Hough routs Independence in Observer high school football playoff game of the week

Ever since Hough lost its season opener after coughing up a 20-point second-half lead against Rock Hill Northwestern, S.C., the Huskies have played like a team on a mission.

Not only have they won every game since, they’ve routed each opponent they’ve faced.

On Friday, Hough had perhaps its most impressive “statement victory” with a 47-3 win over Independence in the second round of the N.C. 4A playoffs.

“They’re a great ball club,” Independence coach D.J. McFadden said of Hough. “They’re big, they’re physical and they’re fast. I think we lost to the eventual state championship team tonight.”

Hough (11-1) advances to meet the winner of Saturday’s 6 p.m. Mallard Creek at Watauga second- round game in next week’s third-round playoff game. The Patriots finished 10-2 overall.

Interestingly enough, visiting Independence actually started the game as it wanted to Friday.

The Patriots took the opening kickoff and used 10 plays and 5 minutes, 25 seconds to drive 70 yards for a 26-yard field goal by Lyric Kopera.

Two plays later, the rout was on as Hough senior quarterback Trey Blakeney hit junior wide receiver Tyran Evans for an 87-yard scoring play that gave the Huskies the lead for good with 5:48 left in the first quarter.

Hough would score on six of its next seven offensive drives for the final 47-3 margin with 5:26 left in the third quarter.

The large lead also meant the game would end with a running clock.

“Everybody on this team wants to be successful — the offense, the defense and the coaches,” Hough coach DeShawn Baker said. “We know we’ve got a lot of capability of making a lot of big plays on offense. We just followed our game plan.”

The was the largest loss in Independence’s 87-game playoff history; the Patriots’ only other postseason loss of 40 or more points came in a 49-7 second-round loss at East Forsyth in 2012.

The 44-point loss was Independence’s largest for any game since losing 62-12 at West Mecklenburg in the 2018 regular season.

Three who made a difference

Trey Blakeney, Hough: He completed six of 10 passes for 170 yards and three touchdowns and rushed five times for 33 yards and another TD.

Jycen Anciso and Tyran Evans, Hough: Anciso rushed 11 times for 117 yards and one touchdown and Evans caught three passes for 115 yards and two TDs.

Jayden Jones, Independence: The junior halfback rushed 13 times for 43 yards to finish the season unofficially with 2,184 yards rushing on 158 carries with 27 touchdowns.

Notable

▪ The statistics in the game were one-sided as Hough finished with 467 yards of total offense on 49 plays with 21 first downs and no punts. Independence finished with 111 yards of total offense on 45 plays and picked up 51 yards on 35 plays after getting 60 yards on 10 plays on its opening drive.

▪ Even including the season-opening 45-44 loss to Northwestern, Hough has now outscored its 12 opponents by a 580-85 margin with the closest result a 33-0 home win over Mallard Creek on Oct. 18.

▪ Independence had won five of its six previous postseason road games before Friday.

They said it

“The best part of this team is watching how much fun they have. They work hard and play hard and nobody cares about who gets the credit.” — Hough coach DeShawn Baker

GAME SUMMARY

Independence 3 0 0 0 - 3

Hough 14 19 14 0 - 47

FIRST QUARTER

I: Lyric Kopera 26 FG

H: Tyran Evans 87 pass from Trey Blakeney (Kandler Happe kick)

H: Sean Brady 28 pass from Blakeney (Happe kick)

SECOND QUARTER

H: Blakeney 2 run (Happe kick)

H: Jamison Funderburk 1 run (Kick failed)

H: Evans 18 pass from Blakeney (Kick failed)

THIRD QUARTER

H: Brady 20 run (Kick failed)

H: Jycen Anciso 63 run (Blakeney run)