The East Forsyth Eagles will be playing at home against the Independence Patriots at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Two teams were on the hunt for playoff glory, but only East Forsyth walked away with it. They blew past Page 42-6 at home. The victory was familiar territory for East Forsyth who now have six in a row.
East Forsyth's win on Friday was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Bryce Baker, who threw for 284 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 11.4 yards per attempt. Baker has been hot recently, having posted three or more passing touchdowns the last seven times he's played. Jaire Richburg was another key contributor, picking up 112 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Independence got themselves on the board against Lake Norman on Friday, but Lake Norman never followed suit. They breezed by the Wildcats on the road to the tune of 35-0. The game was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point Independence had established a 21 point advantage.
Independence relied on the efforts of Jayden Jones, who rushed for 156 yards on only 12 carries, and Justin Little, who rushed for 15 yards and two touchdowns. Jones has been hot recently, having posted 100 or more rushing yards the last four times he's played.
The team's defense also helped out by holding Lake Norman to a paltry 187 yards. A big part of that defensive dominance came down to Independence's ability to keep the quarterback under pressure: the team laid him out four times before it was all said and done. Skylar Murray was particularly dangerous to the passing game, picking up two sacks himself.
East Forsyth pushed their record up to 10-1 with that win, which was their sixth straight at home. As for Independence, they are on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 8-3 record this season.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Friday's game: East Forsyth has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 161.4 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Independence struggles in that department as they've been even better at 193.4 per game. It's looking like Friday's matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches. Come back here after the game to get analysis of the match and other football content.
Everything came up roses for East Forsyth against Independence in their previous matchup back in November of 2015 as the squad secured a 49-7 victory. Does East Forsyth have another victory up their sleeve, or will Independence turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
