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!
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:
This is the time of year when Hickory frequently gets a dramatic victory, usually an upset, and occasionally in overtime. Hibriten came into the game with a 7-1 record and a #7 state ranking. Hickory entered the contest with a 4-4 record and in tight competition with St. Stephens for an automatic berth in the playoffs.
The situation from a Hickory standpoint reminded me of this scene from The Blues Brothers:
But it was the Red Tornadoes who took the fight to Hibriten last night in a hard-hitting, big-play game that defied the odds and ended in a tie that required two overtimes to break. Even though the final score went against Hickory the game was about as close to a "win-win" situation as you will find in football.
The heavily favored Panthers got their first-ever victory over Hickory and in doing so kept pace with the other CVAC leaders, Newton-Conover and Fred T. Foard. Hibriten's conference championship hopes hung by a thread and the Panthers knew it. In the end, they scored the winning points and then stopped Hickory to secure the victory.
But make no mistake about it. Hickory came away with a win, too. On two different occasions the Red Tornadoes fell behind by 14 points. And both times they fought their way back. The fact that the game had to go into overtime was a victory for the Tornadoes. How you fight is how you will be remembered.
Our Red Tornadoes fought hard and well. The intensity of the players, several of them newcomers to the varsity, was great to see. The obvious adjustments to the defensive gameplan was great to see.
The determined running of senior Rakim Barrett, as usual, was great to see. Back in action after being held out of last week's game for disciplinary reasons, Rakim had his best game ever, rushing for 180 yards and two touchdowns. That brings his season total to 1,038 yards and 10 touchdowns. He reminds me of former Tornado running backs Brandon Michaux and Craig Barnette. Both of them were tough, dogged runners who took hard hits and kept right on going.
The list of things that made me happy last night at the game is pretty long. David Dula's 51-yard kickoff return following Hibriten's touchdown that made the score 28-14. Dula's big return set up the first of Barrett's touchdowns. That made the score 28-21.
Then there was the big hit that freshman Dametrius Lewis and junior Dalton Hudson put on the Hibriten kick returner, forcing a fumble that was recovered by junior Jordan Thompson at the Panther 21. Barrett scored from there on the very next play. It's always great to see one of our running backs break into the clear and gallop to the end zone.
Then there was the Hibriten field goal attempt that would have given the Panthers a victory except that the ball hit the left upright and bounced away, no good. Hey, sometimes you have to be lucky. The excitement on the sideline was terrific. That's when the game is really fun (as long as the breaks are going your way).
The intensity of the players, from beginning to end, was great to see. I also enjoyed how excited and pumped up they were when they tied the game. Hickory has had nothing but success in overtime in recent years. The players were completely confident about their chances of success in the overtime periods. And they had good reason to be. There were some things Hickory did on offense that Hibriten never did really stop.
I was so happy with the way the Tornadoes handled the challenge of playing one the best teams in the state that it took a little while for the sting of the loss kicked in. To come so close to victory when most people didn't think it even possible is a bummer. But now the players and their true fans know that they can be successful on the field this season. And the seeds of greater success have been planted.
The Red Tornadoes now have an opportunity to sharpen their game against the conference cupcakes, West Caldwell (0-9) and Bunker Hill (1-8). If all goes according to plan the Tornadoes will enter the playoffs. There is still a possibility that they could secure the second automatic berth if St. Stephens loses its last two games. Otherwise Hickory will receive a wildcard berth.
The Dawgs beat the crap out of LSU right there in "Death Valley" on Saturday. You can now refer to Tiger Stadium as the Dawg House! LSU fans thought they were being clever when they acquired Knowshon Moreno's cell # and called it repeatedly to harass him. Well, payback is a bitch! The Corn Dog Nation got what it deserved!!
I guarantee that the worthless jerk in the video below isn't dancing for joy now!
And WTF is up with the pimp gear? Is that what an LSU degree is good for?
