The Independence Patriots will head out on the road to face off against the East Forsyth Eagles at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Two teams were on the hunt for playoff glory, but only Independence walked away with it. They didn't even let Lake Norman onto the board and left with a 35-0 win on Friday. The contest was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point Independence had established a 21 point advantage.
Independence can attribute much of their success to Jayden Jones, who rushed for 156 yards on only 12 carries, and Justin Little, who rushed for 15 yards and two touchdowns. Jones has been hot recently, having posted 100 or more rushing yards the last four times he's played.
The team's defense also helped out by holding Lake Norman to a paltry 187 yards. A big part of that defensive dominance came down to Independence's ability to keep the quarterback under pressure: the team laid him out four times before it was all said and done. Skylar Murray was particularly dangerous to the passing game, picking up two sacks himself.
Meanwhile, East Forsyth waltzed into Friday's game with five straight wins but they left with six. They claimed a resounding 42-6 win over Page at home. With East Forsyth ahead 35-0 at the half, the game was all but over already.
East Forsyth got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Bryce Baker out in front who threw for 284 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 11.4 yards per attempt. Baker is on a roll when it comes to passing touchdowns, as he's now passed for three or more in the last seven games he's played. Brandon Sutton was in the mix too, providing East Forsyth with two touchdowns.
Independence is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight games, which provided a nice bump to their 8-3 record this season. As for East Forsyth, their win was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 10-1.
We should be in store for an exciting game Friday as both teams have no problem gaining yardage. Independence has been on an offensive roll this season, having averaged 365 total yards per game. However, it's not like East Forsyth struggles in that department as they've been even better at 432.5 per game. With a pair of commanding offenses duking it out, the defenses are going to have their work cut out for them. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
Independence was taken down by East Forsyth 49-7 in their previous meeting back in November of 2015. Can Independence avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
