Independence falls to East Forsyth, 49-7, in 4-AA playoffs

East Forsyth was too big, too fast, too much for Independence on Friday, the host Eagles rolling to a 49-7 win in the second round of the state 4-AA football playoffs.

“Tonight, we played a good football team, but we also beat ourselves,” said Independence coach Justin Hardin. “You can’t win them all, but you can’t beat yourself and still move forward in the playoffs.”

East, the top seed in the West, scored on five of its six first-half possessions, the only miscue coming when Independence’s Jaylen Riley intercepted Eagle quarterback Noah Smith near the goal line on the opening drive.

The Eagles accumulated 334 yards of offense in the first half and were up 34-0 at the break.

Independence had a few highlights early. The Patriots, the West’s No. 8 seed, threatened to get back into the game after falling behind 14-0 in the second quarter. Independence quarterback Christian McPhail drove the Patriots to East’s 19 where they faced third and 7.

A McPhail pass to East Forsyth 5 was complete, but the Patriots’ receiver was hit hard and fumbled. East recovered and marched 95 yards in 10 plays for another score.

“That was huge,” said Independence quarterback McPhail, speaking of the Patriots’ failure to capitalize. “That would have gotten us back to 14-7 and we’d have been right back in it.”

Instead, East dominated, the Eagles’ defense holding Independence to 220 yards of offense on the night.

Quotes

“We weren’t expecting anything like this. We thought we’d have a dogfight on our hands. We’re just peaking at the right time." – East Forsyth coach Todd Willert.

Records

East Forsyth is 13-0. Independence ends its season at 8-5.

Worth mentioning

The game clock ran nonstop after East went up 42-0 early in the third quarter … the Eagles intercepted Independence quarterback McPhail four times with Austin Bailey grabbing two … the Patriots avoided being shut out when Jerome Cochran carried in from 11 yards out with 3:50 remaining, the score coming after Independence recovered a fumble deep in East’s territory.

What’s next

East advances to the state’s quarterfinals, hosting West Forsyth on Friday. Independence is done for the year.

This story was originally published November 20, 2015 at 11:32 PM with the headline "Independence falls to East Forsyth, 49-7, in 4-AA playoffs."