The Independence Patriots had already proven themselves in the regular season, and didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They really took it to Lake Norman for the full four quarters, racking up a 35-0 victory on the road. Independence might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team's won eight contests by 21 points or more this season.
Leading Independence to victory were Jayden Jones and Justin Little. Jones rushed for 156 yards on only 12 carries, while Little rushed for 15 yards and two touchdowns. Jones is on a roll when it comes to rushing yards, as he's now rushed for 100 or more in the last four games he's played.
Independence's defense stepped up as well, laying out the QB four times. Lake Norman's QB won't forget Skylar Murray anytime soon given Murray sacked him twice.
Despite the loss, Lake Norman still got an impressive performance from Trae Sechrest, who rushed for 98 yards on only seven carries. Sechrest was no stranger to the big play, taking off on a dash that went for 53 yards.
Independence has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight matches, which provided a nice bump to their 8-3 record this season. As for Lake Norman, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 9-2.
Independence is on the road again on Friday and play against East Forsyth at 7:00 p.m. on November 10th. East Forsyth knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with flashy point totals in its past five matchups -- so hopefully Independence likes a good challenge. Lake Norman does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
