DENVER — Hickory still has East Lincoln football’s number.

Red Tornadoes quarterback Maddox McRee connected with wideout Ronan Nieland on four touchdown passes, while the Hickory defense limited a vaunted East Lincoln offense to six points in the second half of a 31-28 win.

“Hats off to Hickory,” said East Lincoln coach David Lubowicz. “What a great game plan they had, what a great game they played. You know, when two good teams play, one or two plays can make the difference. And that’s exactly what it was (Friday).”

East Lincoln started the night digging out of a 14-point hole, McRee and Nieland hooking up for touchdowns of 70 and 28 yards. After a scoreless first quarter, the Mustang offense awakened, scoring 22 of the game’s next 25 points.

Wake Forest recruit Grant Lawless first c

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