Last week I stated that the Red Tornadoes must win two of the next three games. It didn't matter which two but it had to be two wins. Well, we still need two wins and now there is no margin for error.
Hickory needs one more victory this season to become "playoff eligible" - which means that if the NCHSAA needs teams to fill in the brackets then a team with four wins could be selected as "wildcard" team. So even if Hickory doesn't earn a berth that isn't necessarily the end of it. But that's hardly a comforting thought for a team that has only missed the playoffs once since 1994.
As it stands now the Red Tornadoes must win the rest of their games in order to have a shot at earning the second and final 3A berth in the playoffs. They must finish ahead of either St. Stephens (still possible) or Fred T. Foard (not likely). Because they lost the head-to-head matchups with both schools the Red Tornadoes will be eliminated if there is any kind of tie at the end of the season. The Red Tornadoes also need St. Stephens to lose two of their remaining games. If you assume (for the sake of argument) that the Red Tornadoes will take care of business against teams like Patton, West Caldwell and Bunker Hill and that St. Stephens will lose to Foard in the final week then the whole scenario boils down to two games.
St. Stephens visits Bandys this Friday night. I believe that besides Foard the team with the best chance of knocking off the Indians is Bandys. A loss Friday night would set Saint up to get its fourth CVAC loss on November 7th at Fred T. Foard. The other key game will happen next week when Hickory hosts Hibriten. The Red Tornadoes will have to find a way to upset the Panthers.
For the time being, however, all that matters is beating Patton this Friday night. If that doesn't happen then the playoff mathematics gets wiped off the board. Then the Tornadoes will have to hope for a last-minute vacancy at the Playoff Motel.
We'll never know what might have happened Friday night if Hickory's kickoff team hadn't allowed former Red Tornado Shea Corpening to return the opening kick 97 yards for a touchdown. If he had been stopped around the 20 and Hickory's defense had forced a 3-and-out on the Red Devil offense...who knows? Maybe the Red Tornadoes get on the board first and builds the necessary momentem to keep them in the game.
But that's not how it worked out.
Corpening rocketed down the far sideline and gave the Red Devils a lead they never really came close to relinquishing. By the end of the first quarter the Red Tornadoes were in a 21-0 hole. That lead was quickly increased to 28-0 when Joseph Bryant intercepted a Kevin Shelton pass and took it to the house from 34 yards out.
Down by four touchdowns the Tornadoes started the overwhelming task of digging out of the hole. They got halfway, cutting the lead to 28-14 in the third quarter on a pair of Rakim Barrett touchdown runs. At that point there was still time to battle all the way back for a win.
But that's not how it worked out.
Newton-Conover piled on another 21 points in the third quarter, including another "pick-6" when linebacker Paul Forney read Shelton all the way, stepped in front of his pass and went untouched into the end zone for a 44-yard touchdown. The kick made it 49-14. A lot of dogged running by a determined Rakim Barrett got Hickory down the field one more time late in the game and Barrett finished the drive on a one-yard touchdown run. Patrick Smith's PAT made the final score 49-21.
The statistics do not support a 28-point margin. Newton outrushed Hickory by only 25 yards. Hickory, meanwhile, passed for twice as many yards as Newton. But Hickory had to go the distance for its three touchdowns. Newton, not so much. And with all due respect to the speed and skill of the Red Devils, the three touchdown returns should not have happened.
It's been five years since Hickory gave up a touchdown on the opening kickoff. That was the second-round playoff loss to Crest in 2003. The entire week of that game had been spent prepping mentally to face a team that we have never beaten in the regular season. All that mental preparation went out the window when Jermaine Strong returned Ryan Succop's kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown. That sparked a 19-0 win for the eventual 3AA state champs. The irony of it was that Succop's kicks almost always went into the end zone for touchbacks. I remember thinking at the time that the gunners had forgotten what to do because they hardly ever had to tackle anybody.
The point is that if you take away the three touchdown returns, which happen very rarely and don't need to happen at all, then the final score would have looked a little better. The players and coaches (and fans) might have kept up the fight more effectively instead of suffering from the creeping numbness that comes with a feeling of helplessness.
