Butler is on a eight-game streak of home wins, while Independence is on a three-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Butler Bulldogs will take on the Independence Patriots at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Butler had already proven themselves in the regular season, and didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They simply couldn't be stopped on Friday as they easily beat Mount Tabor 49-13 at home. The matchup was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 35-7.
Butler's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Jayden Williams led the charge by rushing for 145 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 7.3 yards per carry. Williams hasn't dropped below two rushing touchdowns for three straight games. Another player making a difference was Dequadre Currence, who picked up 117 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Butler's defense stepped up as well, laying out the QB five times. Tyquan Rankin was particularly dangerous to the passing game, picking up two sacks himself.
Meanwhile, Independence faced Watauga in a battle between two of the state's top teams. Independence put the hurt on Watauga with a sharp 34-14 win on Friday. 34 seems to be a good number for Independence as the squad scooped up a victory with the same number of points in their previous game.
Independence found their leader in underclassman Jayden Jones, who rushed for 136 yards and three touchdowns on only 15 carries. Jones has been hot recently, having posted 100 or more rushing yards the last six times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Justin Little, who rushed for 23 yards and a touchdown.
Their wins bumped Butler to 12-1 and Independence to 10-3.
Keep an eye on the end zone in Friday's game as the pair haven't had much trouble getting there this season. Butler commands a daunting offense this season, having averaged 5.8 touchdowns per game. However, it's not like Independence struggles in that department as they've been averaging 5.8 per game. With these two high-octane teams facing off on Friday, fans should be in for an exciting offensive matchup. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more football content.
Butler was able to grind out a solid victory over Independence in their previous meeting back in October, winning 35-23. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Independence's Jones, who rushed for 133 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 8.3 yards per carry. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Butler still be able to contain him? There's only one way to find out.