There's nothing like a healthy dose of intimidation when you're a highly successful football program. It works for Trinity High School in Euless, Texas. The Trojans are currently ranked #1 in the nation according to the Massey Rating System and in the Top 3 in at least two other national polls. Euless has a growing Pacific Island population and there are several Samoan and Tongan players on the Trinity football team. College teams like BYU and Hawaii perform a Haka dance before their games. Trinity High School does it, too. The players you are about to watch are high school football players performing in front of a high school football crowd. Check it out!
They call him Terrible Terry Tate. He is simply the greatest office linebacker in the history of the game. But hardly anyone knows that Terry Tate played is high school football right here in Hickory. He embodies the spirit and the fury of the Red Tornado defense. And there's nothing he liked more than beating up on the St. Stephens Indians. In honor of this week's showdown with the Indians I present some of the highlights of Terry's amazing career.
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
Knowshon is the best running back in collegiate football right now. Don't even try to argue the point. It's done! Have a look at his highlights from the win over Central Michigan. Be on the lookout for "The Hurdle."
One thing that Knowshon has in common with one of my all-time favorite Dawgs (David Pollack) is that they both have/had motors that do not quit. Check out this clip from the 2002 Georgia-South Carolina game. It takes a DAWG to do this!
In case you thought Burke County Referee Syndrome (BCRS) was merely a local threat you should realize that it is part of a larger pandemic. Just this past weekend on the collegiate level there was a flare up of acute BCRS in in the Pacific Northwest when the woeful Washington Huskies lost a heartbreaker to the BYU Cougars.
The video pretty much speaks for itself. Quarterback Jake Locker drove the Huskies 76 yards in 17 plays, capped by his 2-yard plunge to pull Washington within one. But Locker was called for unsportsmanlike conduct after the touchdown; replays showed Locker throwing the ball in the air before jumping with his teammates in the end zone. A penalty was assessed on conversion which effectively negated any thoughts of attempting a winning 2-point conversion. Instead it turned the PAT into a 35-yard field goal attempt. To complete the farce, BYU then managed to block the kick and preserve the victory. Have another look:
The sad part about this whole disgraceful episode is that yes, technically, the official was correct in his call. There is a specific stipulation in the rules concerning, among other things, tossing the ball in the air. So thanks to Rule 9, Section 2, Article 1 of the NCAA rule book, which says throwing the ball high in the air constitutes an unsportsmanlike penalty, the smug jackass who threw the flag felt perfectly justified in imposing himself on the game. Larry Farina, the official in question, decided that he is more important that Jake Locker or any other player, coach or ticket-buying fan in the stadium. Sad...but typical.
"After scoring the touchdown, the player threw the ball into the air and we are required, by rule, to assess a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty," Farina said in a statement given to Washington officials.
"It is a celebration rule that we are required to call. It was not a judgment call."
Required to call...
Or else...what? An extensive audit by the IRS? Internment at Guantanamo? Death by firing squad? It's nonsense. It's from a book of rules, not a book of laws. It's certainly not on a tablet full of commandments. The rules are not written in stone or in blood or in the heavens. It's a game that is incapable of functionig satisfactorily without emotion. I'm sorry but any IDIOT can tell the difference between honest, spontaneous celebration and deliberate taunting. There doesn't need to be a rule for it.
How many times have you heard it said, "If a ref wanted to, hell, he could throw a flag for holding on every play." The same could be said about "interference" by a defensive back. So why isn't a flag thrown on nearly every play? I mean, the rule book says, right? It's called judgment. Let me spell it out for the all the referee-types out there who have difficulty following along: J-U-D-G-M-E-N-T. Give it a try sometime, it won't bite you.
Why can't the real taunters be punished when they actually violate the rule rather than punishing all of us in advance by deliberately draining all the passion and exuberance out of the game? Why should the college game and, increasingly, the high school game, be ruined like the No Fun League has been ruined?
