The Independence Patriots had already proven themselves in the regular season, and didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They were the clear victor by a 34-14 margin over Watauga. 34 seems to be a good number for Independence as the squad scooped up a win with the same number of points in their previous game.
It was another big night for Jayden Jones, who rushed for 136 yards and three touchdowns on only 15 carries. Jones has been hot recently, having posted 100 or more rushing yards the last six times he's played. Vontrez Burch also helped out with an impressive 93 receiving yards.
Watauga's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Maddox Greene, who rushed for 86 yards, and Morgan Henry who picked up 64 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
The victory (which was Independence's third in a row) raised their record to 10-3. As for Watauga, their defeat ended a seven-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 12-1.
Independence will head out on the road to face off against Butler at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Butler is also coming in off of a big victory, so somebody is in for a big reversal of fortune. Watauga does not have any more games scheduled as of now.