After road win, Independence High makes a jump in The Observer’s Sweet 16 poll
After winning its second straight road playoff game, Independence High School makes a jump in The Charlotte Observer’s Sweet 16 football poll.
The Sweet 16, the region’s oldest high school football poll, began in 1983 and ranks the top teams in The Observer’s coverage area.
Independence (9-3) upset East Forsyth (10-2) by a score of 34-28 on Friday. The Patriots will play a third-round game at Watauga (12-0) on Friday. Watauga is seeded No. 2 in the NC 4A Western playoffs. Independence is No. 23.
In this week’s Sweet 16 poll, Independence jumped three spots to No. 8, moving inside the top 10. Charlotte Catholic also moved up three spots to No. 10, giving the Southwestern 4A conference three teams in the top 10. Butler is No 2.
There’s one new team in this week’s rankings: Charlotte Christian, which lost to Providence Day in the NC private school semifinals, is No. 16. The Knights ended the season at 8-4.
