Program Profile: Independence Patriots

The Independence Patriots once won 109 games in a row over several seasons during the decade of the 2000s. DJ McFadden, the head coach of the Patriots, is a quarterback from that era, but has never put that pressure on his current teams. However, the Patriots had a strong season last year, making the state semifinals, and are poised to be championship contenders once again this season.   Starting with their quarterback, [player_tooltip player_id='828612' first='Justin' last='Little'], the Patriots have a roster loaded with talent. Little has several college offers and is coming off of a season where he threw for 29 touchdowns and over 2700 yards as part of a balanced offensive attack. Little's strengths include ball placement and decision-making in my opinion. Independence will run some RPO action in their offense, and it was fun to watch Little up close make the right decisions and reads a vast majority of the time. Little's success is a big reason why the Patriots went as far as they did last season.   At running back for the Patriots, expect [player_tooltip player_id='1124842' first='Jayden' last='Jones'] to be the lead man once again this season. Jones experienced a breakout season last year where he rushed for 1830 yards and 19 touchdowns as a sophomore. That production earned Jayden offers from schools such as Liberty, James Madison, Troy, and Charlotte. The 5'10 and 175-pound Class of 2026 prospect excels with his vision - the Patriots ran a lot of outside zone last season, and Jones reads his blocking very well and knows when to cut and get vertical up the field without wasted motion. Jones is also a dangerous kick returner with some excellent speed in the open field.   At wide receiver, the Patriots have a lot of targets to deploy on teams this year, which will make it hard to pin who their "go-to" guy is right now, but those kinds of teams are usually the most dangerous. Returning is Class of 2025 prospect [player_tooltip player_id='1251856' first='Brian' last='Crowder'], who led the Patriots with 44 catches and five touchdowns last season. Brian made All-Conference and at 5'8 and 155 pounds, is a dangerous player out of the slot. He picked up some recruiting attention during the offseason with offers from Limestone and East Tennessee State. [player_tooltip player_id='402300' first='Prince' last='Young'] is an athletic Class of 2026 prospect who picked up an offer from Gardner-Webb and has worked hard on his craft this offseason. At 6'1 and 185 pounds, Prince runs good routes and is a fundamentally sound player. Reggie Hokes and Wisdom Whipper-Daniel also return as reliable options on the outside for the Patriots, both players had catches to contribute offensively last season. [player_tooltip player_id='516340' first='Sadat' last='Grant'] has come into the Patriots program from North Mecklenburg High School, and at 6'0 and 180 pounds, I believe he will be a major contributor to the Patriots. Sadat has offers from a couple of schools, including Maine and Eastern Kentucky. The Class of 2025 prospect can be dynamic both as a kick returner and on special teams with the football in his hands.   Up front, the Patriots will be strong and fundamentally sound as usual. There are a couple of offensive linemen to highlight - [player_tooltip player_id='1357097' first='Sidiq' last='Cabaniss-Ali'] has performed well at a number of off-season camps and showcases. At 6'2 and 270 pounds, he will step into the leader's shoes in his senior season. Sidiq has offers from Johnson C. Smith and Graceland universities, and a preferred walk-on offer from North Carolina Central currently from a recruiting perspective. The Patriots also have a tough and fiery player at the Center position in Kevin Caldwell. At 5'9 and 260 pounds, Kevin uses his leverage well against defensive linemen and is strong and stout against defensive tackles. Kevin recently received his first offer from St. Andrews, and the senior will also play an important part up front for the Patriots. It will be interesting to see the progress of Class of 2027 [player_tooltip player_id='946623' first='Nori' last='White'] - he picked up offers from both Charlotte and East Carolina early in the fall of last season. At 6'6 and 320 pounds, it is only a matter of time before he becomes a big name on the recruiting front.   