With a playoff game on the line, Massaponax rose to the challenge on Friday. They pulled ahead with a 21-20 photo finish over Independence. The victory was some much needed relief for the Panthers as it spelled an end to their nine-game losing streak.
Joe Sanders Iii had an outrageously good game as he rushed for 122 yards and two touchdowns on only 12 carries. His longest rush was for an impressive 54 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per carry total.
Despite the loss, Independence still got an impressive performance from Jackson Thorne, who rushed for 197 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 9.9 yards per carry. Thorne is becoming a predictor of Independence's success: when he posts at least 80 rushing yards the team is 4-2 (and 2-3 when he doesn't). Independence also got a significant boost from Justin Jordan, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 98 yards.
Massaponax's win ended a six-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 2-9. As for Independence, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 6-5.
Massaponax is on the road again on Friday to play Briar Woods at 7:00 p.m. Briar Woods' defense has only allowed 10.7 points per game this season, so Massaponax's offense will have their work cut out for them. Independence does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
