It was a throwback style of game between two programs that had to build the old fashioned way without feeder programs or kids from other parts of town lining up to play football there. And it turned out to be a far more competitive game than Independence and Sierra Linda’s season records and results would have suggested.

Oct. 19: (4A) #21 Independence 21, #36 Sierra Linda 20

THE STAKES

Independence entered at 5-2 and playing its best football in 14 years. Yet the Patriots knew one slip up the rest of the way would be fatal. With only 16 teams making the playoffs in the 53-team 4A conference and at most one 4A team going to the Open Division, the Patriots could easily win out and not make the final bracket. Sierra Linda knew it is out of the playoff chase after an especially bitter upset loss to La Joya two weeks. Star linebacker Akhir Harris remains out with a hard to pinpoint nerve issue. And the Bulldogs had 13 days since their last game to get it right. Would they have surprises up their sleeve.

THE SCENE

Sierra Linda’s stadium is by far the brightest lights in this area of the southwest corner of Phoenix, near Laveen. And it’s a really nice, new turf field. Neither team had a raucous student section there. But both brought out a lot of parents that knew their football.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Several players on both sides had an argument. In the end I went with Independence senior Jimmie Candidate, and old heads know what last name means – he’s the nephew of Cornel and Trung. Thursday night Jimmie lined up at tailback, tight end, linebacker and punter. He finished with 105 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries – including the game winning score, plus six tackles and a 33-yard punting average.

PLAY OF THE NIGHT

Sierra Linda had one final chance and picked up a first down at its 33 yard line. But Independence defensive end Jerry Washington, with help from junior linebacker Michael Palmer, rushed sophomore Camar Lee’s first down throw. The next play the roles were reversed as Washington kept contain and gave Palmer more time to rush from the right side, hitting Lee at the 19 yard line as Lee desperately threw the ball away in an almost parallel line right to the bench. That set up an obvious intentional grounding call and 3rd and 30 from their own 13 for the Bulldogs with 56 seconds left. The game was essentially over.

5 THINGS I LEARNED

· This was a man's game. Independence in particular relied on the physicality and familiarity among its blockers and backs, as well as its defensive front seven. Most of the night thouugh, the Sierra Linda big men were there to match them, Independence rushed 38 times for 251 yards, while Sierra Linda took 31 attempts to gain 221 yards. The difference was in the passing game. The Patriots went 7-19 for 53 yards.

· But the two-headed running game of senior Change Ogle (24 carries for 149 yards) and Canidate (12 carries for 105 yards) was solid enough to keep Independence in all night. The Patriots trailed 12-7 at the end of each of the first three quarters but moved the ball steadily enough to keep the Bulldogs from taking over. Ogle is a classic senior year success story. His varsity career totals entering this season were 17 carries for 85 yards. Now he's leading the way at 105 carries for 536 yards and eight touchdowns And Canidate ended up slamming the door with a 35-yard fourth quarter touchdown run.

· Washington and Palmer are the heart of the Independence defense, and each had a sack. They also had some help. Ollarsaba had a key fourth quarter interception and 25-yard return, 4 tackles and some good coverage. Sophomore linebacker Kesean Wright led KJ Anthony's team with 7 tackles.

· This was Sierra Linda's best, most complete performance of the season, in particular its defensive performance without Harris (66 total tackles in five games). Senior Lennoxx Hicks continues to hold it down on the defensive line, swapping between a run-stopping end and defensive tackle while adding a sack. Junior cornerback Talan Viner short circuited the Patriots' passing game, blanketing Canidate and junior receiver Collynn Yarahuan all night and breaking up four passes. Freshman safety Brandon Hadnot picket off Independence junior Armani Cruz near the end zone in the first half and is proving Ty Preyer's decision to start him on the varsity to be right.

