This season hasn't been kind to The Foard Tigers, who are still winless after their ninth contest. They were beaten by Hickory 61-14 on Thursday. While losing is never fun, Foard can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina football rankings (they are ranked 332nd, while Hickory is ranked 34th).
Foard's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Deontae Mcilwain, who rushed for 114 yards and a touchdown, and Chris Mazo who rushed for 67 yards and a touchdown.
Isaiah Lackey continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines for Hickory, rushing for 181 yards and four touchdowns on only ten carries. Lackey is on a roll when it comes to rushing touchdowns, as he's now punched in two or more in the last nine games he's played.
Foard's loss was their 11th straight on the road (dating back to last season), which dropped their overall record down to 0-9. Admittedly, the team was facing some tough opposition over that stretch, including 8-1 West Lincoln and 7-2 East Lincoln (their opponents had an average overall winning percentage of 58.5% over those games). As for Hickory, the victory for they keeps them at an undefeated 9-0.
Foard will look to defend their home field on October 27th against St. Stephens at 7:30 p.m. St. Stephens is still on the hunt for that elusive first 'W'. As for Hickory, they will head out on the road to face off against Statesville at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Statesville is also coming in off of a big victory, so somebody is in for a big reversal of fortune.
