Week 9 of the high school football season brings us the first round of the playoffs in SE Kansas, and the Independence Bulldogs draw a matchup with the Towanda Circle Thunderbirds on Friday night. The Bulldogs enter with a record of 1-7, and the Thunderbirds enter with a record of 6-2.

 

The game results do not tell the full story of the last few weeks for Independence. The offense has been much more consistent, tallying 23 and 33 points in their prior two games, respectively. The run game for Indy has also been much more of a consistent presence since the midway point of the season.

 

The x-factor will be if the defense of Independence can the key 3rd down stops and turnovers they've been looking for all season. The offense has stabilized, and if the defense can give the offense extra possessions, it may just be enough to think upset Friday night.

 

Towanda Circle brings a high-powered offense that scores early and often, hanging 35+ on each of their previous four opponents. The Thunderbirds are led by upperclassmen on both sides of the ball, with senior QB Cooper Chadwell and senior WR Ty Smith connecting for 10 touchdowns on offense, and junior Cannon Mccormack leading in tackles and sacks on defense.

 

Friday's game will be at 7pm in Towanda, and a recap will be posted on the website following the game.