Independence llllllll
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Independence llllllll
Patriots reloading for another run
Reigning Class AA state champions have no plans to slow down
By Dave Morrison
FOR THE REGISTER-HERALD
Turns out construction wasn ’ t necessarily complete after all following Independence ’ s 42-7 rout of Herbert Hoover in the Class AA state championship game , the school ’ s first title , in December .
Independence went undefeated , 13-0 , and was never really challenged in leading the state in offense and defense .
The team boasted the Kennedy and Warner Award winner ( for the second straight year ), had both captains on the first-team all-state squad and had six first-teamers all together .
The construction continues , said coach John H . Lilly when asked the obvious question heading into the 2023 season . Can the Patriots repeat ?
“ Six years ago , we came here to build a program to be competitive with Bluefield and Fairmont ,” Lilly said . “ In double-A football you have to beat those two guys . And I still believe that . You ’ ve got to beat either Fairmont or Bluefield to get there . We want to prove it more than three years . You ’ ve got to keep it going . Our kids are excited and I ’ m excited about all the new faces that are going to be out there , and they ’ re excited to be out there and prove how good they are .”
The Patriots beat both in making it back to Wheeling a year after falling in the state title game to Fairmont in 2021 .
New faces is right . Of the six all-staters , five are gone , including Kennedy and Warner Award winner Judah Price , offensive linemen Logan Isom and Brady Grimmett , linebacker and
Jenny Harnish / The Register-Herald
Independence quarterback Trey Bowers scores a touchdown against Shady Spring last season at Shady Spring High School .
defensive all-state captain Jordan Harvey and defensive back Cyrus Goodson .
Also gone are second-team offensive lineman Parker Withrow and defensive lineman Braxton McKinney .
The only all-stater back is first-team offensive utility Trey Bowers . But Bowers is also the quarterback .
“ I ’ ve always believed two things ,” Lilly said . “ If
2023 SCHEDULE
Aug . 25 Sept . 1 Sept . 8 Sept . 15 Sept . 22 Sept . 29 Oct . 6 Oct . 13 Oct . 20 Oct . 27 Nov . 3 at Liberty at Oak Hill
Open vs . Shady Spring at Mingo Central at Bluefield vs . Westside vs . Man at Nicholas County vs . Wyoming East
Open you ’ ve got your quarterback back that ’ s a big step . And , if you have a chance , it makes practice more fun .” Bowers had a big junior year , throwing for a school-record 1,622 yards ( and 11 touchdowns ) and rushing for 899 yards and 15 touchdowns after moving over from receiver last fall .
“ He ’ ll have a bigger role this year ,” Lilly said . “ He ’ s a lot bigger , a lot stronger and maybe a tad faster . We have high expectations for him .”
Moving in to replace Price , much like Price replaced Kennedy / Warner winner Atticus Goodson from 2021 , is Tyler Linksweiler , who has rushed for 1,158 yards backing up both over the last two seasons . Also in the backfield mix is transfer Connor Bradford from Liberty . Lilly said he is high on Lucas Waddell and Silas Nelson , who is also a receiver . “ We ’ re pretty deep at running back ,” Lilly said . “ The good thing about Trey is he is a workaholic ,” Lilly said . “ He has his own goals . He wants to play on the next level , and I think he can . He comes from good stock , Lonnie Warwick ( a linebacker behind the Minnesota Vikings famed Purple People Eaters defensive line that terrorized NFL offenses from 1968-77 ), his great uncle who has a Super Bowl ring .”
Independence rushed for 345.6 yards rushing ( 4,493 ) and 135 passing ( 1,755 ) for 480.6 yards per game of offense and the Patriots averaged 52.5 points per game ( 682 points ) and gave up just 5.8 ( 76 points , 45 in the postseason ).
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SOUTHERN W . VA . GAME NIGHT - AUGUST 2023 • 11