Butler, Independence and West Charlotte Win »
Last night, order was restored to high school football in Charlotte.
The Butler Bulldogs, Independence Patriots and West Charlotte Lions all won.
Alas, all was not quite as it seemed, as there may be troubles still lurking in some of those waters, so we'll have to keep an eye open to see what happens in the coming weeks. But for those of you who have stayed up late to watch the scores and watched nervously, it was at least one week where you didn't suffer heartburn - the teams that were supposed to win did win.
Ready for the details? I've got them for you here.
Butler trounced Ardrey Kell, which for a second-year team has been having a very good season. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs are a really good team. They just can't seem to get in gear.
What is wrong with a 49-7 win, you ask? Plenty. First, you may recall that the Bulldogs were flat in their loss last week (this week, really) against West Charlotte. That's the first warning sign. Second, scoring 49 points is good - but as bad as it sounds, they probably should have scored more. Butler just seemed to have trouble getting things going, and if they can't get going against Ardrey Kell, they will have a very difficult game on November 2 against the Patriots (admittedly, who have problems of their own).
Speaking of Independence, they played played Myers Park, and the score was 36-14, which wasn't bad, but it indicates again that these Patriots are not the ones that we have seen for the last few years. Injuries apparently have slowed them, and the dominance of years past, if not gone, is certainly waning. The loss against Cincinnati Elder may not be the only one this season.
The West Charlotte Lions, meanwhile, may be the surprise of the season. They looked good earlier against the Patriots (though they lost), and they beat the Bulldogs. We'll have to see how their season turns out, but this may be the team that turns up that no one expected - not Butler or Independence.