Another of Newton's touchdowns came immediately after they recovered a Hickory fumble. Special teams breakdowns, errors in the passing game and poor play-calling, penalties, missed assignments, lazy blocking, etc. will get you beat every time. That's what turns a game that should have at least been competitive into a route.
If a team can make costly mistakes then it should be able to eliminate those mistakes as well. There has not been a game all season when the Red Tornadoes haven't done something positive. Maybe it's a good night for Shelton, Parks and the passing game. Maybe it's a good night for Barrett running the ball. Maybe the defense hangs tough and takes away the other team's best offensive weapon. But there has yet to be a game this season when Hickory hit on all cylinders and played a complete, four-quarter game.
The question is why.
A lot of opinions are being offered up on the Tornado Central message board. We are officially in a bad place right now. It's a shame because in their frustration fans are overlooking some interesting developments. The one I find most fascinating is the installation of the direct snap to Trevin Parks. Ole Miss calls it the Wild Rebel formation. Tennessee calls it the G Gun. Oldtimers still call it the single wing. But it has been working pretty well. Rakim Barrett is turning in workmanlike performances every week. Kevin Shelton is rising in the ranks of Hickory's all-time best passing quarterbacks. A lot of underclassmen are getting valuable playing time.
The bottom line, however, is that Hickory is languishing below .500 this late in the season for the first time since 1994. That was also the last time Hickory finished a season with a losing record. Things are not quite that bad - yet. But the season is hanging in the balance right now. Buckle your seatbelts, brothers and sisters, it's going to be a bumpy ride.
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.
It's official. Strange days are here. If I had written last spring that six games into the 2008 season the Red Tornadoes would be 3-3 but with victories over Bandys and Maiden and also 0-2 at Frank Barger Stadium after losing to St. Stephens and Fred T. Foard, well, you would have laughed at me. But that's where we're at in Week 8 as we face a road trip to Newton this Friday. It's more than a little nerve-wracking to think that Hickory is at .500 with the Red Devils and Hibriten left to deal with.
Here's some more weirdness. When was the last time anybody attended a Hickory football game and saw 28 points scored but no rushing touchdowns? For that matter how bizarre is it that the first seven touchdowns in a Hickory-Foard game were on pass plays? But it was entertaining.
I'm late with this summary because this game provided a lot of food for thought. I will approach it by reviewing the three things that I said Hickory must do in order to win the game.
I would love to see Hickory get the ball first to start the game. If that happens then it is crucial that the Tornado offensive line establish itself and take control of the line of scrimmage. They have to play angry (but under control) and get very physical with the Tiger D-line. If Hickory can dominate the line of scrimmage then the Tornadoes will be able to run the ball effectively which will, in turn, loosen things up for the passing game. By contrast, if the Tornado O-line can't get any push against the Tigers then it will be a long night. The same goes for the Hickory defensive front. We simply can't afford to have the safety making all the tackles tonight. If Mikey Shook is forced to be the run stopper then Hickory will lose, period.
Hickory jumped out to a 21-6 lead, which was completely opposite of the way Fred T. Foard normally starts a game. So that was a mini-victory for the Red Tornadoes. The line was blocking and good things were happening because of it. Rakim Barrett finished the game with 182 yards on just 15 carries. That's a per-carry average of 12.1, which is the kind of effective running that we saw from him last season. Overall the Tornadoes rushed for 267 yards, certainly enough production to win a game in most cases. Kevin Shelton had a good night throwing the football, completing 50% of his passes for 118 yards and four touchdowns. I'm still looking but I can't find a Hickory game where the Tornado quarterback threw four touchdown passes. I've found several with three touchdown passes, but not four. And not only that but Hickory had four different receivers catching those TD passes. Last week I praised Foard for spreading the scoring around and so I have to give the Tornado offense props, too. Hickory had seven different players catch passes. That's good variety and, frankly, 118 passing yards combined with 267 rushing yards should always be enough for Hickory to win a game - if the defense is taking care of its business...
