Independence 24 Myers Park 21 - Top Performers

In an exciting game in the Keep Pounding Classic hosted by the Carolina Panthers at Bank Of America Stadium, the Independence Patriots defeated the Myers Park Mustangs 24-21. There were a number of impressive players on both sides, let's take a look at some of them right here.   Independence    Jayden had a huge game with 20 carries for 198 yards and 2 touchdowns. The majority of that work happened in the first half, with Jayden having an explosive start to his junior year with 172 of those yards and both touchdowns. It will be exciting to see how the #1 ranked RB in the 2026 Class for us follows up this performance.     The highly recruited junior was a major reason why the Mustangs totaled all of 24 rushing yards in the entire game. Dallas was credited with 6 total tackles by the statisticians, but from field level, it looked like he was in on every play within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage. But, that is what we've come to expect from Dallas week in and week out.     I thought Justin played a very good game for the Patriots, he was very efficient in distributing the football to multiple targets and was able to extend plays with his legs on multiple occasions. The biggest thing - he did not turn the football over and he found open receivers for big plays, especially in the first half. He also made some tight window throws over the middle that were impressive. Justin finished 201 yards passing and a touchdown against a talented Mustangs secondary.     With DeShawn's size, I highlighted him in the Patriots program profile as a player to watch and DeShawn delivered with a sack and a couple of quarterback pressures, flushing the quarterback out of the pocket to disrupt the Mustangs offense. DeShawn was credited with 5 total tackles for the game.     I couldn't find an official height for Lyric but just know that he is a tall kicker with a big leg for the Patriots. Lyric nailed a 38-yard field goal in the first half for a 10-0 lead at the time. Lyric also perfectly executed a surprise onside kick after a touchdown, which led to another touchdown and a 24-0 lead for the Patriots in the first half. Based on his field goal, it looks like Lyric could make a 50-yard field goal in optimal conditions like yesterday.    Myers Park    One thing that is evident - [player_tooltip player_id='1671887' first='Chaz' last='Portis'] has made a major splash as a big-time receiving threat for the Mustangs. A major reason the Mustangs made a major 2nd half comeback is because Portis was able to find his way behind the Patriots' secondary on a regular basis. Portis finished the day with 145 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns. His speed was impressive and he showed soft hands in pulling in multiple deep completions. His offers from Howard and Jacksonville State figure to increase with more performances like this.     With multiple offers and coming in from a different school, a lot of eyes were on Jared in this spotlight moment to see how he would perform. In the 2nd half, he showed me a lot of impressive things. He was able to change the game with his big arm and elusiveness in the pocket. While he didn't rush for a ton of yards, his ability to scramble and make big throws under pressure was a good thing to see. Jared got hurt on the sideline in the 4th quarter, sat out one play, and then came back in the game to lead his team down the field. Despite the team's first-half struggles, I think he - and they - learned a lot of good things about themselves in this game.     The major Power 4 recruit really got going in the 2nd half during the Mustangs' comeback. He picked up a sack and a huge tackle for loss on a critical 3rd down in the 4th quarter to give his team's offense a chance to tie or win the game on the last possession. In the first half, Independence did a good job of getting the ball out quick and running underneath Dunham's upfield rush lane. I thought Dunham did a great job of tightening his rush lane in the 2nd half and showing an incredible explosion off of the ball at the snap.     I really liked what I saw from this inside linebacker yesterday. JohnMichael finished with 6 total tackles and a sack from a statistical standpoint. But, in the 2nd half he was a big reason why the Mustangs shut down the Independence run game that torched them in the first half. JohnMichael was physical in shedding blocks from interior linemen and showed excellent pursuit angles in cutting off the Patriots outside zone play they love to run.     Brody didn't have a huge game - he totaled 3 catches for 45 yards, but his presence definitely opened things up for his teammate [player_tooltip player_id='1671887' first='Chaz' last='Portis'] to have a huge game. Brody almost pulled in a touchdown pass in the first half, but he could not keep his feet inbounds on a 4th down pass from QB [player_tooltip player_id='190657' first='Jared' last='Lockhart']. At the end of the game, Lockhart was trying to find him in the back of the end zone when Brody was double-covered and the Patriots were able to get an interception to seal the victory. I'm sure the Mustangs will find some ways to free Brody up in future games, but his talent is always a plus when on the field.

In an exciting game in the Keep Pounding Classic hosted by the Carolina Panthers at Bank Of America Stadium, the Independence Patriots defeated the Myers Park Mustangs 24-21. There were a number of impressive players on both sides, let's take a look at some of them right here.