Defensively, the Patriots have impact players at all three levels. Starting with the defensive line, expect Defensive End DeShawn Wilks to be an impact player. The 6'4 220 pound Class of 2025 prospect picked up an offer from UNC Pembroke this offseason and should gain recruiting interest as the season goes along. The Patriots picked up a talented player in [player_tooltip player_id='287358' first='Bryce' last='Lee'], who transferred into the program from East Mecklenburg High School this offseason. At 6'3 and 255 pounds, Bryce has plenty of recruiting interest and offers from schools that include Jackson State, Miami of Ohio, Wofford, Troy, Gardner-Webb, NC Central, Howard, Richmond, Alabama State, and Campbell. Bryce is a two-time All-Conference player who can be explosive off the football, and get to the quarterback using a variety of pass-rush moves. With his size, Bryce can play either defensive tackle or defensive end, depending on the scheme the Patriots decide to employ upfront.   At linebacker, you have to start with the national recruit [player_tooltip player_id='771231' first='Dallas' last='Brannon']. Before going into how good he is on the field, he has a 4.3 GPA and was on the A Honor Roll this past season. That is reflective of his football intelligence as well, at 6'2 and 205 pounds, Dallas is an All-Conference player that has a ton of the best college football programs in the nation recruiting him. Some of those schools include Michigan, North Carolina, Tennessee, Miami, and South Carolina. I thought Dallas was the best linebacker in the Charlotte Metro Area overall when doing film study earlier this offseason. Dallas has great instincts and tackles well in space with great technique. He is a three-down linebacker who can also perform well in pass coverage and shows enough speed and athleticism to cover running backs, tight ends, and even slot wide receivers in short spaces. Tag-teaming with Dallas will be [player_tooltip player_id='1283725' first='Camden' last='Martin'], who is a very good player in his own right. At 6'1 and 225 pounds, Cam can play both linebacker and defensive line, and his positional versatility and overall strength should make him a coveted prospect from a recruiting perspective. The Class of 2025 prospect has picked up offers from both Charleston and Winston-Salem State this off-season and should continue to receive interest from schools heading into this upcoming season.   The Patriots secondary is flush with talent as well. [player_tooltip player_id='402298' first='Nick' last='Reddish'] is a player that has exploded on so many levels. The defensive back is an extremely athletic and smart playmaker who can be physical in run support but can be just as good playing pass coverage and reading quarterback's eyes to break up passes and collect interceptions. At 5'11 and 185 pounds, Reddish is coming off of an All-Conference season, and a strong offseason recruiting period where he received offers from schools including Norte Dame, Wisconsin, Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, and Liberty. The Class of 2026 prospect will be one of the leaders on this Patriots defense. Also expected to be an impact player is Cornerback [player_tooltip player_id='1225768' first='Bryce' last='Lofton'], who made the game-clinching interception in the state quarterfinals against Butler last year in the playoffs. At 5'11 and 170 pounds, Bryce also excels on the track, running the 100-meter dash in 10.68 seconds per his Twitter profile. Bryce also sports a 4.06 GPA, and picked up offers this off-season from East Tennessee State and Campbell Universities. Takeo Massey, an excellent player who can play a number of different positions, joined the Patriots program this offseason. At 6'4 and 205 pounds, the Class of 2025 prospect is expected to play a couple of different places for the Patriots this upcoming season. Takeo currently has offers from Temple, Lenoir-Rhyne, Miami-Ohio, Troy, Gardner-Webb, and NC-Central. Takeo is an explosive player with the football in his hands, and he shows the talent to be able to play in the secondary and be a ballhawk at either cornerback or safety if needed.   In summary, the Patriots should have another strong season and look to be a state title contender once again this upcoming season. The Patriots open with a showcase game at Bank of America Stadium against the Myers Park Mustangs on Thursday, August 22nd to start the high school football season. With this amount of talent, expect some fun Friday Nights this upcoming season off of Patriot Drive in Mint Hill, NC.

The Independence Patriots once won 109 games in a row over several seasons during the decade of the 2000s. DJ McFadden, the head coach of the Patriots, is a quarterback from that era, but has never put that pressure on his current teams. However, the Patriots had a strong season last year, making the state semifinals, and are poised to be championship contenders once again this season.