For the fourth consecutive season Independence has made a run to the Class AA quarterfinals, though this year’s trip has come differently than usual.
After hosting all the way to Wheeling the last two seasons, the Patriots opened the playoffs on the road with a resounding win 55-21 win over No. 3 Roane County last Friday. They’ll continue their road trek Friday at No. 6 Winfield in one of their toughest tests of the season.
The Generals come into Friday’s quarterfinal round with just two losses on the season – to Class AAA Hurricane and Class AA No. 5 Scott. But at this point of the season everybody has earned their spot amongst the final eight teams seeking a title.
Winfield’s poses a unique threat for Indy, giving it a look it hasn’t seen before. Despite forcing five turnovers last week the Patriots will be tested differently as their young linebackers will be tasked with taking on a Winfield team that forces defenses to play soundly.
“They’re a triple option team with red and blue wing-T kind of combination stuff,” Indy head coach John H. Lilly said. “They’re multiple with what they do. I mean, they just try to formation you to get to what they want. It makes you play assignment football. You gotta have somebody on the quarterback, somebody on the pitch man and they move around in a lot of formations, you know, which causes confusion too.”
The Generals have a talented backfield which has seen Chase Massey and Easton Pinkerton take snaps at QB with K-Juan Pearson and Jayce Miller doing damage at the skill positions.
Pearson in particular is coming off a 200-yard rushing performance against Lewis County. But Indy has its own horses.
Tyler Linksweiler has 1,420 rushing yards and 25 scores while Trey Bowers is over 1,100 yards rushing on the season as well. The Patriots will continue to ride those two as well as QB Sylas Nelson and Lilly expects the same of Winfield.
“I think once you get this far in the playoffs, everybody’s just gonna do what they do,” Lilly said. “You know, I mean, everybody’s in the playoffs for a reason. There’s a little strategy here and there but most teams are just gonna do what they do and you know, they’re gonna ride what they do. We’re gonna ride what we do.”
Last week’s game was one the Patriots expected to win but it hasn’t made them overconfident coming into the contest with Winfield. While many of their starters are new to the playoff scene they have a few, including Linksweiler, Bowers and D Hypes, that have started and played in numerous high leverage championship games and know what to expect at this point of the postseason.
“I think as soon as we put on film they understood what we were up against,” Lilly said. “This is a pretty good football team and are very multiple and what they do, we’re cloning each other on defense with both of us in or around a 3-3. So both teams are kind of used to going against the 3-3. It’ll be tough but it should be a good game. They’re the real deal.”
Independence will travel to Winfield Friday at 7:30 with a spot int he Class AA semifinals on the line.
