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Independence's Lawrence Martin gained yards in huge chunks against West Charlotte on Friday.
Most of the damage came receiving in the Patriots' 49-3 romp, but the one that made Martin smile widest was his passing.
Martin, a wideout, turned momentum with a 48-yard, second-quarter touchdown to Sebastian Green on a flanker lateral pass. It gave Independence a 21-3 lead and deflated West Charlotte's vibrant home crowd.
“We've been working on it for a couple weeks, but I didn't think we'd run it,” Martin said. “I concentrated and made sure I just dumped it up to him.”
Feel the same as catching a touchdown?
“Feels better,” Martin said, laughing. “I used to play quarterback when I was younger.”
Martin's fine where he is now – the main threat on the area's top-ranked team.
He had six receptions for 211 yards, including touchdowns of 72 and 5 yards. Martin had catches of 55 and 44 yards, reward for continuously slipping behind coverage.
Independence (2-0) passed for 428 yards and rushed for 115, showing little downside from last week's game in Florida being cancelled.
Even changing quarterbacks didn't slow the Patriots. Starter Anthony Carrothers was shaken up late in the second quarter, as he completed a 44-yarder to Martin.
Enter P.J. Jackson, who three plays later threw a perfect slant to Martin for a 5-yard touchdown that made it 28-3.
Carrothers returned during the second half and was 16-of-28 for 367 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for two scores.
The line gave Carrothers enough time to throw deep.
“It's exciting, everybody wants to catch a bomb,” Martin said. “You have to look at it as another catch. Make sure you catch it.”
Independence's defense was stout for the second time, and hasn't allowed a touchdown.
It harassed West Charlotte sophomore Ahmad Brown into 12-of-32 passing for 105 yards. Independence's Victor Hampton and Breon Thornton had interceptions.
West Charlotte (2-2), playing its home opener, was limited to 78 rushing yards. Two of its 22 runs were 10 yards or longer. The rest were usually smothered.
