BY JOHN BUTERA

BY JOHN BUTERA
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
NORTH LIMA-RYAN MAXWELL'S 27 YARD TOUCHDOWN RUN WITH JUST OVER NINE MINUTES
REMAINING PROVED THE DIFFERENCE HERE FRIDAY EVENING AS SOUTH RANGE TOPPPED
HICKORY 27-20. THE RAIDERS OPENED THE CONTEST WITH A 20-3, THEN HELD ON TO
INCREASE THEIR SEASON SLATE TO 3-0. HICKORY MEANWHILE IS 1-1.
THE HORNETS CAME OUT ON FIRE IN PERIOD THREE, USING THE RUSHING OF
DUSTIN KULKA TO TIE THE CONTEST AT 20-20. KULKA, LINING UP AT QUARTERBACK, OWNED
THE THIRD QUARTER, COMING WITH BIGPLAY AFTER BIG PLAY.FIRST, ON A FOURTH AND
ONE FROM THE RAIDER 38, KULKA, RUNNING FROM THE SHOTGUN, RUSHED FOR 15 YARDS.
SOON AFTER ON THE SAME TYPE PLAY HE WOULD SCORE FROM SEVEN YARD OUT MAKING THE
SCORE 20-13.
NOT FINISHED HE LATER SET UP HIS TYING TWO YARD WHEN HE RAMBLED 29
YARDS TO THE RAIDER 11.FOR THE QUARTER HE ENDED UP WITH 83 YARD ON TEN CARRIES.

ON THE ENSUING KICKOFF THE RAIDERS MATT SCHLATTER FASHIONED A NIFTY 47 YARD
RETURN BEFORE BEING TACKLED BY KICKER BEN WOODS.WOODS TURNING IN AN OUTSTANDING
EFFORT THE ENTIRE NIGHT, KICKED A PAIR OF FIELD GOALS AND ALSO HAD SOLID
KICKOFFS EACH TIME.
FOLLOWING THE MAXWELL SCORE HICKORY DROVE TO THE RAIDER SEVEN BEFORE
RUSSELL DAWSON CAME UP WITH A HUGE FUMBLE RECOVERY ON THE TEN. DAWSON WAS THE
SPIRIT BEHIND THE SOUTH RANGE DEFENSE ALL NIGHT, COMING UP WITH SEVERAL KEY PLAYS.
''HE'S BEEN SOLID ALL YEAR,' SAID DAN YEAGLEY OF THE RAIDERS. & quot;HE'S A BIG PLAY
PERSON. & quot;
'WE CAME OUT FLAT IN THE SECOND HALF' EXPLAINED DAWSON 'BUT WE CAME
THROUGH IN THE END WHEN IT COUNTED.'
SOUTH RANGE'S 20-3 LEAD CAME MOSTLY BECAUSE OF MAXWELL AND BEN JOHNSTON.
IN THE FIRST PERIOD ALONE JOHNSTON HAULED IN THREE PASSES FOR 112 YARDS,
INCLUDING A 35 YARD TOUCHDOWN. MAXWELL MEANWHILE ENDED WITH 90 YARDS ON THE GROUND
TO GO WITH A PASSING PERFORMANCE THAT WAS GOOD FOR 9 OF 16 FOR 169 YARDS. HE
ALSO ADDED SCORING BURSTS OF ONE AND 10 YARDS.
'WE WERE EXCITED AT HALFTIME,' SAID MAXWELL. THEY GOT THE FIELD GOAL BUT IT
WAS STILL A GREAT DEFENSIVE STAND.
YEAGLEY SAID, 'YOU GIVE A TEAM LIKE THAT BREATHING ROOM AND THEY'RE
GOING TO MAKE THINGS HAPPEN. BUT FORTUNATELY WE WERE ABLE TO MAKE THE BIG PLAYS
WHEN WE NEEDED THEM.'