Michael Shook was the leading tackler (for the 3rd time in the last five games) and that just highlights how bad a night it was for the Tornado defense. Yes, the defense got after the Tigers early in the game. I saw some outstanding individual efforts from the cornerbacks in one-on-one situations with the Foard wide receivers. I loved the way David Dula fought for and won the battle with Trent Safrit for a pass that would have been a touchdown but, instead, became an interception. I've already praised Mikey Shook for his 14 solo tackles that, in most cases, were touchdown-saving stops. Tyler Barnette's punt block was excellent and set up Hickory's second touchdown. So the defense was making stops and setting up the offense to score. But once the score reached 21-6 the rest of the game was a long, frustrating retreat. Rakim Barrett's fumble late in the second quarter was quickly converted by the Tigers into a touchdown that closed the gap to 21-14, giving Foard the edge in momentum going into halftime. The third quarter was a draw with each team scoring a touchdown. Hickory held a slim 28-21 lead two minutes into the fourth quarter. Then came the collapse. After that the Tiger offense had its way with the Tornado defense. It was ugly. But even before that you couldn't help but feel that the Tiger offense was rapidly gaining confidence in its ability to move the ball. In thse situations there is simply no room for errors. The difference between this season and past seasons is that teams like St. Stephens and Fred T. Foard are good enough to exploit Hickory's mistakes whereas most of the time Hickory can get away with some sloppy play. The goal now must be eliminating the sloppiness. It's way too expensive these days.
Hickory must not panic if the Tigers start the game with a scoring blitz. The Tigers are known for piling on the points early in the game and then coasting. Last week was the first time all year that the Tiger starters had to play in the second half - and they lost. So whatever happens with the Tigers on offense it is important that the Tornadoes not let it rattle them. Being able to run the ball effectively will help that situation. Also, Isenhour only throws the ball 9-10 times a game, no more than that. If the defense can shut down the passing game in the first half it should not be a factor in the second half. But they must always be on the alert for a Hail Mary downfield. Foard loves to score on the "big play."
The Tigers did indeed score in bunches but they flipped the script by doing it at the end of the game rather than the beginning. I was thrilled to see Hickory jump out to a 21-6 lead and assumed that they had successfully negated the "shock and awe" that Foard likes to inflict on an opponent to start the game. But the deluge did finally come and it turned a close game into an embarrassing one. I guessed wrong about Foard's passing game. They stuck with it even though it was not immediately successful. In the end they wound up with better passing numbers than Hickory. But that didn't stop Quinton Owens from having a career night rushing the ball. And the Tigers continued to specialize in the big play. Landon Isenhour complete to Jameel Owens for a 23-yard touchdown pass. Isenhour complete to Chase Robinson for a 43-yard touchdown pass. Isenhour complete to Safrit for a 15-yard touchdown pass. Quinton Owens scores on a 68-yard run. As I said last week, the Tigers are scary fast.
Hickory must avoid turnovers and costly penalties. Since the loss at Statesville the Tornado ballcarriers have been very good at holding onto the football. Sure, in the downpour last Friday there were some fumbles but they did not affect the outcome of the game. Fumbles are going to happen in the rain. Tonight, however, will be clear and cool - perfect football weather. No excuses tonight. Hickory can't afford to give the Tigers any breaks. The same goes for penalties. Hickory is still one of the most penalized teams in the area. The yellow flags can absolutely ruin a good gameplan and make players become reluctant and hesitant. And the Tigers definitely don't need the help. Hopefully we will have a qualified crew of striped-shirts who won't feel the need to make themselves bigger than the game itself.
