COAL CITY, W.Va. — 51 weeks after falling just short of a Class AA state championship, Independence has earned a second shot at the title. The No. 2 Patriots (12-0) defeated No. 6 North Marion 58-19 in the Class AA semifinals. Independence will face the winner of the Herbert Hoover/Frankfort semifinal, which is set for Saturday evening in Short Gap.
“When you set a goal as high as you set to get back to Wheeling Island and play some of the teams we had to play to get there, it is just a great job by those guys,” said Independence head coach John Lilly. “We walked off that island and we said we are coming back. I know a lot of people didn’t believe we could have done it. Guess what, we ran the table. Now we get one more shot. So we just have to find a way to put four more quarters together.
“Our seniors were dialed in. I think a lot of people thought we were going to have a let down after beating Bluefield and Fairmont [Senior]. We didn’t. I knew they wouldn’t. We set this goal a long time ago to get back. We’re going to enjoy it for 24 hours.”
Senior running back Judah Price established a new state record for points in a season [regular season and playoffs]. He scored a pair of rushing touchdowns in the first quarter and broke the mark with a 67-yard touchdown reception from Cyrus Goodson in the second quarter.
“We didn’t aim to do it. All we aimed to do today was to win the game. But I am so happy for him. If you guys only knew the competitive spirit that kid has, there’s nothing I can say. That dude has got it.”
Goodson returned a punt 60 yards for a score and he reeled in a 55-yard scoring strike from Bowers. Bowers also rushed for an 18-yard score.
“We’re always excited about what Cyrus does on offense. I am more excited about Cyrus on defense. He hasn’t given up a touchdown pass all year. And our other corner Trey [Bowers], he hasn’t given up a touchdown pass all year. I am just as happy for them on defense as I am on offense.”
Jordan Harvey put the Patriots ahead 52-6 at halftime by returning a fumble 48 yards for a score with three seconds left in the half. Tyler Linkswiler capped the scoring for the Patriots (12-0) with an 86-yard run in the third quarter.
Casey Minor scored a pair of rushing touchdowns for the Huskies (10-3). This was North Marion’s deepest postseason run in 25 years.
“Congratulations to North Marion and [Daran] Hays. They are a class act. They’re a great coaching staff with great kids.”
(Coverage sponsored by Burdette Camping, www.burdettecamping.com)