As expected it was a low scoring affair tonight at NW Cabarrus. The two offenses could not establish much production trading possessions just about the entire first 24 minutes. Late in the first quarter with 2:51 NW scored on the foot of their highly touted place kicker for a field goal. That was it for the scoring as the Ragin' Bulls went to the locker room down 3-0. It was only the second time this season the Bulls have been shut out in the first half.
NW did end the first half with a missed 37 yard field goal. The opportunity came after a critical mistake by special teams play. Hickory Ridge was called for roughing the punter after a great defensive stand appeared to give the Bulls one more chance to do something on offense before the break.
At the 3:18 mark in the 3rd quarter, NW scored on a 9 yard TD pass play. A 3rd down play, high fade route to the back corner of the end zone extended the Trojan lead to 10- 0.
On the Bulls next possession it looked like the Bulls were making a statement. Brian Baltimore broke through the middle, then cut left and scampered 62 yards for a TD. Only issue, a holding penalty near mid field nullified the great run.
The Bulls did keep the drive alive to start the 4th quarter. Baltimore scores from 32 yards out and with 10:27 in the contest the score was HRHS 7, NW 10.
The Ragin' Bulls defense makes another strong statement forcing NW to a 3 and out off the ensuing kick off. Bulls offense seemed poised to really take control of the game after the NW punt. Bulls set of offense at their own 43 with 8:18 to play. On a first down sweep to the left, Baltimore goes down hard and is forced to the sidelines for the remainder of the series. The Bulls go 3 and out and are forced to punt again. A big roll off the foot of Dillion Burdette pushes the Trojans back to their 17.
Once again the Ragin' Bulls Defense bends, but does not break and after 1 first down, the Trojans are punting.
The final offensive series. The Bulls let the Trojan punt land and roll to the 27 yard line. With 3:11 in the game, Bulls are 63 yards from victory. Brian Baltimore returns, and carries on first down for no gain. 2nd down, pass falls incomplete, 3rd down incomplete pass, 4th down, strong pressure from the defensive line and another incomplete pass. North West holds on and salts away a conference win in front of their fans on Homecoming night.
The loss simply means that Hickory Ridge will take a much more difficult path to the playoffs. They could certainly use some help in seeing AL Brown or Concord falter before the next couple of weeks. Next week, HRHS host AL Brown at the Ridge.
Come on out and support your Ragin' Bulls.
Check back for complete game stats and more!
Go Bulls!
Friday, October 15, 2010
Ragin’ Bulls ready to make Run at the SPC Title
Baltimore against Mt Pleasant
The game this week is against North West Cabarrus who lost a close game against JM Robinson, 7-10 last week and an earlier contest to Concord 0-18. NW Cabarrus is now 1-2 in conference. Both Concord and AL Brown are still in the future for Hickory Ridge. To give some sense of comparison, HR beat Mt Pleasant last week 20-14, while NW was able to take down the Tigers 29-15 in week 6. This weeks game should be a closely fought battle between to programs looking to land a playoff spot just behind Concord and AL Brown. The big difference is that if Hickory Ridge can win on Friday, they still own their own destiny to an out right win of the SPC title.
Defense and special teams will certainly determine the winner as the 2 offenses produce very similar numbers. NW averages 15 points per game compared to the Bulls putting up an average of 17 points per game. Defense is quite different. NW allows only 15 PPG, to HR’s 23 PPG. The Ragin’s Bulls will certainly need a focused effort on the road this week.
Go Bulls!
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Bulls Season of Firsts Saved
Some teams are special because a few star players carry it to soaring heights. Some teams are special because of the chemistry and camaraderie shared amongst the players. Some teams are special because of their positive attitude no matter the outcome. Your 2010 Hickory Ridge men's soccer team is special because there is no one individual to stop, there is no quit, and they seemingly defy all odds to post a result when one should not logically be posted. Such was the case Tuesday night against the quality of Cox Mill on their pitch. With starting (and only) goalkeeper Drew Andreotti relegated to the bench as a spectator due to an injury suffered against Central Cabarrus last Thursday night and the SPC 4th place Cox Mill crowd loud and rambunctious, the prospects for a Bulls victory were greatly diminished. But special teams overcome long odds and that is precisely what your Ragin' Bulls did.
