-14 lead as the quarter came to an end.

The Red Tornadoes continued to fight, however, and put together a drive that ended with Swanson's keeper from the one. After Joseph's PAT the Tiger lead was cut to a single touchdown. Hickory's defense did its job on Foard's next possession and forced them to punt. The Tornado Nation had witnessed Swanson lead the team to a come-from-behind victory on more than one occasion and hopes were high that he could do it again. But when Foard's Aaron Wilkie intercepted a Swanson pass and turned it into a "pick-6" I can remember how crushing it was for the fans. Raven was automatic with his PATs and suddenly Hickory was trailing 35-21 with 7:54 left to play.

After the kickoff the Red Tornadoes set up shop on their own 33 yard line. After six plays the ball was resting on Foard's 30. That's when Coach Elder reached into the trick bag and pulled out the old hook-and-lateral play. Swanson found Flowers at the 22 and then Flowers instantly pitched to a streaking Brandon Michaux who took it to the house for an electrifying touchdown that had everybody on the home side going wild. The excitement was dampened temporarily when Joseph's kick was low and no good.

Leading 35-27, Foard took the kickoff and ran six plays before being forced to punt. Hickory took over on the Tiger 49 and Swanson went back to the air immediately. His first pass was complete to Flowers down to the 31. His second pass was complete to Flowers for a 31-yard touchdown strike. Down 35-33 with only 1:29 left in the game, the Tornadoes had no choice but to go for two. The Tigers were expecting either a run or perhaps a pass to Flowers but instead Swanson looked for Jeremy Sherrill, a 6'3 senior, in the right rear corner of the end zone. The pass was placed in such a way that either Sherrill caught it or nobody caught it. The ball was a bit overthrown but Sherrill stretched out and made a one-handed catch that, again, sent the home crowd into a frenzy. By this time my voice was pretty much gone.

But still the Tornadoes weren't out of the woods. Foard put together a lightning drive of its own and James Raven, the oustanding kicker, was given an opportunity to win the game on a 37-yard field goal attempt as time ran out. His kick went wide left and the Tornado Nation heaved a sigh of relief.

Hickory got the ball first in the overtime period and wasted no time. On the first play Michaux took the handoff and scored the 10-yard touchdown. Joseph nailed the all-important PAT, giving Hickory it's first lead since the opening minutes of the game.

Foard took three plays to go nine yards. On 4th-and-goal from the one, Bost sneaked in for the touchdown. Then Foard's head coach, Allan Gorry, made the decision to go for the win rather than the tie. Bost rolled left and dived for the end zone pylon. He was smacked by several Tornado defenders who stopped him just inches from paydirt. For a split second there was doubt and then the Tornadoes started jumping up and down as the officials signaled that the conversion was no good. Hickory had pulled off a remarkable 42-41 victory.

The game was especially sweet for Tim Swanson and Menyel Flowers. Swanson set a new school record for passing yards in a single game. His totals that night were 12-21-1, 252 yards and two touchdowns. Flowers set a new single-game record for receiving yards. He finished with eight catches for 178 yards and two touchdowns. Brandon Michaux also had a good night, racking up 108 yards and three touchdowns. He was the game's leading rusher (Jeremy Dula led the Tigers with 89 yards).

The Red Tornadoes went on to win their next three games, including a playoff win on the road at North Surry. Hickory was eliminated in the second round by North Buncombe. One can only wonder just how good the Red Tornadoes would have been if Foust and Gatewood had been available but there is no doubt that on Homecoming night in 1998 the Red Tornadoes made memories to last a lifetime.