· Sierra Linda also sported a more multifaceted offense, largely thanks to sophomore Camar Lee. The 14-year-old sophomore quarterback went 16-26 for 196 yards and a touchdown, though he did throw the pick to Ollarsaba. Senior running back Kevin Tortolero and his line built the 12-7 lead as he scored both of his touchdowns in the first quarter and gained most of his 191 yards, including a 65-yard scoring dash in the first minute. Senior Jackson Baird was Lee's top target, with 4 catches for 101 yards, including a 47-yard bomb.

THEY SAID IT

Independence coach K.J. Anthony: "They made a lot of changes in the bye week. To be honest with you, they did an outstanding job with the game plan. They did what they needed to do, considering what they'd seen of us on tape," Anthony said. "They're a very talented team. They have some players."

"Two years ago we said to Chance, 'We need a backup quarterback. Why Don't you just play backup quarterback?' And he said he'd like to try tailback. I said, 'I've got six tailbacks,'" Anthony said. "He took it one step at a time and now he's getting most of our carries. He does an outstanding job. He runs the ball hard and has great vision. His improvment has been tremendous over the three years I've had him."

"Three years ago when we got in a hole, we struggled. We got in a hole multiple times tonight and dug our way out of it,. That tells me the program is changing," Anthony said. "I go back to Douglas last year. We were down, and the kids came back and fought. From that point on we've played well."

"I'll be honest with you, talking about how the program has improved - special teams has been huge. We have practiced special teams from spring all the way through and these kids have gotten a lot better," Anthony said. "And if you look at it, a lot of times if a team struggles and special teams is a big part of that."

Junior cornerback/kick returner Orlando Ollarsaba: "At firt I was kind of staying back to see what he would do and reading him. Then I started realizing that, when there's two on this side they always do one thing so I tried to stay on top of it," Ollarsaba said. "While I was taking my read step, my linebacker was also coming with my guy, dropping back. I stayed back more and I seen the guy coming across and I just stepped up."

"When I first started receiving kicks, I was kind of nervous. But then I started trusting my team and believing they would block for me. Now I just see it and I go," Ollarsaba said.

Senior tight end/linebacker Jimmie Canidate: "In the start it was all abou people not filling their gaps, and people trying to do other people's jobs," Canidate said. "We didn't have a lot of football knowledge. Over the years I could see that we're starting to get more knowledge. More people are coming out for the team and we're starting to play as the team."

"When the tackle pulled, and he sealed that linebacker going off the edge, that cutback was right there. A lot of it was missed blocks at the beginning. I told them, 'If you pick this up, I'm going to get in there," Canidate said. "We're a lot less predictable this year, and I'm not the only one that can run. We've got guys who can catch."

"You're going to be the hammer or the nail. My uncles and my dad taught me that. As I've grown up, I could see that being the hammer is more fun," Canidate said. "This win means so much more because we haven't had a region championship since 2009. My senior year and a lot of other guys senior year ... so we've got to do it. We haven't had the opportunities that we have now. We're getting Independence out there."

Sierra Linda coach Ty Preyer: "We played really well. One of our things is, we lost our biggest piece on defense. Akhir has been out for the last three weeks and we don't know when we're getting him back. He has a nerve issue. He's our heartbeat and the guy that shut down the B gap power," Preyer said. "This time the whole defense stepped up. Against La Joya, we were waiting the whole game for them to step up."

"Talan Viner, I tell everybody, has the potential to be the best corner in the state. Talan could go to Centennial and play right now, because of the potential he has. Now Talan is realizing that. This was Talan's best game I've seen." Preyer said. "With Independence I've been a fan because I remember the last time they were a good team. I was a senior at Kellis and we played them. They had to deal with the demographics moving around. Coach Anthony has those kids going. Like Michael Palmer, I was waiting to see him play."

"Kevin just says, 'I'm not giving up.' Preyer said. "My line is beat up. We've had seven different combinations of linemen, and tonight we only had five. I tell everybody Camar is going to be a coach. At altime I started talking and he was like, "Coach, can I say something?' He literally just drew everything up. His mindset and the way he carries himself with the game are great. We're just trying to build up that leadership track. Once he learns how to take command, I think he's going to be dangerous. I firmly believe in this kid."