Now it should be noted that Drew is not a keeper by training. On his club teams Drew was a field player, but since Hickory Ridge's inception 4 years ago Drew has agreed to sacrifice for his school team by agreeing to become the full time goal keeper. There wasn't a viable goalie then and there isn't a viable goalie now that would help the team be successful.... until, perhaps, tonight that is. Enter Sr. Alex Batson. Alex has no goalie training, and, to my knowledge, has never played keeper in his life except for some time last week vs. Central and 15 minutes against Concord earlier this season. Yet, if there was a man of the match awarded for this game, it would be awarded to Alex with honorary mention awarded to the defense. The first half was a fairly even affair as to possession and shots on goal with maybe a slight advantage to Cox Mill. The Cox Mill Mavericks scored first on a controversial no call as Alex was bulled over defending a shot and the ensuing rebound shot was sent in to give the Mavericks a 1-0 lead in the 16th minute of the match. 13 minutes later, the Mavericks scored again on a double header that even Tim Howard from the U.S. National team would struggle preventing. However, the key point in the entire match occurred about a minute after going down 2-0 when a foul by the Bulls occurred inside the penalty box. With the Cox Mill crowd amping up the noise and the Hickory Ridge parents fidgeting nervously in their seats, the ensuing penalty kick was thwarted by Alex as he dove to his left and collected the PK to preserve the 2-0 deficit. The heroic save ignited the Bulls defense and they prevented another shot on goal for the remainder of the half.
The second half was all Hickory Ridge as Coach Wolfe made a key coaching decision to change the alignment from a defensive one to protect Alex to the more traditional one the lads had been playing all year. From the opening kick the Bulls dominated play, time of possession, shots on goal (Cox Mill had maybe 2 in the entire 2nd half), you name it, they dominated. Brandon Castillo got things rolling 4 minutes into the 2nd half when he converted a free kick from about 30 yards out into a goal to cut the deficit in half, 2-1 Mavericks. The Bulls continued their relentless pressure and were rewarded when Jerome Means put yet another seeing eye shot through the entire Cox Mill defense and past the keeper to knot the score at 2-2 with 6:31 remaining in the contest. Not even 2 minutes later Adrian Ike put a shot from a difficult angle into the back right corner of the net to the give the Bulls its first lead of the match at 3-2. The last 4 minutes of the contest saw the Bulls turn back one Mavericks attack after another and, with the final whistle blowing and the final score 3-2 Bulls, the Bulls special season drives on. We have now set a school record for wins at 13-2-1 overall, 9-1 in the SPC and are now only 1 point behind Concord in SPC play who is 7-0-2 after their draw Tuesday night vs. Robinson. (Note: 1 point behind assuming no other losses/ties for the remainder of their year ignoring the result of the HR-Concord match up)
Go Bulls!
Now it should be noted that Drew is not a keeper by training. On his club teams Drew was a field player, but since Hickory Ridge's inception 4 years ago Drew has agreed to sacrifice for his school team by agreeing to become the full time goal keeper. There wasn't a viable goalie then and there isn't a viable goalie now that would help the team be successful.... until, perhaps, tonight that is. Enter Sr. Alex Batson. Alex has no goalie training, and, to my knowledge, has never played keeper in his life except for some time last week vs. Central and 15 minutes against Concord earlier this season. Yet, if there was a man of the match awarded for this game, it would be awarded to Alex with honorary mention awarded to the defense. The first half was a fairly even affair as to possession and shots on goal with maybe a slight advantage to Cox Mill. The Cox Mill Mavericks scored first on a controversial no call as Alex was bulled over defending a shot and the ensuing rebound shot was sent in to give the Mavericks a 1-0 lead in the 16th minute of the match. 13 minutes later, the Mavericks scored again on a double header that even Tim Howard from the U.S. National team would struggle preventing. However, the key point in the entire match occurred about a minute after going down 2-0 when a foul by the Bulls occurred inside the penalty box. With the Cox Mill crowd amping up the noise and the Hickory Ridge parents fidgeting nervously in their seats, the ensuing penalty kick was thwarted by Alex as he dove to his left and collected the PK to preserve the 2-0 deficit. The heroic save ignited the Bulls defense and they prevented another shot on goal for the remainder of the half.
