By Will Bryan
MaxPreps.com
After having two of its first five games spoiled by bad weather, the Independence High School football team finally took the field in Mecklenburg County in a meaningful conference opener against South Mecklenburg.
The Patriots were undefeated at 3-0 heading into the game, but were untested after lopsided victories. For the first 15 minutes on Friday night, the top-ranked Patriots found themselves in a dogfight.
Independence muffed the opening kickoff that was intentionally directed at a non-receiving blocker, and the Sabres recovered the ball deep in opponent territory. Six plays later, Michael Campbell took the handoff on an end around and South Meck had an early 7-0 lead.
On its ensuing drive, Independence quickly moved into South Meck territory where stud running back Harold Blythe took a handoff on a shotgun option and raced over 30 yards down the sideline for the tying touchdown.
Quarterback Anthony Carrothers found Kyle Gregg for a touchdown two possessions later, it looked like South Meck's early momentum was shot.
But the Sabres had already picked off Carrothers once and now the offense showed life as it marched 73 yards for the tying touchdown, capped by Tim Palmer's four-yard scamper into the end zone with just over three minutes left in the half.
Independence's defense stiffened, however, allowing just 72 yards for the rest of the game. More importantly, the Patriot offense, led by Carrothers and Blythe, would not be stopped as Independance rolled to a 42-14 victory.
Carrothers finished the game with 310 yards, two touchdowns and one interception while Blythe powered into the end zone four times while rolling up 122 on 11 carries.
Although special teams miscues and one bad drive on defense allowed South Meck to score twice, Independence's offensive attack was barely challenged. Operating out of the shotgun, Carrothers was able to find veteran receivers Lawrence Martin and Michael Rhynes with ease, while the quick handoffs to the talented Blythe kept the defense from sitting back in a deep zone coverage. The Patriots finished with 419 total yards on offense.
Independence had to follow with a Monday night game against Myers Park and produced another blowout victory. In a 55-15 rout, Carrothers threw for 254 yards and three touchdowns.
The win puts Tom Knotts' squad at 5-0 overall and 2-0 in Southwestern 4A play. The Patriots are averaging 47 points per game.
Butler 35, Providence 21
Although Providence (3-3, 1-1) came into its Friday night game against Butler (5-0, 1-0) as the only team in Southwestern 4A with a conference win, the Panthers knew it would take a Herculean effort to knock off the No. 2-ranked team in the North Carolina Associated Press high school football poll.
Through three quarters, Providence provided that effort and was one third-down stop from getting the ball back and having a chance to take the lead. But then Butler quarterback Christian LeMay found running back Anthony Short for a 56-yard dagger that gave Butler the lead for good. The Bulldog defense forced several turnovers late in the game to preserve the 35-21 victory.
The Bulldogs stalled on several long drives in the first half and managed a mere seven points through two quarters. Providence took advantage in the third, taking a 14-7 lead on a 72-yard TD strike from Chauncey Concepcion to Matt Hickson.
But Butler tailback Hawatha Bell found the endzone to keep the Bulldogs even and set up LeMay's spectacular game-winning toss to Short in the fourth quarter.
Charlotte Christian 17 Charlotte Latin 9
Charlotte Christian revenged a blowout loss in last year's state title game by defeating rival Charlotte Latin 17-9 on Friday.
The three-time defending state champs from Latin were held to just 48 yards in the second half as the Knights from Christian forced three turnovers, including two picks from Matt Hall, to preserve their one-score lead.
Christian quarterback Luke Bard opened the scoring by scrambling into the endzone from 16 yards out in the first quarter. Latin answered with a field goal and a touchdown to take a 9-7 lead.
Bard responded by hooking up with Jonathan Miller for a 58-yard TD strike before the half to give Christian the lead for good.
With the win, Christian proved it could defeat its top challenger for a state title on the way to improving to a perfect 6-0 on the season. Latin, while dropping to 4-2, will now face an uphill battle in defending their three-year run of state championships.
East Mecklenburg 27 Ardrey Kell 21
Not looking to be overshadowed by its Southwestern 4A conference rivals, East Mecklenburg improved to 5-0 on the season and 1-0 in the conference with a come-from-behind 27-21 win over Ardrey Kell.
Eagle quarterback Olin Little completed 16 passes for 172 yards and two touchdowns to lead the comeback, but it was a special teams play that gave East Meck the spark they needed.
Trailing 14-7 in the third quarter, East Meck's Donnie Aiken blocked a punt that was returned to Ardrey Kell's 26-yard line. Two plays later, Little hit Theo Jones on an 18-yard pass to tie the game at 14 apiece.
"We try to stress turnovers on special teams," Eagles coach Greg Hill told the Charlotte Observer. "Football is an emotional game and anytime you get up, especially on special teams, it can change the course of a game in a hurry, and I think that's what happened."
Will Bryan covers the Charlotte, N.C., area for MaxPreps. He may be reached at wbryan08@gmail.com.
