Too legit. Too legit to quit. That’s the way to describe our Red Tornadoes. The wise man said it’s how you show up at the showdown that counts and the Red Tornadoes definitely showed what they’re made of Friday night in a heartstopping 31-24 victory over the 7th-ranked Burns Bulldogs on Senior Night at Frank Barger Stadium. The triple-overtime triumph moved Hickory (7-2, 3-1) into a tie with Burns for second place in the Southwestern Foothills 3A Conference. With the game on the line, the Red Tornadoes played like champions…
The victory also set up a scenario that could give the Red Tornadoes a share of the conference championship. If Burns can defeat league-leading Crest (5-3, 4-0) in Lawndale next week it would create a three-way tie for first place. The Bulldogs close their season on Halloween against St. Stephens, while Crest plays R-S Central and Hickory faces Fred T. Foard.
The game was a knock-‘em-down and drag-‘em-out slugfest that went the distance – and then some! Hickory’s defense got first crack at the Bulldogs and gave new meaning to the phrase "bend but don’t break" as the visitors rolled down the field, needing only five plays to advance from their own 20 to the Hickory 10 yard line. But the Tornadoes lead the league in turnover ratio and senior linebacker Tyler Johnson was in perfect position to pounce on a bad pitch between Burns quarterback Travis Withrow and tailback Brandon Jackson. The Tornadoes dodged their first bullet of the night and took over at their own 13.
On 2nd-and-9 from the 14, Kejuan "Lightning" Wright (24 carries for 117 yards) picked up a first down with a 12-yard run. Three plays later the Bulldog defense stopped Chris Rogers’ run for no gain, forcing a punt. But Burns lined up offsides, giving the Red Tornadoes an automatic first down. A holding penalty on Hickory and a huge sack by Burns’ Kenneth Carter put the Tornadoes into a 2nd-and-26 situation. Wright rambled for 14 but on third down Rogers’ long pass to Shawn Ardley fell incomplete. This time Hickory did punt and Ryan Succop booted a nice 42-yarder.
Burns began its second series on the 20 and immediately picked up a first down. Three plays later, however, Montae Griffith intercepted Withrow’s pass, putting the home team in business at the Bulldog 37. Another bullet dodged.
The Tornadoes couldn’t get anything going and on 4th-and-11 nearly midfield, Succop came on to attempt a 56-yard field goal. A bad snap doomed the kick from the beginning. Because the ball sailed into the end zone, it was brought to the 20 as the Bulldogs began their third drive of the night.
The visitors moved the ball well picking up a pair of first downs right as time ran out on the first quarter. The Bulldogs served up a steady diet of Withrow and Jackson on tough runs as they made their way to the Hickory goal line. Withrow kept the ball and plunged in for the 1-yard touchdown. The extra point kick was good and the Bulldogs were on the board with a 7-0 lead at 8:06 before halftime.
Hickory’s next drive was a short one as the Tornadoes again could not generate any offense. Succop punted and after the return, Burns was in business at the 50.
On first down Withrow’s pass was knocked away by senior Shawn Ardley. The second pass of the drive, however, went for a 19-yard pickup. Four plays later freshman running back Adrian Wells scored from the two. The PAT was good and the visitors boosted their lead to 14-0 with 3:36 to go before the break.
After another Hickory punt the Bulldogs began their next drive on their own 30. The Burns offense began to throw the ball more on this drive and complete a couple of nice passes to junior phenomenon Josh Briscoe. On 2nd-and-8 from the Hickory 39, Withrow hit Orlando Goolsby on a 12-yard pass. On 1st-and-10 from the 27, Withrow went to the well once too often and was intercepted by Alex Wilson in the end zone. With less than a minute to go before halftime, this was one of the biggest stops of the game. Wilson’s interception prevented Burns from taking a 21-0 lead and momentum into the locker room at the half. The Red Tornadoes were not out of it yet!
When the Tornadoes came out of the locker room for the second half, it was clear that someone had lit a fire under them because they were pumped! Sentel Carey, unable to go in the second half turned cheerleader (along with several others) and kept the fire burning on the sideline and in the stands. The intensity was definitely there.
After the kickoff Hickory began its drive from the 24-yard line. Wright and Martin took turns pounding the ball and picking up nice yardage as the Tornadoes drove down to the Burns 21. A motion penalty on Hickory and an incomplete pass that probably should have been flagged for interference by Withrow led to a 40-yard field goal attempt by Succop. The kick was no-good and the Bulldogs took over on their 20 after the touchback.
Burns went 3-and-out and punted with 6:34 to play in the quarter. Hickory would begin its next drive on the Tornado 31. It was to be a momentous one for the home team.
Wright picked up short gains on first and second down but Rogers’ screen pass on third down was incomplete. Succop boomed a 49-yarder but Burns had too many men on the field. The five-yard penalty put the Tornadoes into a 4th-and-2 situation on their own 39. The decision was made to go for it rather than punt and Wright ran for seven big yards to keep the drive alive.
Rogers was tackled for a loss on first down but Wright got it back on second down with an 11-yard run. On 3rd-and-5 at the Burns 49, Martin rumbled for seven. Rogers’ pass completion to Alex Wilson on first down was called incomplete by a referee who was out of position to make the call. Martin picked up nine on 2nd-and-10 and Wright followed up with a 9-yard yard run of his own. He and Martin took turns again moving the football down the field as the quarter ended and the final period began.