Turnovers and penalties can absolutely kill you in a tight ballgame. Hickory fumbled twice and Foard recovered the ball both times. And both times the Tigers immediately made Hickory pay for it. On Foard's first play after recovering Rakim's fumble (which came at the end of a nice run) Isenhour hit Chase Robinson for a 43-yard touchdown. In the fourth quarter a bungled snap from center by Hickory was recovered by Foard. On the next play Isenhour scored on a 13-yard keeper. Two fumbles, two touchdowns. It doesn't get any simpler than that. David Dula threw an interception late in the game that also led eventually to a Tiger touchdown but by then the game was already lost. Statistically speaking, the penalty situation for Hickory wasn't bad. Officially, the Tornadoes were only penalized three times for 30 yards, which is by far the lowest total this season. But still Hickory shot itself in the foot with needless penalties. With first-and-goal on the Tiger five, Hickory had back-to-back penalties that pushed the Tornadoes back to the 15 yard line. One of the penalties was for lining up offsides. Why does that happen? So instead of scoring a touchdown Hickory was forced to try a field goal. That attempt was ruined by a bad snap. Failure in the red zone due to stupid penalties and poor execution by the special teams. That's a prime example of why Hickory is at .500 for the season.
There are some good things happening these days for Hickory. But for every positive aspect there is a nagging problem that has yet to be solved. The good news is that the problems are fixable. The bad news is that time is running out.
Did you know that this year marks the Golden Anniversary of Fred T. Foard football? It was in 1958 that the first Tiger football squad took the field. And throughout the past half-century there have been a few "big moments" for Tiger football. Most of them took place back in the early 1980s. A few more moments happened about 10 years ago. The 2008 season has already gotten off to a historic start for the Tigers and has all the earmarks of being one of the best seasons in school history.
Make no mistake about it: Beating the Red Tornadoes in Frank Barger Stadium on Hickory's Homecoming would be the icing on the cake. Not to mention that a Tiger victory on Friday would eliminate Hickory from the CVAC title chase and seriously jeopardize our playoff hopes. It's happened before. In 2000 the Tigers defeated a depleted Tornado team in Frank Barger Stadium and prevented Hickory from making the postseason. That was the second and last time the Tigers got a win over the Red Tornadoes. Hickory has won the last seven meetings between the schools. Click here for more information about the Tigers.
Here are some Wednesday observations about the Tigers.
The Tigers are extremely athletic and have speed on both sides of the ball. It's a scary thought, actually, but I believe in this respect the Tigers are a lot like Catholic. Quinton Owens, Jaheil Washington, Alex Miller, Trent Safrit, Tyler Ruth and others are as fast a group as any Hickory has faced this year, including Statesville. The evidence can be found when you look at how Fred T. Foard scores its points. Take the season-opening win over South Caldwell. After spotting the Spartans a touchdown in the first quarter the Tigers scored 33 unanswered points on five touchdowns. Touchdown #1: Quinton Owens on a 53-yard run. Touchdown #2: Trent Safrit on a 50-yard pass from Landon Isenhour. Touchdown #3: Alex Miller on an 18-yard run. Touchdown #4: Jake Sweatt on a 66-yard pass from Isenhour. Touchdown #5: Jaheil Washington on a 27-yard run. That's five different players winding up in the end zone. That's multi-dimensional football. That, my friends, is an arsenal.
Although it was the slaughter of Maiden in Tom Brown Stadium that first caught people's attention and sounded the alarm that the Tigers are "for real," I believe that Foard's most impressive victory was the opener against South Caldwell. The offense averaged 7.2 yards per carry. The passing game averaged 37.5 yards per reception. Half of Landon Isenhour's pass completions were for touchdowns. The Tigers did not turn the ball over. They were only flagged six times for 55 yards. And perhaps the most impressive thing of all is that Foard was not at all affected by South Caldwell's clear advantage in size. One of the knocks against Foard this year is that they are not very big. South Caldwell, on the other hand, is huge. So the wishful thinking that maybe Foard can be pushed around by a more physical team was disproved in the very first week of the season. Which doesn't mean that the Tigers are ready to take on the Carolina Panthers. Size alone is not a guarantee. Size + speed + power is the killer. Somewhere down the line Foard may face a team with players who are both big and fast, but realistically that won't happen till they are deep in the playoffs.
