Elder brings end to Independence's 109-game streak

Cincinnati Elder handed Independence its first loss since the current seniors where in fifth grade. Thomas E. Witte/SI

CINCINNATI -- Coach Tom Knotts saw cracks in Independence High's invincibility but never expected the Patriots' 109-game winning streak to crumble. Not so soon, anyway.

Knotts understood that this year's edition of the seven-time defending North Carolina 4AA champions was flawed, but he had little time to brace himself for the reality of a loss. In Saturday's nightcap of the Kirk Herbstreit Ohio vs. USA Challenge at Nippert Stadium, Independence -- the preseason No. 6 in SI's national poll -- twice blew seemingly safe leads: a 13-point advantage at halftime and a touchdown edge in the game's final minute, with Cincinnati Elder facing fourth-and-15.

On that critical down, quarterback Johnny Groene lofted a deep ball into a sea of Patriot green and gold, and his tight end, the 6-foot-7 Notre Dame-bound Kyle Rudolph, boxed out the four defenders clamoring for the ball to set up the tying score in regulation, and the Patriots could not match a Groene TD pass to Josh Jones in overtime.

Independence's Anthony Carruthers threw for 346 yards and two TDs but tossed his second interception in OT, sealing Elder's 41-34 comeback victory and ending the Patriots' win streak 42 games shy of the national mark set by De La Salle (Concord, Calif.).

"I was not prepared," says Knotts of facing his losing team in the locker room. "I am still not prepared. I won't be prepared by Monday. Really, our hearts were set on breaking the record. We thought it was achievable. We had the players."

Nor should Knotts have been prepared. His last loss came a full seven years prior, to the day, back when the current seniors were in fifth grade and the team was led by a sophomore quarterback named Chris Leak.

"Winning that many is a double-edged sword," Knotts says. "It provides great confidence, but it also lessens the work ethic. There's an invincibility that's not always backed up by a great work ethic at a place like that."

It was a surprising admission by the architect of the second-longest streak in high school history. When Knotts was coach at West Charlotte in the '90s, any time his team played Independence, "we always felt we were stronger," he recalls. So when he took the Independence job in 2000 -- in part to harness the right arm of Leak -- among his top priorities was implementing a regimented weight-training program. That first fall there were only two Patriots who could bench-press 300 pounds; now there are about 20. Officially, summer workouts are optional, but they have near 100 percent attendance. "We take pride in our weight training," says junior safety Devonte Holloman.

Adorning the wall of the Independence weight room is a sign boasting "Champions Start In Here" and the Patriots have been nothing short of that. "Anybody on our staff or any of our kids will tell you it's the key to our success," says defensive coordinator Bill Geiler. "It gives them confidence." Geiler remembers a time when Leak tried begging out of a workout, saying he had plans to lift later with a personal trainer his father had hired. "I went and told Knotts who picked up the telephone and told Chris, 'All right, call your daddy because you've got to play somewhere else. You can't play here if you're not going to lift,'" remembers Geiler. "That set the tone. If it's good enough for Chris Leak, it's good enough for everybody."

This is, after all, a program where Knotts jokes the school motto ought to be "Be Like Chris" after the celebrated quarterback, who set the high school record for career touchdown passes with 185 and ranks in the top 10 in eight other passing categories. Also on the wall of the Patriots' weight room is a blown-up photo of the 2000 championship team. "You can look at [Leak's] face, and he was our age," says Georgia-bound cornerback Makiri Pugh. "We can do it too. We owe it to him."

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