On Friday Butler will have to hit the road after three straight games at home. They will venture away from home to face off against the Independence Patriots at 7:00 p.m. Butler is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 27.6 points per game this season.
Butler is probably headed into the match with a chip on their shoulder considering Charlotte Catholic just ended the team's four-game winning streak last Friday. They came up short against the Cougars, falling 34-14. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest loss the Bulldogs have suffered since August 23rd.
The match pitted two dominant backs against one another in Jayden Williams and Jake Anderson. Anderson had a great game and gained 128 total yards and three touchdowns. Meanwhile, Williams was balling out in the loss, picking up 73 receiving yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for 65 yards and a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Independence entered their tilt with Rocky River on Friday with three consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with four. They breezed by the Ravens to the tune of 44-0. The Patriots might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won seven matchups by 21 points or more this season.
It was another big night for Jayden Jones, who rushed for 206 yards and four touchdowns on only 13 carries, and also picked up 62 receiving yards and a touchdown. Jones is crushing it when it comes to rushing yards: he's rushed for at least 115 every time he's taken the field this season. Another player making a difference was Justin Little, who threw for 219 yards and two touchdowns on only 12 passes.
On the other side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Independence's defense and their four sacks. Leading the way was DeShaun Wilkes with two. He also set a new season high mark in total tackles with nine. Independence got some further help from Tre'Jaon Garnes: he forced a fumble, made nine total tackles (1.0 for loss), and defended a pass.
Independence was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 257 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 206 rushing yards in nine consecutive games.
Butler now has a losing record at 4-5. As for Independence, they pushed their record up to 8-1 with the victory, which was their seventh straight on the road.
Friday's contest might be decided in the on the ground. Butler has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 185.9 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Independence struggles in that department as they've been averaging 278.7. It's looking like Friday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Butler couldn't quite finish off Independence in their previous matchup back in November of 2023 and fell 10-7. Can Butler avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