The Tigers score points in bunches. They score a lot of points early in the game. They score points in a variety ways. Last week I mentioned that while Newton-Conover likes to play rope-a-dope in the first half the Tigers like to go for a quick kill. When you break down the Tiger scoring by quarters you will see that they have outscored the opposition 62-22 in the first quarter and 64-0 in the second quarter. More specifically, the Tigers gave up a touchdown to South Caldwell in the first quarter of the first game of the season and then did not allow another score in the first half until last week when Newton got off to a fast start and put up 15 points in the first quarter. How did Foard respond to suddenly being down 15-0? The Tigers roared back (no pun intended) in the second quarter and scored 20 points while shutting the Devils down to take a 20-15 lead into halftime. The Tigers are capable of overwhelming an opponent but they do not get rattled by what the opponent is able to accomplish against them. And it's not good enough to simply stop the offense. Against West Lincoln the Tigers opened the scoring on a 95-yard kickoff return by Quinton Owens. Later in the game Tiger linebacker Jake Sweatt scored on a 49-yard interception return. In the Maiden game it was Quinton Owens scoring four first-half touchdowns on runs of six, five and nine yards, followed by a 28-yard interception return. Against Patton the Tigers scored a touchdown when Taylor Lassiter recovered a Panther fumble and took that 65 yards "to the house." What's the common denominator? You guessed it: speed!
Tiger quarterback Landon Isenhour reminds me of former Red Tornado quarterback Chris Rogers. The things that I really appreciated about Chris were his speed and his toughness. There is no question that Chris Rogers was one of the fastest quarterbacks in Hickory's long football history. His running ability gave Hickory an extra weapon in 2003 and proved deadly to the opposition. He was a decent passer and also just a tough hombre. I see all those qualities in Isenhour. He is a three-sport athlete who can run, throw and take a hit. He had a 55-yard touchdown run against West Lincoln. He's rushed for 186 yards so far this season. He averages more than 100 yards passing per game. He can scramble and he doesn't make bad decisions. He is a leader and a prime example of the experience and efficiency of the Tiger offensive machine.
If Isenhour is the leader then Quinton Owens is the spark for the Tigers. He is Foard's leading rusher and also a key member of the defensive secondary. He also is a dangerous return man. He has already scored touchdowns not just on offense but defense and special teams as well. But he is just one of several playmakers the Tigers can rely on for production. Jaheil Washington is right behind Owens on the rushing charts. Alex Miller and fullback Micah Huffman are also valuable. The Tiger receiving corps is as dangerous as any Hickory will face this season.
The Tiger defense leads the CVAC in almost every category. That's pretty much all you need to know about Foard's prowess on that side of the line of scrimmage. Only Hibriten has allowed fewer points this season. The Tiger defense couldn't maintain Foard's halftime lead last week and it cost them their first loss of the season. Odds are good that they will be looking to atone for that this week against Hickory...
This is a must-win game for both teams. Maiden hasn't lost four consecutive games since Ronald Reagan was in the White House. And the Blue Devils haven't missed the playoffs in a long time, either. But that's what they are facing if they can't find a way to beat the Red Tornadoes.
Hickory needs to get right with this season in a hurry. There is no time left for soul-searching and "figuring things out." With Fred T. Foard and Newton-Conover up next things could get out of hand very quickly. As it is, Hickory is facing a potential playoff problem. Keep in mind that the CVAC only receives two playoff spots for its trio of 3A teams. Somebody is always the odd man out. In the past three years that has been somebody else's problem - not Hickory's. But after losing to St. Stephens last week and with Fred T. Foard coming to town next week it just might be Hickory left without a chair when the music stops. The last time Hickory lost to Foard was also the last time Hickory failed to make the playoffs. That's ominous. Please note that I'm suggesting that a loss to Foard automatically means Hickory won't go to the playoffs. That's not how it works. But obviously losing to both St. Stephens and Foard would put Hickory in a difficult spot. The Red Tornadoes must finish the season ahead of at least one of those teams.
