Photos Courtesy of Nick Dailey (@IDRSports)

Written By Rob Beckmann @Coach_Beckmann

The Independence Pirates continued their winning streak, moving to 5-0 on the season, after defeating the Highland Scotties, 31-0. The victory sets up a showdown on the road against Hutch this coming weekend in a battle between nationally-ranked teams.

"We played well but have a lot of room for improvement," said Indy Pirates Head Football Coach Jason Martin. "Our main goal is to be a better football team every week. Every team in our conference is getting better."

Against the Scotties, the Pirates' offense pounced early, after Deontay Wilson returned the opening kick-off 55 yards to setup in Highland territory. Indy then completed a four-play, 36-yard drive, capped off with an 11-yard touchdown strike from quarterback RJ Walker to tight end Nate Damron.

The game subsequently shifted into a defensive stalemate for most of the first half, as the Pirates and Scotties both struggled to get into scoring position. However, with less than a minute before halftime, the Indy defense jarred the ball loose and Markus Knight scooped the ball and sprinted 62 yards for the score, establishing a 14-0 lead at the break.

Late in the third quarter, Pirates' kicker Brandon Gielow tacked on another three points on a 30-yard field goal. On the very next drive, deep in their own territory, Highland was sacked for a loss and fumbled, and the ball was recovered by Malachi Bailey and downed at the two-yard line.

Walker completed a short toss to receiver Jaikobee Gamble to further extend the lead. Independence scored once more in the fourth, as running back Pat Bowen took multiple carries, ending in a four-yard touchdown scamper to conclude the 31-0 route.

Linebacker James Djonkam led the Pirates for the day with six tackles. Aside from their pair of fumble recoveries, the Indy defense had two more take-aways during the game on interceptions from linebacker Xavier Morrow and defensive back Wallace Melton.

With their winning streak now at five, ICC will hit the road for another big challenge in the Jayhawk Conference.

"We have a big test this week," Coach Martin said. "Hutch is the defending National Champion for a reason. They are playing well right now. To win, we have to play our best football to this point of the year."

Despite their shutout win over Highland, Independence dropped from being ranked No. 2 nationally to No. 3 in the latest NJCAA Top 15 poll. Hutch moved up to No. 13 after being unranked the previous week.

Saturday's match-up with national ramifications will kick-off at 12:00PM CT in Hutchinson, Kansas.