The second half was all Hickory Ridge as Coach Wolfe made a key coaching decision to change the alignment from a defensive one to protect Alex to the more traditional one the lads had been playing all year. From the opening kick the Bulls dominated play, time of possession, shots on goal (Cox Mill had maybe 2 in the entire 2nd half), you name it, they dominated. Brandon Castillo got things rolling 4 minutes into the 2nd half when he converted a free kick from about 30 yards out into a goal to cut the deficit in half, 2-1 Mavericks. The Bulls continued their relentless pressure and were rewarded when Jerome Means put yet another seeing eye shot through the entire Cox Mill defense and past the keeper to knot the score at 2-2 with 6:31 remaining in the contest. Not even 2 minutes later Adrian Ike put a shot from a difficult angle into the back right corner of the net to the give the Bulls its first lead of the match at 3-2. The last 4 minutes of the contest saw the Bulls turn back one Mavericks attack after another and, with the final whistle blowing and the final score 3-2 Bulls, the Bulls special season drives on. We have now set a school record for wins at 13-2-1 overall, 9-1 in the SPC and are now only 1 point behind Concord in SPC play who is 7-0-2 after their draw Tuesday night vs. Robinson. (Note: 1 point behind assuming no other losses/ties for the remainder of their year ignoring the result of the HR-Concord match up)
Go Bulls!
Friday, October 8, 2010
Bulls Soccer Suffers Scare
Fresh off their stirring victory over Jay M. Robinson on Tuesday, the Bulls Soccer team looked to continue their inspired play of late against Central Cabarrus in the 2nd meeting of the season for the two conference foes. The Bulls won the first meeting 1-0 but it was a struggle as the CC Vikings forced the Bulls to play at their slower, controlled pace. This contest started much the same way the last contest played out as again the Vikings forced the Bulls to play at a slower, controlled pace. Unfortunately, the Ragin' men are best when they're playing fast and aggressive. That didn't happen until Central went up 1-0 24 minutes into the match. Giving up a goal lit a fire under the team and 30 seconds later Brandon Castillo answered off an assist from Matt Abbott. A few minutes later Hickory Ridge keeper Drew Andreotti went down with an injury after making a leaping save to keep the score knotted at 1-1. After staying down for a few minutes, Drew came out of the game and was replaced by backup keeper Alex Batson. Alex kept the Vikings from scoring on the ensuing corner kick and, after a little rest on the sideline, Drew came back into the game and the half ended at 1-1.
The second half started with Alex Batson back in goal and the Bulls owning the kickoff. Right away it was obvious coach Wolfe gave instruction to force Central to play at the Bulls pace vs. the other way around. Sure enough, Hickory Ridge played fast, aggressive, and scored again 4 minutes into the 2nd half. As in the first half, it was Abbott assisting Castillo on the score. Not to be content with a 2-1 lead, the Ragin' men continued their assault but just missed on several other opportunities. The defense did their part too by preventing any decent shots on goal and keeping Batson's pink goalie shirt clean. So with the clocking ticking to zero and the scoreboard reading Home -2, Away - 1, the men in pink socks and the keeper in pink goalie shirt in honor of breast cancer awareness month, celebrated their school record 12th victory of the season. The Bulls are now 12-2-1 overall, 8-1 in conference play, and solidly entrenched 1/2 game behind first place in the SPC. Next up is Cox Mill next Tuesday, at Cox Mill, in a game the Mavericks hope to avenge their earlier 4-3 loss in OT to the Ragin' Bulls.
