Football Game Preview: West Charlotte Lions vs. Independence Patriots + How To Watch

By Team Reports Sep 30, 2025, 1:45am

Football Preview: West Charlotte Lions vs. Independence Patriots

HOW TO WATCH: This game can be replayed on the NFHS Network, the official streaming partner of the NC High School Athletic Assn. (NCHSAA) & Independence High School. Watch Full Replay

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The West Charlotte Lions will face off against the Independence Patriots at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Each of these teams will be battling to keep a three-game winning streak alive.

West Charlotte is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of North Carolina's top teams: Mallard Creek, who was ranked sixth at the time (West Charlotte was ranked fourth). The Lions put the hurt on the Mavericks with a sharp 32-9 victory on Friday. Considering the Lions have won four matchups by more than 22 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead West Charlotte to victory, but perhaps none more so than Jamouri Nichols, who threw for 206 yards and three touchdowns, and also rushed for 76 yards and one TD. Nichols has become a key player for the Lions: the team is undefeated when he posts at least three passing touchdowns, but 1-2 otherwise. West Charlotte's leading receiver Rakim Finch was Nichols' top target yet again, picking up 138 receiving yards and three scores.

Kayden Smith

Total Tackles

09/05/25 @ South Pointe1
08/22/25 vs Grimsley4
09/12/25 vs Providence4
09/19/25 vs West Mecklenburg4
08/29/25 @ Monroe5

On the other side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to West Charlotte's defense and their four sacks. In that department, Kayden Smith was the leader with 2.5. He also set a new season-high mark in total tackles with seven. Michael Griffin Jr was another major factor on D, picking up a sack and making ten total tackles in addition to snagging an interception.

Meanwhile, Independence was able to grind out a solid win over Palisades last Friday, taking the game 27-20.

Independence had a senior duo take command as Travis Hill rushed for 101 yards and a pair of touchdowns on only 13 carries and Jayden Jones rushed for 141 yards and one TD. Hill's rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his third straight game with at least 101 rushing yards.

They were just one part of a punishing run game: Independence was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 334 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in November of 2024.

Independence's victory bumped their record up to 4-1. As for West Charlotte, their win bumped their record up to 4-2.

West Charlotte won a game that couldn't have been any closer in their previous matchup back in September of 2023, slipping by Independence 21-20. Do the Lions have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Patriots turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.

Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps