Patriots Bury Butler in the Playoffs (Again) »
Last year, the Butler Bulldogs cruised to a 21-0 lead during the regular season over the heavily favored Independence Patriots. Then in a stunning comeback, the Patriots pulled out a victory. In the rematch during the playoffs, the Patriots cruised to a victory - apparently the Bulldogs were just worn out from their earlier near miss, and had nothing left.
This year, Butler was able to pull off the upset - if it was indeed an upset, since Independence had already lost once - and they won the game they had wanted to win all year long. But when the teams met in the playoffs, would they be able to do it again? Could they take two games from the Patriots in one year? Well, no. It was mostly a rehash of last year's playoff.
Tom Knotts, fresh off his two-game suspension for arguing with the parent of a junior varsity player, came back to the field and led the Big I to a 20-7 victory that wasn't even as close as the final score sounds. Running back Rod Chisholm gained a monstrous 310 yards on the ground and the defense held the normally high-flying Butler offense to 89 yards and just 5 first downs - the first of which didn't even show until the third quarter.
Sure, Butler scored in the first minute, but it was on an interception return. After that, it was all Chisholm and the Patriot's defense, and the Bulldogs went to sleep. I guess we'll have to see them again next year, and perhaps they'll be ready for the playoffs by then.
Across town, Chisholm's old team, the West Charlotte Lions, beat Greensboro Grimsley 22 to 14, and play Richmond Senior next week. If they win, and if Independence wins against East Burke, we'll see another showdown in two weeks - Independence and West Charlotte. The last game was won by Independence, but West Charlotte should put up a better fight this time around.