Sr. Garrett Hill "flies" through a header in the 2nd half of the Bulls 2-1 victory over Central
Go Bulls!
The second half started with Alex Batson back in goal and the Bulls owning the kickoff. Right away it was obvious coach Wolfe gave instruction to force Central to play at the Bulls pace vs. the other way around. Sure enough, Hickory Ridge played fast, aggressive, and scored again 4 minutes into the 2nd half. As in the first half, it was Abbott assisting Castillo on the score. Not to be content with a 2-1 lead, the Ragin' men continued their assault but just missed on several other opportunities. The defense did their part too by preventing any decent shots on goal and keeping Batson's pink goalie shirt clean. So with the clocking ticking to zero and the scoreboard reading Home -2, Away - 1, the men in pink socks and the keeper in pink goalie shirt in honor of breast cancer awareness month, celebrated their school record 12th victory of the season. The Bulls are now 12-2-1 overall, 8-1 in conference play, and solidly entrenched 1/2 game behind first place in the SPC. Next up is Cox Mill next Tuesday, at Cox Mill, in a game the Mavericks hope to avenge their earlier 4-3 loss in OT to the Ragin' Bulls.
Go Bulls!
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Let the Good Times Roll
There's a song by the Cars titled "Let the Good Times Roll" that could define the Bulls soccer season so far, but what really comes to mind is a song by Ten Years After, or at least these lyrics "There's somethin' happenin here, what it is ain't exactly clear...". What is clear is this season is turning into something special, we just don't know how special yet. It started with a victory over perennial 4A power Porter Ridge in the first game of the season and has continued through to the Hickory Ridge - J.M. Robinson match on Tuesday night. In a seemingly all too common occurrence this year, the Bulls struck first and early when Jr. Eric Frederick passed to Sr. Matt Abbott who slipped between the last two defenders, sent a shot to the left of the onrushing Robinson keeper who deflected the shot but not enough to prevent it from crossing the end line before a Robinson defender could get there. With that shot Hickory Ridge took the lead 1-0 not even 3 minutes into the game. However, from that point on, the remainder of the first half belonged to the Robinson Bulldogs as the ball pretty much stayed in the Hickory Ridge half of the field. Time and time again the staunch defense, anchored by central defenders Jason Hladik and Eric Frederick and goal keeper Drew Andreotti, kept the Bulldogs at bay. The half ended with the Bulls holding a tenuous 1-0 lead.
The second half began with much more energy and focus by the Bulls as they created several dangerous chances in the first 5 minutes. Unfortunately, their efforts went unrewarded and the Bulldogs evened the match at 1-1 in the 46th minute (6th minute of the 2nd half). Robinson followed that up with another score 3 minutes later to forge their last and only lead of the match 2-1. Now something needs to be pointed out here. This is a battle between 2 teams tied for 2nd place in the SPC, with each team having 1 loss thanks to SPC leading Concord. Both teams are 1/2 game behind Concord in the standings and if either team desires to finish first, this is a must win game. So going down 2-1 in the first 10 minutes of the 2nd half could have been a back breaker for the Bulls, but remember the lyrics by Ten Years After...."there's somethin' happenin' here, what it is ain't exactly clear...". So rather than accept being down, the Bulls increased their intensity even further putting tremendous pressure on the Bulldogs defense. 