I don't know why the Maiden folks decided to go ahead and play the game tonight in the rain. The Blue Devils want to establish their passing game and make good use of quarterback Justin Sizemore. The running game is not that strong and it got even less strong with the suspension of fullback Joshua Friday. The bad weather should not affect Hickory nearly as much. The offense is geared toward pounding the ball. The rain shouldn't be a factor. Perhaps Brian Brown has come up with a completely new strategy...or maybe he just wants to get this over with.
If you don't know what the word schadenfreude means, click here. But if you want some good schadenfreude, just check out these comments posted by various Blue Devil fans on NCPreps.com following Maiden's humiliating loss to the new "Big Blue" - Fred T. Foard!
"Foard wins 47 to 14. The actual score was 40 - 0 (halftime). Maiden refuses to play football. At least 2 starters sitting on the sideline for not showing up for practice. We seem to be more worried about how we look in the uniform than doing what we need to do to play well in them. I believe this team has found a different way to spell teIIIIIIIIIIIIam.
Very disappointed." ...Azul Diablo
"I don't see us winning very many games this year if any more at all.We have NO defense !!!!!!!!!!! 22 and 20 looked good again when they seen playing time. My only thing Azul is Team begins with the leaders that unify the " Team " and I'm just not seeing it . There's way to much talent on this team to take a beat down like we did tonight.The right guys have to be in the right places and I don't think we've found that yet.We still need to put some of that beef on the D-line I don't care if their not that great at least they could clog a hole and give the linebackers time to read the play.Oh well better luck next week ! Sorry if I tick some people off with my assessment I just think you should call an apple a apple." ...bluestorm
"I was disapointed in the teams play, like Azul Diablo said ,it looks like theres not a team effort on the field.I know some people will disagree but I cant help but noticing it, this is FOOTBALL there should be no sugar coating it. This game was one of the most lack luster of a game ive witnessed at Maiden .To me your representing the town and the fans that come to the game ,if theres a problem on the team sit down discuss it get over it and start playing like a team , we that support you deserve your best effort" ...maidenUSA
"I have never seen a Maiden team play this bad. This is a team that has good players and there not really weak in any positions. There not really great but there good. They just dont act like they want to be out there. The offense couldnt get anything together the defense looked like they were afraid to tackle. I thought you learned how to tackle in peewee. They just play with no HEART. With the score as bad as it was at halftime im surprised the fans stayed around as long as they did. Maybe that was just for the 50/50 but they stayed. I heard that they had 6 players quit this week to." ...Tarheels#1
"The fact of the matter is this team does not have the desire. I agree that they do have some talent, but you play like you practice and if you don't practice then you don't play. I am glad Brian sat those guys down and I hope they get the message. Another thing I am wondering is if they work on tackling at all during practice. Evidently, they think this is two hand tag.
Great job by Foard. They came to kick Maiden's butt and they did. I hope they can keep it going." ...SlyOldDevil
"I have been going to MHS football games since I was six years old (1957). I've missed only about 20 games during those 50+ years. This is the worst game that I have ever seen a Maiden team play. This is, without a doubt, the least amount of effort that I have ever seen a Maiden team put forth.
I didn't think we were going to be overly talented this year, but I did think that maybe we could match last year's 6-5 regular season mark. Based upon what I saw last night, I'd say winning four games is absolute best-case scenario for this group." ...Smokin'DeepBlue
"Ive heard rumors same as you did blue storm that the qb will only throw to one reciever .I cant help but think that somethings going on with the team. I dont know if its the I factor or what, I do know theres no unity on this team .If it is the I factor , let me say 1 or 2 guys are not going to win any games alone I dont care who you are or how good you think you are, it takes team work ,if this is true get over all that bull ,it takes the WHOLE TEAM to win games.WE that come to the games come to see the team play not 1 or 2 players . It actually makes me mad to see a player trying to be the team. AS IN THE WORDS OF THE BEATLES COME TOGEATHER" ...maidenUSA
You just know it's bad when the Beatles references come out! Let's keep the poor Blue Devils in our thoughts in the hope that they can truly "come togeather."
I freely admit that this short but spirited series is completely impossible to analyze beyond the mundane stuff like: "The team that makes the fewest mistakes will win. Or the team that gets the ball last will score to win the game." All very true, of course. But there is no common thread that runs through all the games these past three years except that you just never know for sure how it will end. Three straight times the game has been decided in the 4th quarter OR beyond!
