NC High School Football: West Charlotte’s Back! Lions stop Independence, now 3-0
West Charlotte High made its own miracle Friday, and served notice of its resurgence.
K.D. Smith’s 54-yard strike to Rakim Finch with 49 seconds left propelled the Lions to a 21-20 win against Independence Friday to start the season 3-0. Two of the 3A Lions’ wins are against 4A squads, but taking down the Patriots (1-2) sends a different type of message in a game West Charlotte had to snatch in the dying seconds.
“Coming into (the season) one of our goals was you’ve got to win the opener,” Lions coach Sam Greiner said. “We want to get to the bye week and let the city know that we’re here. We’re going to protect this house. It’s not going to be easy to beat us here. Independence is an unbelievable team. They came in here 1-1 and trust me, they wanted to destroy us.”
The Patriots were on the verge in the final 90 seconds when West Charlotte embarked on an 83-yard rally over four plays. Smith, who was intercepted three times, dropped back to pass but couldn’t find his initial option. He scanned left, rolled right and found Finch alone downfield for the game-tying touchdown. Deng Chenawuach’s kick provided the margin of victory. Smith finished 5-for-13 for 119 yards and a score.
“We had some good drives going in the second half and they stopped us,” Greiner said. “The defense kept responding and gave us another chance. At the very end it was a very freaky play, and someone gets open. K.D. had a rough night throwing a lot of picks, but he’s our guy, sits in the pocket, hits Rakim for the big play and we’ve got to kick the extra point to win.”
Independence stifled West Charlotte most of the way, but the Lions’ defense kept them in contention. Scottie Cooper’s forced fumble on a sack and Jaden Smith’s return gave West Charlotte a 14-7 lead in the first quarter and kept the score close when Independence was on the verge of breaking through in the second quarter on a 10-yard Travis Hill run and Justin Little’s 14-yard pass to Will Brown 47 seconds before intermission. West Charlotte blocked the Patriots’ final extra point try, which left enough room for one final comeback.
“We’re going to put the city on notice,” Greiner said. “We’re still not where we need to be – that’s the scary thing. There’s still a lot of things we can grow up from and get better at, but I love what we’re made out of. It’s going to be tough to beat us. You’re going to have to take it out of our hands and we’re not going to give it up easily.”
Three who made a difference
Scottie Cooper, West Charlotte: The senior running back/linebacker scored the Lions’ first point on a 1-yard run and his strip-sack led to Jaden Smith’s 33-yard scoop-and-score for a 14-7 West Charlotte lead. He added another sack.
Jayden Jones, Independence: The running back set the tone for the Patriots’ offense with 62 yards rushing and a score in the first half. He finished with 96 yards on 20 carries.
K.D. Smith, West Charlotte: The quarterback wiped out a night of frustration on his final pass of the night, a 54-yard connection to Rakim Finch for the game-winner.
Worth mentioning
▪ Independence’s defense gave up one touchdown in the first quarter before West Charlotte’s last-minute connection. The Patriots allowed 248 total yards.
▪ West Charlotte’s defense was even stingier, conceding only 212 yards to Independence.
▪ West Charlotte is 2-0 at Martin Stadium so far this season after spending the last two years playing home games at Waddell.
What’s next?
Independence hosts South Mecklenburg.
West Charlotte is off before going to Mallard Creek for the Queen City 3A/4A opener.
Scoring summary
Independence: 7 13 0 0 – 20
West Charlotte: 14 0 0 7 – 21
I — Brian Crowder 17-yard pass from Justin Little (Lyric Kopera kick)
WC — Scottie Cooper 1-yard run (Deng Chengkuach kick)
WC — Jaden Smith 33-yard fumble return (Chengkuach kick)
I — Travis Hill 10-yard run (Kopera kick)
I — Will Brown 14-yard pass from Little (kick blocked)
WC — Rakim Finch 54-yard pass from K.D. Smith (Chengkuach kick)