1:05 after losing the lead, Jr. Adrian Ike headed a throw-in from Sr. Chris Faber towards the goal where Jr. Brandon Castillo knocked it down and put a shot on frame that beat the Bulldogs keeper into the back left corner of the net to knot the game up at 2-2. Assist, Ike; goal, Castillo; momentum, Bulls. For the next 17 minutes Hickory Ridge had the better of the play, but Robinson created enough chances of their own to keep the large crowd, which was bolstered by the attendance of Harrisburg Youth Association soccer families, on the edge of their seats. Both sides missed excellent opportunities to take the lead until, with 13 minutes left in the contest, Jr. Adrian Ike collected a pass to the right corner, made a nifty move to allow the defender to run past, and sent a centering pass to the top of the 18 where Sr. midfielder Jerome Means sent a seeing eye shot through several defenders, past the keeper, and into the back right corner of the net to put the Bulls up 3-2. As is typical when playing a quality opponent that just fell behind, the Bulls had to prepare for a renewed onslaught from the losing side. The last 10 minutes of the match saw Hickory Ridge thwart one Bulldog attack after another. Sometimes by great defending from the outside fullbacks Sr. Garrett Hill and So. Darren Ballesteros, sometimes by the central defenders Hladik and Frederick, and sometimes by keeper Andreotti, but in no time was the defense broken. It was truly a team effort, from the coaches to the players, from the offense to the defense, from the starters to the subs and players that prepared them. Your Hickory Ridge Ragin Bulls are now 7-1 in the SPC, 1/2 game out of first and in sole possession of second. There's somethin' happenin' here....come join us.
Next game is at home on Thursday, 10/7 against Central Cabarrus.
GO BULLS!
The second half began with much more energy and focus by the Bulls as they created several dangerous chances in the first 5 minutes. Unfortunately, their efforts went unrewarded and the Bulldogs evened the match at 1-1 in the 46th minute (6th minute of the 2nd half). Robinson followed that up with another score 3 minutes later to forge their last and only lead of the match 2-1. Now something needs to be pointed out here. This is a battle between 2 teams tied for 2nd place in the SPC, with each team having 1 loss thanks to SPC leading Concord. Both teams are 1/2 game behind Concord in the standings and if either team desires to finish first, this is a must win game. So going down 2-1 in the first 10 minutes of the 2nd half could have been a back breaker for the Bulls, but remember the lyrics by Ten Years After...."there's somethin' happenin' here, what it is ain't exactly clear...". So rather than accept being down, the Bulls increased their intensity even further putting tremendous pressure on the Bulldogs defense. 1:05 after losing the lead, Jr. Adrian Ike headed a throw-in from Sr. Chris Faber towards the goal where Jr. Brandon Castillo knocked it down and put a shot on frame that beat the Bulldogs keeper into the back left corner of the net to knot the game up at 2-2. Assist, Ike; goal, Castillo; momentum, Bulls. For the next 17 minutes Hickory Ridge had the better of the play, but Robinson created enough chances of their own to keep the large crowd, which was bolstered by the attendance of Harrisburg Youth Association soccer families, on the edge of their seats. Both sides missed excellent opportunities to take the lead until, with 13 minutes left in the contest, Jr. Adrian Ike collected a pass to the right corner, made a nifty move to allow the defender to run past, and sent a centering pass to the top of the 18 where Sr. midfielder Jerome Means sent a seeing eye shot through several defenders, past the keeper, and into the back right corner of the net to put the Bulls up 3-2. As is typical when playing a quality opponent that just fell behind, the Bulls had to prepare for a renewed onslaught from the losing side. The last 10 minutes of the match saw Hickory Ridge thwart one Bulldog attack after another. Sometimes by great defending from the outside fullbacks Sr. Garrett Hill and So. Darren Ballesteros, sometimes by the central defenders Hladik and Frederick, and sometimes by keeper Andreotti, but in no time was the defense broken. It was truly a team effort, from the coaches to the players, from the offense to the defense, from the starters to the subs and players that prepared them. Your Hickory Ridge Ragin Bulls are now 7-1 in the SPC, 1/2 game out of first and in sole possession of second. There's somethin' happenin' here....come join us.
Jr. Brandon Castillo celebrates his game tying goal against JM Robinson
Next game is at home on Thursday, 10/7 against Central Cabarrus.
