Photos Courtesy of Nick Dailey (@IDRSports)
Written By Rob Beckmann @Coach_Beckmann
The Independence Pirates football team has started their season 1-0 after defeating the No. 7 nationally-ranked Butler Grizzlies, 31-24, in their season opener at home in Schultis Stadium. The back-and-forth game saw #DreamU look dominant early, going up 17-0 in the first quarter and taking a 14-point lead into halftime.
However, turnovers and miscues on special teams opened the door for Butler to rally back in a hurry, taking a 24-17 lead in the third quarter on two touchdown drives that each took only 30 yards and less than a minute to find the end zone.
The tide turned again though on a two-yard touchdown run by Indy running back Tavion Thomas, which ended the third quarter and evened the game at 24-24 between the two nationally-ranked Top 10 teams.
The Pirates and Grizzlies battled the entirety of the fourth quarter in a deadlock until Thomas again broke free and scampered 26 yards for the game-winning touchdown. Kicker Wilson Yee completed the extra point, going perfect on the night with four extra points and one field goal in the Pirate triumph.
“We are excited to start 1-0,” said Independence Head Coach Jason Martin. “Any win in the Jayhawk Conference is a significant accomplishment.”
The victory gave Martin a win in his first game as a collegiate head coach. Martin had previously served as Pirates’ Defensive Coordinator from 2016 until the end of this January when he was promoted to the head job.
Martin’s defenses have dominated the conference in recent years, and the #DreamU defense didn’t skip a beat with new Defensive Coordinator and Assistant Head Coach Steve McCollom at the helm. The Pirates’ defense held the Grizzlies to 21 first downs compared to ICC’s 30. Butler was also held to a 20% third-down conversion rate, going 3 of 15, while Independence converted 50% of their third downs, going 8 of 16.
“Butler threw a lot of things at us, but our players stuck together and didn’t break,” McCollom said. “We got the stops we needed down the stretch, fought hard, and won the game in the fourth quarter. It was a proud night to be a Pirate.”
The star offensively for the Pirates was Thomas, who completed the game with 196 yards on 18 carries with three touchdowns, averaging 10.9 yards per rush. Fellow running back Reginald Williams boasted a stellar performance as well, rushing 17 times for 144 yards, averaging 6.9 yards per carry.
The dominant ICC running attack more than doubled Butler in yards per carry and almost tripled them in total rushing yards for the game.
Following a bye week, #DreamU now prepares to take a road trip to face off with Fort Scott, as the Pirates aim to improve to 2-0 on the season.
“After Butler, our goal was to win the bye week,” Coach Martin said. “Now it's time to face our first road test.”
“Every week you are going to see a talented team in this conference,” Coach McCollom added. “We are looking forward to the opportunity and excited to get back out there.”
Kick-off is scheduled for 1:00PM CT against the Greyhounds in Fort Scott, Kansas.