The kids don't make millions like the professionals do. Now they can't even have fun playing the game. Which means we the fans (whose money makes this whole thing work, by the way) get a diminished product for our hard-earned dollars. Once again, football officials and the shadowy "rules committees" that give them cover, keep thinking the game is about them. Instead of letting the players decide the game and giving the fans the opportunity to see an overtime finish, some official is feeling all important now because he applied the rules.
Because you know...rules ARE rules.
Newsflash: Nobody pays to see the officials throw flags (despite what the officials may tell themselves while checking out their potbellies in the mirror). Nobody appreciates the "sacrifices" made by the knuckleheads on the "rules committee" who are not interested in having to do the hard work of actually, you know, applying good judgment to a situation. Nope, better to write a rule about it and then hide behind it when stupid and needless controversies erupt.
All of this leads me to wonder if BCRS was cooked up in a lab somewhere and then unleashed on the unsuspecting sports world during the Cold War era. Perhaps some bizarre experiment gone horribly wrong? Gosh, what if there really is an evil genius lurking in some evil underground lair, plotting against the players, coaches and fans of this country? And if the evil mastermind does exist then that would help explain why the officials have no choice but to throw as many flags as possible.
Remember the words of Larry Farina: "It is a celebration rule that we are required to call. It was not a judgment call." I shudder to think about what would have happened to good ol' Larry if he hadn't thrown that flag. The Organization does not tolerate failure...
Wow, for some reason I am still running way behind schedule here. Maybe it's because of the beginning of the college football season on top of Labor Day on top of...yada yada yada, blah, blah, blah! I don't know!
Anyway, before I proceed with the discussion about this week's opponent there are a few observations about the games from last Friday that I would like to make.
As expected, Brian Brown's debut as Maiden's head coach was successful. Of course, why wouldn't it? For the 15th straight time the Blue Devils beat the crap out of everybody's favorite opponent, West Lincoln. I can't think of another team that has been as successful as the Rebels at getting the other team's season off to a fantastic start. I mean it's almost pointless to go over the details of the 38-7 win because the Rebels are profoundly awful. I was surprised to see that Justin Sizemore only threw for 119 yards and one touchdown. Maybe he was pulled fairly quickly because of the impending blowout. I'll take a look at the quarterback situation shortly.
The Bandys Trojans found a way to lose to East Lincoln, the same team that Newton-Conover dismantled in Week 1. But hats off to the Trojans for fighting back from a 28-12 deficit after three quarters and tying the game at 28 all before giving up the game-winning touchdown with 1:49 left in the final period. This makes two weeks in a row that quarterback Kyle Houser has put up big passing numbers that normally would signal a big victory - but didn't.
I didn't think it was possible but Hickory was not the most persecuted...um, penalized team in the area Friday night. The East Lincoln Mustangs suffered the indignity of getting flagged 15 times for a spine-chilling 161 yards! Seriously? It's amazing because the week before in the first game of the season the Mustangs were only penalized six times for 45 yards. Now I'm not an "expert" but it would seem to me that a team would be more likely to play undisciplined football in the season opener than in the Week 2 game. We're supposed to believe that a team that managed to control itself in the opener suddenly lost its marbles and went on a rule-breaking rampage in the second game? No folks, the difference is that some officiating crews choose to do their jobs properly while others choose to act like guards at a prison camp. From now on this phenomenon will be referred to as Burke County Referee Syndrome or BCRS. Unacceptable!
Once upon a time Paul Newman was afflicted by BCRS. Here is a classic demonstration and application of BCRS and what it does to a man's pyche.
Hey, Hibriten can pass the ball, too! Before the season began one of the key issues for the Panthers was finding a successor for graduated quarterback Billy Crane. Well Week 1 provided a first look but Week 2 confirmed what I suspected: Jamichael Walton can not only run with the football when necessary but he can also throw it. In a 35-0 stomping of rival South Caldwell Walton completed six of eight passing attempts for 161 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions - in the first half!
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:
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. 
