For the third time this season the #19 Highland football team have won back-to-back games after notching the win in the regular season home finale beating Independence 24-21 in front of the Last Chance U cameras.

It was a slow start to the game and started to look like it could be another low scoring affair like last year when Independence won just 9-6 but the scoring picked up on the fourth drive of the game second for the visiting Independence. The Pirates took the early lead on a nine play drive as Jordan Jones who returned at quarterback for Independence ran it in for a touchdown from three-yards giving Indy the 7-0 lead with 7:26 left in the first quarter.

Down 7-0 in the second quarter the Scotties got on the board with a field goal by Ryan Schemtob who split the uprights from 41-yards finishing a nine play drive for Highland making it 7-3 Independence. The lead flipped to Highland after the Scotties punted the ball looking to pin the Pirates deep and the Indy returned leaped to grab the ball but miss played it and made it a live ball allowing the Scotties to recover the fumble and step up their offense on the one-yard line. After Kendrick Buckley recovered the fumble the Scotties handed the ball off to Kevin Brown for a one-yard touchdown run and with the extra point led 10-7 with 6:55 left in the first half. Scotties derailed a potential scoring opportunity for Indy as Amarrian Brown picked off a pass late in the second quarter.

It stayed a 10-7 game headed into halftime with Highland in front despite only 57 total yards of offense in the first half for the Scotties. The second half saw the offense open up for both teams and create opportunities. The first points of the second half didn't come until the 1:06 mark in the third quarter when Avery McCall capped a 13-play 70 yard drive with a 27-yard touchdown pass to Javon Henderson pushing the lead for Highland to double figures at 17-7.

Scotties went up 24-7 at the 9:46 mark in the fourth quarter when McCall slung another touchdown pass hitting Naricuss Driver this time for a nine-yard score. Indy put together a run at the Scotties as Chase Hildreth entered the game at quarterback for the Pirates late in the fourth quarter due to an injury to Jones and with 6:37 left in the game capped a drive with a touchdown. Shermari Jones finished the Indy drive with a two-yard touchdown run on a drive that saw a Brian George pick-six called back on a Scottie penalty.

Indy attempted an onside kick and recovered it after a Scottie fumble but two plays later Daryan Ingram who got his first start as a Scottie picked off Hildreth for the third Indy turnover of the day. Indy got the ball back down the stretched a hit some big pass plays including a 46-yard touchdown pass from Hildreth to Roy Livingstone making it 24-21 with six seconds left in the contest. Indy went to the onside kick attempt again but Highland recovered and secured the 24-21 victory.

Despite being outgained in the matchup the Scotties made the plays capitalizing on the Indy turnovers in the contest. Offensively, McCall was 20-29 for 133 yards with two touchdowns, with his favorite target on the day being Greg Payton who snatched seven passes for 49 yards. Brown finished with 53 yards rushing with a touchdown on 13 carries. Defensively, Donnell Lowery had another double figure tackle game leading the team with 12 tackles and adding two and two and half sacks. Jahmal Wynter recorded 10 tackles with a half sack.

The win moves Highland to 6-3 on the season and 4-3 in KJCCC action assuring the Scotties a winning record on the gridiron for the fourth time in the last six years. Highland will wrap up the regular season on the road on Saturday, November 10^th with a 1:00pm kickoff against #3 Iowa Western.