Butler wins 4th consecutive Southwestern 4A title

Josh Glisson runs for 4 touchdowns in win over rival Independence

CHARLOTTE - The nationally ranked Butler Bulldogs (10-0, 7-0) defeated the Independence Patriots (9-2, 6-1) 33-14 for their fourth consecutive conference title.

The Bulldogs got off to a good start behind running back Josh Glisson's 18 yard touchdown run on their first possession.

Four minutes later, Glisson added a 7 yard touchdown run to put the Bulldogs up 14-0.

With the offense struggling, the Patriots turned to sophomore quarterback Kelvin Hopkins. Hopkins took the offense 72 yards before they were stopped on fourth down.

Butler was backed up on their own 2 yard line when Glisson got free for another big gain taking the ball across the 50 yard line.

With no time on the clock, quarterback Riley Ferguson threw a touchdown pass, but it was called back for holding. The Bulldogs were penalized 8 times for 80 yards in the first half.

Ferguson started the second half with a touchdown run to put the Bulldogs up 20-0.

The Tennessee commit was playing in his first game since he broke his hand. He finished with 235 yards, one interception, and one rushing touchdown.

Independence moved the ball into the Bulldogs territory, but the drive was stopped again when Michigan commit Channing Stribling came up with an interception.

Ferguson took over and took the Bulldogs on another long drive. He threw a perfect pass that was caught, fumbled, and then recovered by the Patriots on the 1 yard line.

Quarterback Kelvin Hopkins found superstar wide receiver Dequan Barnes for a touchdown to bring the score to 20-7. The sophomore finished with 237 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions.

Glisson went back to work adding another touchdown to put the Bulldogs up 26-7 with 1:58 left in the game. Glisson finished the night with 157 yards on 20 attempts for three touchdowns.

NC State commit Jack Tocho added a rushing touchdown to make it 26-14 with 26.5 seconds left in the game.

On the ensuing kick-off, Glisson caught the onside kick and returned it for his fourth touchdown.

The Bulldogs complete the regular season undefeated, and primed to enter the playoffs going for their third state championship in four seasons.

Game Notes:

Georgia commit Uriah Lemay was disqualified in the second quarter for taunting.

An assistant coach for Tennessee was on the Butler sidelines to watch Riley Ferguson.

Carolina Panthers' quarterback Cam Newton was on hand to watch some high school football.

My Thoughts:

Josh Glisson and Sean Glisson might be the most underrated players in the state. Yes, they play on the best team in the state, but they play in the shadows of Riley Ferguson, Uriah Lemay, Peter Kalambayi, and Channing Stribling. They both continue to get better each time I see them play.

The future at Independence is bright. The Patriots have a lot of young talent, including sophomore quarterback Kelvin Hopkins. Hopkins is fearless, which came back to bite him once when he forced a throw which was intercepted. You can see he's inexperienced, but you can also see the potential he has. He brings an added dimension to the offense that senior quarterback Jason Connella doesn't, and that's the ability to elude the pocket and keep plays alive. The Independence offense should be improved next season with Hopkins and junior running back Isaiah Robinson.

Channing Stribling has crazy athleticism and instincts. His interception in the third quarter was one of the best plays I've seen this year. He read the quarterbacks eyes, broke on the ball, and made a diving catch for the interception.