Wright was shaken up after a 3-yard pickup on third down. When he got to his feet and play continued, Hickory faced 4th-and-5 in a must-score situation. Rogers rolled to the right and zipped the ball to Wilson in the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown. It would be the only completed pass of the night for Hickory. Succop’s kick made the score 14-7 with 10:48 left to play in the ballgame.
As usual, Succop’s kickoff sailed into the end zone and Burns set up on the 20 yard line. On 3rd-and-6 at the 24 Withrow’s pass was tipped into the arms of Wilson who caught it in stride and glided into the end zone as the fans went wild. Succop’s kick was perfect and just like that it was 14-14 with 9:51 left.
Stung by the sudden reversal of fortune and forced to start at their own 20 following yet another booming Succop kickoff, the Bulldogs frantically began driving down the field again. Relying almost exclusively on Withrow’s running abilities, Burns took eight plays to advance to Hickory’s 23 yard line. Once again, however, Hickory’s defense rose to the occasion as Zay Jeter, a thorn in the side of the visitors all night, pounced on a loose football at the 24.
The Burns defense shut down the Tornado offense, forcing a punt. Michael Baker was clipped on the return, pushing the Bulldogs back to their own 31. And that’s when the drama really started.
On the drive’s first play, Withrow picked up a quick 16 yards. Jackson got five yards on the next play as Burns moved into Tornado territory. On 2nd-and-5 at the Hickory 48, Withrow ran smack into Griffin Rush and was thrown for a loss of two yards. On 3rd-and-7 Withrow’s pass was incomplete and the punting team came onto the field. It looked like Hickory would have the opportunity to drive down the field and break the tie with little time left. But a member of the return team lined up offsides, giving Burns an automatic first down at the Tornado 43.
Given new life, Withrow proceeded to make the most of it. On first down he rambled for 14 yards to the 29, putting his team in field goal position. After a two-yard gain on next play, Withrow passed complete to Goolsby for 12 yards. On 1st-and-10 at the Hickory 15, the Tornado defense struck back, sacking Withrow for a huge 13-yard loss.
On 2nd-and-23 from the 28, Withrow attempted to run but was stuffed for no gain by a fired up Hickory defense. Burns used its final timeout to discuss what would be a huge 3rd-and-28 play. Withrow then coolly connected with Josh Briscoe on a 26-yard pass play to the Hickory two. Burn had two yards to go but only :02 in which to do it.
The decision was made to attempt a game-winning field goal. With no timeouts available, the Bulldogs had to stop the clock one time in order to set up for the attempt. But instead of spiking the ball, Withrow took a knee! After several minutes of heated discussion among the referees and players, the ruling was made. Since taking a knee is the same as running with the football, the clock must continue to run – meaning that regulation time had expired. What had been a great game was about to get even better.
Overtime.
Game captain John Garner went out for the coin toss, which Burns won. The Tornadoes would have to go on offense first. Starting at the 10-yard line, each team would have four downs in which to score.
On first down Wright was stopped for no gain. On second down Martin bulled for a gain of four. Rogers’ third down pass was incomplete and Succop came out to attempt a 24-yard field goal. The kick was right on the money and Hickory took a 17-14 lead.
Burns picked up a yard on first down and seven more on the next play. On 3rd-and-goal from the two, the Hickory defense stopped the Bulldogs cold. That brought up an agonizing 4th-and-goal situation. The Bulldogs used their allotted timeout to discuss things. They could kick the field goal and force a second overtime or they could gamble and try for the touchdown and the victory. Suddenly Briscoe exploded from the sideline huddle and stomped angrily down to the far end of the visitors bench and hung his head in frustration. Burns would kick the field goal. Zach Wilkenson nailed the 17-yard attempt and tied the game at 17.
Overtime, again!
Burns got the ball first in the second overtime period and picked up five yards on first down. On second down Jackson zipped into the end zone for the touchdown. The PAT was successful and the Bulldogs took a 24-17 lead.
Martin, who never, EVER goes down before getting hit by nearly everybody on the enemy defense, muscled his way for three yards on first down. On 2nd-and-goal from the seven, Rogers rolled to his right, tucked the ball and headed for the marker. Touchdown! As the crowd continued to go wild on the home side, Succop drilled the PAT and the game was tied again, 24-24.
Overtime, one more time…
Back on offense, Hickory got three yards on Rogers’ first-down run. Wright picked up five more on second down. On 3rd-and-goal Martin followed the block of center Grant Smith into the end zone for the touchdown. Succop kicked yet another PAT while Tornado fans were going absolutely nuts. All the pressure was now on the shoulders of an exhausted Bulldog squad and destiny was knocking.
Jackson was nailed behind the line of scrimmage for a 2-yard loss on first down. On 2nd-and-goal from the 12, Withrow stumbled ahead for a couple yards before being dragged down by linebacker Matt Maynard. Withrow, who rushed for 168 yards in the game, picked up eight on third down. Once again the Bulldogs faced a 4th-and-goal situation on the two but kicking a field goal was no longer an option. It would be all or nothing. Withrow took the snap and tried one last time to save his team. He dove into the pile behind his massive offensive line and disappeared in the pileup. The referees took several moments to untangle the pile while everyone in the stadium held their breath…
GAME OVER!!
As the crowd erupted in the stands and the players, cheerleaders, students and band members charged onto the field in a beautiful, spontaneous celebration, a new and glorious era in the long history of Red Tornado football was ushered in as the bell tolled. For those who participated and the fans who watched them make it happen, it was truly a night to remember and the ultimate salute to a very special group of seniors.
Now THAT’S Red Tornado football!!
