The Independence Knights will be playing at home against the Emerson Mavericks at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Independence comes in on a streak of failing to score more than ten points in their last three games, a trend the squad is of course eager to reverse.
Last Friday, Independence was beaten by Lake Dallas 70-10. While losing is never fun, Independence can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 837th, while Lake Dallas is ranked 156th).
Meanwhile, Emerson pushed their score all the way to 35 two weeks ago, but even that wasn't enough to win. They and Lake Dallas were almost perfectly matched up, but Emerson suffered an agonizing 36-35 loss. It was the first time this season that Emerson let down their fans at home.
Despite their defeat, Emerson saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Michael Hawkins, who threw for 165 yards and three touchdowns on only 12 passes, was perhaps the best of all. The team also got some help courtesy of Izzy Bills, who gained 128 total yards and a touchdown.
Independence's defeat was their sixth straight on the road (dating back to last season), which dropped their overall record down to 1-8. Those losses could be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they only averaged 10.3 points per game. As for Emerson, their loss dropped their record down to 7-2.
Independence lost to Emerson at home by a decisive 42-28 margin when the teams last played back in November of 2022. Will Independence have more luck at home instead of on the road?
