Independence is 0-5 against Bakersfield Christian since October of 2018 but things could change on Thursday. It'll be Battle of the Birds when Falcons challenges the Bakersfield Christian Eagles at 7:30 p.m.
Independence is headed into the matchup out to prove that what happened against Highland on Thursday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Independence came up short against Highland, falling 36-13.
Despite the defeat, Independence saw an underclassman step up: Rayland Denweed forced a fumble and made ten total tackles (2.0 for loss). The dominant performance also gave Jakhai Ervin a new career-high in rushing yards.
Independence wouldn't let Highland keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force three fumbles. It was truly a group effort as Bricen Gutierrez, Denweed, and Aamir Smith picked up one apiece.
Meanwhile, Bakersfield Christian waltzed into their contest on Friday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They pulled ahead with a 24-23 photo finish over the Drillers.
Independence's loss dropped their record down to 4-4. As for Bakersfield Christian, their win was their seventh straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 6-2.
Independence was taken down by Bakersfield Christian 49-14 when the teams last played back in October of 2023. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Bakersfield Christian's Talen Mather, who rushed for 117 yards and two touchdowns, and also threw for 69 yards and a touchdown on perfect 5-for-5 passing. 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.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps