Bell got the Spiders on the board early in the 2nd quarter with a 1 yard keeper.
Hickory Ridge added a 22 yard field goal just before the half to take a 19-8 halftime lead.
Midway through the third Ratliff threw his second touchdown pass of the night, this time to Duke commit Jalen Brooks.
Concord added another score on Nick Santiago's circus catch after a couple of tips to himself.
Down 12 and needing a stop the Spider defense delivered. However any chance of a comeback were extingushed when a Spider fumble resulted in a scoop and score for Bulls defender Garrett Losaw.
The Spiders fought hard but mistakes and a few big plays were too much to overcome.
Facing a lot of question marks there were bright spots for the Spiders:
Senior Quarterback Jadon Bell, who didn't play last season, completed 52% of his passes to five different receivers and ran for a score.
Sophomore running back L.J. Currie stepped in for the injured Jay Wilkerson and nearly had a 100 yard rushing game.
Senior Receiver Antonio Campbell picked up where he left off at the end of last year and led the Spiders with five catches.
Senior tight end Nick Santiago had 4 catches and a touchdown.
Junior linebacker Clint Bost led the Spider defense with 5 stops.
Sophomore corner Joe Bond recovered a Bulls fumble.
Sophomore defensive end Anthony Flores provided a spark on the D-line.
The Spiders home opener is next week vs. Fayetteville Pine Forest.
Scoring Summary
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | FINAL | |
| CONCORD | 0 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 15 |
| HICKORY RIDGE | 16 | 3 | 8 | 7 | 34 |
HR – Ratliff 70 yard run (Williams run)
HR – Garner 37 yard pass from Ratliff (Boyd run)
C – Jadon Bell 1 yard run (Bell pass from Nick Santiago)
HR – Brooks 20 yard pass from Ratliff (Williams run)
HR – McMillan 21 yard field goal
C – Santiago 27 yard pass from Bell (Trott kick)
HR – Losaw 30 yard fumble recovery