Do I think Hickory will win? Yes, I've picked them to win. Do I have a clue as to how they will win? Not really. It could be a fumble recovery or interception returned for a touchdown to clinch the victory. It could be a punt or kickoff return. It might be a career night rushing the ball for Rakim Barrett or a career night throwing the ball by Kevin Shelton.
I know this: Each team is hoping to grow up a lot tonight. Bandys has the added pressure of facing elimination from the CVAC race if they lose tonight. The Tornadoes won't be technically out of the running with a loss but the way things are shaping up with Newton-Conover and Hibriten it would not bode well for Hickory in the long run. Plus starting the season at 1-2 would be really uncool.
This will be the last time these two teams meet on a football field for a long time - if ever. Let's make this a great one tonight!
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...
There is a lot at stake tonight when the Red Tornadoes host the Cougars of Alexander Central at Moretz Stadium. It's rare that Hickory loses two games in a row. The last time it happened was in 2005 and the back-half of that 2-game losing streak was Alexander Central. What a terrible week that was!
Bad weather forced the Homecoming game against Newton-Conover to be postponed till the following Monday. After coming up short in a 7-3 loss to the Red Devils, the Tornadoes had to get back on the field four days later up in Taylorsville to face the Cougars for their Homecoming game. That game ended in a frustrating last-minute loss. Hickory then rolled through the rest of the schedule to clinch a share of the CVAC title.
Before that one bad week in 2005 you have to go all the way back to 2001 to find an example of a Hickory 2-game losing streak. So, it's rare and it definitely does not need to happen tonight! That's one reason for the Red Tornadoes to explode on the Coogs.
Another reason why Hickory needs a big-time performance tonight is to get the taste of losing out of everybody's mouth. It's bad business to lose an opener because it blows away all of the off-season and pre-season mental preparation. It causes questions to be asked that go directly to the heart of the matter: Does this year's edition of Red Tornado Football have the heart, the dedication, the determination to maintain the tradition?
Frankly, there is concern that this group doesn't have the "fire in the belly" that last year's group did. I reject the notion that this team has less talent than the 2007 squad. I have argued that, in fact, this year's squad has more overall talent. But a team plays the way it practices and the feedback I have received is that the practices have not gone well. Too much lazy, listless, unfocused "effort" during the week will get us beat on Friday night.
For the sake of the team psyche tonight's ballgame needs to be big and it needs to be a victory for the home team. Hickory has not started a season at 0-2 since 1991. The Red Tornadoes must have some momentum built up before heading down to Bandys next week. The players are not used to losing. As a group they've only experienced a couple of losses in their high school careers. But those losses have now occurred back-to-back and it needs to stop. Even though separated by a long off-season the fact remains that Hickory is on a 2-game losing streak dating back to the Catholic loss last November. Hickory hasn't won a varsity football game since November 16, 2007. It's time for a W!
From a more technical standpoint it needs to be mentioned that Hickory can still enter the playoffs with an unblemished record. For playoff seeding purposes only, teams are allowed to drop one loss from their record. So when the folks at the NCHSAA get into the bracketology of the 2008 playoffs they will ignore the Statesville loss. If the Red Tornadoes can run the table, starting tonight, they can still grab another #1 seed in the West. Being 10-0 is not a guarantee, of course, if there are multiple teams with spotless records but it definitely would put Hickory in strong contention. Sometimes it comes down to a flip of the coin. But that's a bridge to cross some other day. By the same token, every loss from now on will hurt - and hurt badly.
I know this: Last week's loss has left me reeling all week. I feel like I've been sluggish and out of sorts for the past seven days. I need a victory tonight. The team needs a victory tonight. We all need a victory tonight! What we don't need is anymore nonsense.
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:
Last week I stated that the Red Tornadoes must win two of the next three games. It didn't matter which two but it had to be two wins. Well, we still need two wins and now there is no margin for error. 
