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| West receiver Travaughn Long catches a touchdown pass from Maurice Hughes. |
Charlotte Independence proved as much last Friday night in a second round state playoff triumph over West Forsyth. The hosting Patriots used their notable size advantage to wear down the Titans and take a 45-35 victory.
But it didn’t come easy. Down by 24 points at one point in the second quarter, they Titans dug in and refused to give up.
Just before the half, West blocked a last-second field goal attempt by Independence and scored on a 71-yard runback by Kyle Jarrett that narrowed the gap to 38-20 at the break. Then, using a series of big plays in the passing game, they rallied to within 10 in the final period.
The comeback was eventually cut short by a time-consuming Patriot drive. But through their relentless determination, West was able to walk away with a measure of respect from a team that has now won 105 games in a row.
“To stand in there against the best team in the country and battle like our kids did was amazing,” West head coach Chip Petree said. “We knew this year would be special and it was. Our group of seniors raised the bar and showed that they can play with anybody.”
Led by the running of Dequan Leak (250 yards, one touchdown) and the passing of Darryl McFadden, Independence jumped on top with two quick scores in the first quarter.
West answered with a drive that was spearheaded by its two offensive stars of the night — quarterback Maurice Hughes and receiver Travaughn Long. Long hauled in a deep pass at the end of the first quarter and Hughes scrambled for an 18-yard score to open the second. Hughes would go on to complete 22 of 29 passes for 347 yards and three touchdowns. Long caught all three scoring passes, including one that covered 56 yards and another that covered 29.
“Those guys (Hughes and Long) stepped up big-time and got our offense rolling,” Petree said. “And that was extremely important. Independence physically controlled the line of scrimmage and we weren’t having much success running the ball.”
Long, Andrew Bodenheimer, Brooks Ore and Jarrett all had key receptions in the second half as West outscored the Patriots 15-7 over the final two periods.
The loss dropped West’s final record to 9-4. Independence, the defending and six-time state champion, will host Davie County in the western region semifinals this Friday night.
Asked to rate the chances that Davie — who, along with West and Mount Tabor, shared the CPC crown this year — will end the Patriot streak this week, Petree said “excellent.”
“Davie is very good at throwing the ball and they have experience playing down there,” he said. “The fact that we were able to score 35 points against Independence will also help. They will go in believing they can win and I think they can do it.”
After having this week off, Petree added that his underclassmen will get back to work next week.
“Our seniors have created some momentum and our younger guys want to keep it going,” he said. “We won the junior varsity conference title for the first time in 18 years and we had our best freshman class ever.
“Combine those things with the guys we have coming back and we have a lot to look forward to next season.”