Butler Finally Downs Independence »
The topsy-turvy regular season of high school football has finally come to a close, and the Butler Bulldogs have done what was needed to put to rest the ghost of last year's come-from-behind victory by the Independence Patriots.
Some of you may recall that the Bulldogs jumped out to a 21-0 halftime lead before the Patriots clawed their way back, in a game for the ages that was all but overshadowed when the Big I walloped the Bulldogs in the playoffs a month later. This year, despite some troubles throughout the season, Butler wasn't quite as ready to throw in the towel. They hung on all the way through. Perhaps that was the problem all season - they were looking to this game all year.
Early in the season, Independence lost to Cincinnati Elder to bring an end to their historic winning streak. Ever since, they've been rolling over opponents. Meanwhile, Butler has been middling through their schedule, losing to West Charlotte and then to East Mecklenburg.
Add it all together and it looked like the rematch wasn't going to be worth watching. That was far from the truth.
Butler had the ball at the Independence 39 with around two minutes to play, and they were up 21-20. It was time for them to take control. Then they fumbled. Shades of last year came back as the Patriots had one last chance. They converted a fourth down, and then had another at the Butler 28 with 50 seconds remaining. Acting Independence coach Bill Geiler said that he didn't think of going for 3 - a 45-yard field goal is just too much for high school kids. So he went for it again on fourth and came up short. Game over.
Perhaps things would have been different if coach Tom Knotts was there - but he wasn't. He was suspended for arguing with a parent after a JV game the night before. Maybe a lot of things could have been different, but we'll never know. The Bulldogs came out this November. Chances look decent that we'll see another rematch in the playoffs. Look for it.
West Charlotte, meanwhile, walked all over Vance 58-14, and gets ready for the playoffs next week too. They look strong, so it should be a good run for all three teams - at least until Butler and Independence play again.
