It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but the Hickory Red Tornadoes had no problem doing just that on Friday. In a tight matchup that could have gone either way, they made off with a 42-41 win over the Panthers. Hickory's win was nothing new given the team hasn't lost yet this season.
Hickory was led to victory by Brady Stober and Isaiah Lackey. Stober threw for 267 yards and three touchdowns while completing 73.1% of his passes, while Lackey rushed for 182 yards and a touchdown. The team also got some help courtesy of Jamien Little, who picked up 52 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Despite the loss, Dudley still got an impressive performance from Andrew Attmore II, who threw for 289 yards and three touchdowns, and also punched in a touchdown on the ground. Another player making a difference was LJ Southern, who rushed for 127 yards on only 11 carries.
Hickory pushed their record up to 15-0 with that victory, which was their ninth straight at home. They've been dominating during the games in that stretch too, as they've won by an average of 21.89 points. As for Dudley, their loss ended a 11-game streak of away wins dating back to last season and brought them to 14-1.
Hickory will face off against Seventy-First at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Seventy-First's favor is that they have posted big point totals in their last eight matches. Dudley does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
