Lackey rushes for 3 touchdowns as Hickory beats Seventy-First in 3A championship
In a battle of two undefeated heavyweights, Hickory stood tall in the ending, winning the NCHSAA 3A championship, 33-26, Friday night at Kenan Memorial Stadium.
The Red Tornadoes went on a 9-play, 62-yard drive to win their second state title in school history. It was their first state title in 26 years.
Quarterback Brady Stober, named the games Most Outstanding Player, ended the drive with an 8-yard score with 36 seconds remaining on the clock. Stober ended the night with 238 yards passing and another 46 on the ground.
Red Tornadoes running back, and offensive MVP, Isaiah Lackey finished with 111 yards and three scores.
“Unbelievable game,” Hickory head coach Joe Glass said. “These guys played their hearts out. It’s still a blur, it hasn't really all sinked in yet.”
Seventy-First tied the game at 26 with 2:42 remaining when Deandre Nance connected with Jaydeyn Surgeon for a 13-yard touchdown.
Hickory (16-0) started the next drive on the 42-yard line after a short kickoff return and marched down the field with little resistance, quickly moving into Seventy-First territory.
The Falcons (15-1) got the ball back at the 36 with a chance to tie or go for the win.
Nance dumped it off to Donavan Frederick to cross into Hickory territory with 17 ticks remaining on the clock. A pass interference call on the next play moved the ball to the 34 with 11 seconds left in the game. Will Prince picked off Nance in the endzone with no time remaining on the clock.
It felt like the game would go to the last team with the ball. That last team was Seventy-First, who had the only turnover of the game on the final drive.
After the game Glass said he saw a different look in his team's eyes, one he hadn’t seen all season.
“They looked fatigued,” Glass said. “I was really worried about the physicality, it was kind of a different look than we’ve had in the locker room that we’ve had in a while, it was a look of panic. Then I let the seniors talk, came in and made a joke and we came out and finished it.”
There were plenty of highlights in the first half that featured four touchdowns and just one punt.
Hickory took the opening kickoff and went right to work on the ground, covering 78-yards in 15 plays (8 runs) to take a 7-0 lead. Isaiah Lackey ended the drive with seven straight carries, including a 2-yard plunge for the first score.
The Falcons countered with a 12-play drive, 11 of those runs. The 12th and final play was a 13-yard pass from Deandre Nance to Amire Drummond. The second Red Tornado drive ended in a turnover on downs, but Seventy-First couldn’t take advantage, punting the ball away after five plays.
On the ensuing possession Hickory only used 58 seconds to cover 55 yards, ending in the second rushing score of the day from Lackey. Tyler Johnson added the two-point conversion, giving the Red Tornados a 15-7 advantage.
Once again, Seventy-First had a counter punch, giving Hickory a heavy dose of Nance and Donovan Frederick. The duo accounted for 67 of the 85 yards with Nance ending the drive on a 1-yard run. The conversion failed and Hickory remained in front by two. The Red Tornadoes ended the first half with a walk-off field goal by Braeden McCourt from 26-yards out for the 18-13 lead at the break.
Seventy-First took their first lead of the night on the opening drive of the second half, covering 88 yards in five plays, ending in a 38-yard run by Nance. It was the only score of the third quarter between the teams.
Lackey and Stober each scored on the ground in the fourth, with a Nance to Jaydyn Surgeon touchdown pass between the two Hickory scores. That final Seventy-First score came with just under three minutes remaining. Plenty of time for Brady and company.
“I was excited to get that moment,” Brady said. “It’s what every kid can dream of, just thinking about the situation the night before, what every kid dreams of.”
Hickory is now 2-0 all-time in state title games. Seventy-First is now 3-1-1 all-time in the championship game.