GO BULLS!
Monday, October 4, 2010
Cox Mill Rewind
A look at the stats really showed what a great performance the Ragin' Bulls put together against the Chargers of Cox Mill. The Bulls totaled 334 yards of offense in their 37- 20 win last Friday night.
Brian Baltimore was the leading rusher putting together one of his best performances of the year. Baltimore had 243 yards on 24 carries yielding an average of 5.9 yards and scoring 3 touch downs. Brian ran for his longest TD of the season, a 60 yard dash early in the first quarter to tie the score. 6-6, the PAT gave HRHS the lead at 7-6.
Dale Brown stepped up big on defense as he recovered a fumble and returned it for a TD to extend the Bulls lead. The fumble recovery went for 64 yards.
Cody Cothern also scored around the right side on a 37 yard scamper after Cox Mill failed with an on side kick off.
Cox Mill made several attempts and trick plays and failed every time. The Bulls stopped 2 fake punts to go along with the failed on side kick.
Next week is homecoming so come on out and see your Ragin' Bulls against our number 1 rival, Mt Pleasant Tigers.
Go Bulls!
Brian Baltimore was the leading rusher putting together one of his best performances of the year. Baltimore had 243 yards on 24 carries yielding an average of 5.9 yards and scoring 3 touch downs. Brian ran for his longest TD of the season, a 60 yard dash early in the first quarter to tie the score. 6-6, the PAT gave HRHS the lead at 7-6.
Dale Brown stepped up big on defense as he recovered a fumble and returned it for a TD to extend the Bulls lead. The fumble recovery went for 64 yards.
Cody Cothern also scored around the right side on a 37 yard scamper after Cox Mill failed with an on side kick off.
Cox Mill made several attempts and trick plays and failed every time. The Bulls stopped 2 fake punts to go along with the failed on side kick.
Next week is homecoming so come on out and see your Ragin' Bulls against our number 1 rival, Mt Pleasant Tigers.
Go Bulls!
Friday, October 1, 2010
Hickory Ridge Stays Perfect in Conference 2-0 after beating Cox Mill
The Ragin' Bulls remain un-beaten in SPC conference play after a resounding win over the Cox Mill Chargers.
Things could not have started worse for HRHS as the first play from scrimmage was an 80 yard bomb for a touchdown to give the Chargers an early lead. The only miscue by the Chargers was a failed PAT. On the first series for the Bulls, Brian Baltimore answered with a 60 yard run to put the Bulls even. Point after gave HRHS a 1 point lead, 7-6.
The final score was HRHS- 37, Cox Mill 20.
Check in later for more comprehensive stats on the game.
Special teams really made the game interesting, especially on the part of Cox Mill. Several decisions by the Chargers coaching staff had many in the stands shaking their heads. Two failed fake punts, and a failed kick off, aided Hickory Ridge in maintaining great field position throughout the game.
Next week come out to see Hickory Ridge in action against Mt Pleasant on Homecoming Night. The events will end a great Spirit Week at HRHS.
Go Bulls!
Things could not have started worse for HRHS as the first play from scrimmage was an 80 yard bomb for a touchdown to give the Chargers an early lead. The only miscue by the Chargers was a failed PAT. On the first series for the Bulls, Brian Baltimore answered with a 60 yard run to put the Bulls even. Point after gave HRHS a 1 point lead, 7-6.
The final score was HRHS- 37, Cox Mill 20.
Check in later for more comprehensive stats on the game.
Special teams really made the game interesting, especially on the part of Cox Mill. Several decisions by the Chargers coaching staff had many in the stands shaking their heads. Two failed fake punts, and a failed kick off, aided Hickory Ridge in maintaining great field position throughout the game.
Next week come out to see Hickory Ridge in action against Mt Pleasant on Homecoming Night. The events will end a great Spirit Week at HRHS.
Go Bulls!
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