Independence went on the road Thursday night and defeated Albany 26-16, securing Sam Messina’s first career win as head coach of his alma mater.
The Tigers built a 19-0 halftime lead and held off a furious Hornets rally for a 10-point victory.
On the first play from scrimmage, Indy’s Deon Melton took the carry and exploded around the edge for a huge gain, all the way to the Albany 35.
Senior QB Je’Marcus Weatherspoon kept it himself from the 11-yard line and sprinted to the right pylon for the game’s opening score, 7-0 (Victor Ochoa kick).
Albany was forced into a quick punt, and Weatherspoon scrambled for a first down on third and long but was belted out of bounds in the process, injuring himself.
The Tigers’ starting signal caller never returned to the game, and backup QB Kadarius Harris was inserted into the lineup.
The sophomore looked far from out of place, orchestrating a long touchdown drive, capped by a five-yard scoring toss to senior Jayden Anderson on third and goal.
Anderson caught the short dump off in the flat and plowed over a Hornets defender at the goal line for six. A low snap derailed the point after process, but Independence jumped out to a 13-0 advantage with 8:28 to go in the second quarter.
Albany was finally able to get something going as junior QB Jake Milton connected with freshman WR Yadrieon Williams on a deep pass. However, Williams had the ball punched out by Indy CB Kyson Garner, which was recovered by Melton, for a Tigers turnover.
The Hornets’ defense forced a punt, but their offense turned the ball back over to the Tigers on downs with just over three minutes to play in the first half.
Harris then connected with Melton on a short reception that turned into a lot more as the speedy senior picked up chunks of yardage in the open field before being pushed out of bounds inside the Albany 30.
On the ensuing play, Harris found Dorin Sellers in one-on-one coverage and delivered a dime to his senior WR for Indy’s third touchdown of the opening half, 19-0 (failed PAT).
In the dying embers of the second quarter, Albany’s Jayden Lapine fumbled the kickoff, but picked it up and found a crease for a great return to the Independence 33.
The Tigers’ defense stood tall and sacked Milton to go into halftime with a commanding lead.
The Hornets faired much better in the third, as senior RB Jonah Grob concluded a methodical scoring march with a touchdown run on third and goal to finally get his side on the board. Grob also converted Albany’s two-point try on the ground, cutting into Independence’s lead, 19-8, with just over eight minutes left in the quarter.
Indy’s offense was stopped on fourth and three from the Albany 35, and suddenly the home team had life.
Grob ran through multiple would-be tacklers to the Tigers’ 25 on a huge run as the Hornets fans expressed their approval.
But an aborted snap was recovered by Independence DT Jose Aguirre.
The Tigers’ momentary momentum wouldn’t last long as a high snap over the punter’s head resulted in an Albany safety, 19-10. Ochoa didn’t make a bad play worse for Indy, smartly falling on the loose ball in the end zone to negate a possible touchdown.
Heading into the fourth, the Hornets were faced with a fourth-and-seven in their own territory. With Grob as the usual punter, a fake was always on the cards, and Albany head coach Travis Mikel dialed up just that.
Independence wasn’t fooled and tackled Grob a yard or two short to take over in plus territory.
However, the Tigers fumbled the ball back to the Hornets, reigniting the contest.
Albany leaned heavily on the legs of Grob (6’0, 205), who didn’t disappoint, carrying Indy tacklers with him during the Hornets’ touchdown drive and was the one who found the end zone again.
Independence’s defense had enough on the two-point attempt and tackled Grob well short of the goal line to keep its lead at 19-16 with 7:46 remaining.
Faced with a fourth-and-three from the Albany 48 in what was perhaps the play of the game, Messina elected to go for it. Harris delivered an accurate ball on the perimeter to senior Jaylan James, who outflanked the Hornets’ defense, racing 46 yards before finally being forced out of bounds at the two-yard line.
A false start penalty on the Tigers made things less straightforward, but on third-and-goal from the one, Messina wasn’t messing around, putting DE/RB Christian Butler (6’3, 230) in at tailback.
The senior used brute force to power his way into the end zone, essentially icing the game for Independence, 26-16 (Ochoa kick).
The Tigers’ secondary made things official, as Garner picked off Milton’s deep ball intended for Williams, and Indy was able to run out the remainder of the clock for a well-earned victory.
“It’s great for the kids. We’re moving in the right direction,” said Messina. “Kadarius Harris stepped in, and we didn’t miss a beat offensively. I saw a lot of poise in the way he handled himself.”
Messina was complimentary of starter Weatherspoon’s play early on and said his injury doesn’t appear serious.
“Play hard. We’re getting better every week. There’s more to come,” said Harris on the Tigers’ mindset.
Independence (1-3) will hope to build on its first win of the season next week at Ponchatoula for another Thursday night clash (Oct. 2).
Albany (1-3) is looking to regroup at home against Jefferson RISE Charter on Friday night (Oct. 3).