Two dominant backs in Jayden Jones and Jayden Williams are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Independence Patriots will be staying on the road on Friday to face off against the Butler Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. on November 24th. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Independence extended their postseason success on Friday against Watauga. They blew past the Pioneers 34-14. The score at the end of the third wound up being the final score as Independence just coasted through the last quarter.
Jones continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 136 yards and three touchdowns on only 15 carries. Jones hasn't dropped below 100 rushing yards for six straight games. Independence also got help from Vontrez Burch who showed off his sure hands for 93 receiving yards.
Meanwhile, Butler came tearing into Friday's contest with 12 straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 33.6 points) and they left with even more momentum. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Mount Tabor 49-13 at home. Given Butler's advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina football rankings (they are ranked second, while Mount Tabor is ranked 30th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Butler to victory, but perhaps none more so than Williams, who rushed for 145 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 7.3 yards per carry. Williams has been hot recently, having posted two or more rushing touchdowns the last three times he's played. Dequadre Currence was another key contributor, picking up 117 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Another reason for the win was Butler's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for five sacks. Tyquan Rankin was especially locked on to Mount Tabor's QB and sacked him twice.
Independence pushed their record up to 10-3 with that victory, which was their third straight on the road. Even more impressive is the teams they beat to make that streak: Watauga, East Forsyth, and Lake Norman. As for Butler, their victory bumped their record up to 12-1.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Friday's contest: Independence has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 201.5 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Butler struggles in that department as they've been averaging 177.4 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.
Independence came up short against Butler in their previous meeting back in October, falling 35-23. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Butler's Williams, who rushed for 137 yards, and also picked up 43 receiving yards. Now that Independence knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
