High School

Hickory sets 2025 football schedule

The Red Tornadoes will open the season Aug. 22 at South Point
Mike Duprez|
Seventy-First's Jayson Franklin pushes through Hickory's defense during the first quarter of the NCHSAA 3A football championship game at Kenan Memorial Stadium in Chapel Hill on Friday, Dec. 8, 2023.
Seventy-First's Jayson Franklin pushes through Hickory's defense during the first quarter of the NCHSAA 3A football championship game at Kenan Memorial Stadium in Chapel Hill on Friday, Dec. 8, 2023. | Andrew Craft / USA TODAY NETWORK

Hickory will see some familiar foes as well as new ones when the Red Tornadoes take to the gridiron next season.

Big change is coming after the latest North Carolina High School Athletic Association realignment that doubled the number of classifications from four to eight.

Hickory, which had its 30-game win streak ended by West Charlotte in the 3-A state semifinals last year, is now a 5-A school. The Red Tornadoes are in a split 4-A/5-A conference with East Lincoln (4-A), North Lincoln (5-A), Bandys (4-A), Bunker Hill (4-A), Fred T. Foard (4-A), Maiden (4-A), Newton-Conover (4-A) and West Iredell (4-A).

North Lincoln, West Iredell, Fred T. Foard and East Lincoln were existing conference rivals from the previous four-year realignment. Hickory played North Lincoln twice last season, including in the fourth round of the state playoffs. 

Hickory’s two nonconference opponents are South Point and Alexander Central.

Here is the schedule:

Aug. 22 – at South Point

Aug. 29 – Alexander Central

Sept. 5 – Bunker Hill

Sept. 12 – at Newton-Conover

Sept. 19 – Fred T. Foard

Sept. 26 – at North Lincoln

Oct. 3 – Maiden

Oct. 10 – at West Iredell

Oct. 17 – at East Lincoln

Oct. 31 - Bandys

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Mike Duprez
MIKE DUPREZ

Mike Duprez became a freelance sports journalist for Scorebooklive.com several months after retiring from the newspaper business. A native of Oakland, California, Duprez moved around as a child due to his father’s service in the United States Marine Corps. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1981. Duprez, who lives in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, had 30 years of experience in newspapers as well as other endeavors before retiring at the end of 2021. He covers stories in both North Carolina and South Carolina for Scorebooklive.com.

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