Butler, Independence and West Charlotte Advance »
The first round of the 2007 playoffs are done and there are no big surprises - the Butler Bulldogs have won, setting up a meeting next week with their rivals the Independence Patriots, and the West Charlotte Lions continue their stellar season as well, meaning they could meet the winner of that game later, should everything play out.
Butler took on Lumberton, and handled them easily, winning 49-6 behind a great performance from the defense, who turned in a monstrous effort with six turnovers. The offense wasn't great, and in fact Lumberton had some early chances to get back in the game, but the defense stepped up to kill the threat. Leading 21-0 at halftime it was never really close, and now the Bulldogs can look ahead to their rematch with the Big I.
Speaking of Independence, the only streak of any consequence remaining is the state title quest - will they win 8 or won't they? With a quick start against Greensboro Page, the Patriots played their first road playoff game since 2000 and easily won, 54-7. A halftime lead of 33-0 was enough, but they piled it on even after the break.
Looking to show that they belong on the top tier, West Charlotte took on Providence, and quarterback Darius Thomas passed for 273 yards and 3 touchdowns to win 37-13. Though all of the attention often goes to Butler and Independence, the Lions are looking like they may be the team to beat at this stage. Since they won't have to play the Bulldogs or the Patriots for a couple of weeks, and that's only after one of those teams knocks the other out, it should be a good run in the playoffs for them.
