Walnut Grove entered their tilt with Independence on Thursday with two consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with three. They blew past the Independence Knights 64-33. The result was nothing new for the Wildcats, who have now won six games by 28 points or more so far this season.
Leading Walnut Grove to victory were Cameron Newton and Hayes Hackney. Newton gained 192 total yards and four touchdowns, while Hackney threw for 258 yards and five touchdowns while completing 81% of his passes. Newton was no stranger to the big play, turning on the jets for a run that went for 63 yards. Luke Watkins did his part for the team as well, scoring a TD off of 83 receiving yards.
Walnut Grove was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 359 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in September of 2023.
Walnut Grove's defensive line made their presence known, laying out Logan Murindagomo. three times. Leading the way was Alex Omet with two sacks.
Despite the loss, Independence had strong showings from Murindagomo, who rushed for 161 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 8.1 yards per carry, and Mckenzie West, who gained 148 total yards. Those 161 rushing yards gave Murindagomo a new career-high.
Walnut Grove pushed their record up to 9-1 with the win, which was their fifth straight at home. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 56.2 points per game. As for Independence, they have traveled a rocky road recently having lost six of their last seven matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 2-8 record this season.
Walnut Grove will square off against Seguin at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both might be coming in a bit winded given these two teams combined for 1,095 yards in their previous games. Independence does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
