Independence Patriots, Shai Wheeler

The senior all-purpose athlete at Independence High School played his last game at Patriot Football Stadium on Friday night and finished in style.

The wide receiver and defensive back was forced into a quarterback role when Arnold Taylor went down with a knee injury with four games remaining on the schedule. He has stepped into his new role with complete dedication and commitment to the team in providing results and senior leadership keeping the team competitive on the gridiron.

Under his leadership the offense is 2-2 and remains a threat at anytime when on the field. In fact, his performance in the new role has made a major contribution to the Patriots eligibility for the state playoffs as they will match-up against Ardrey Kell in the first round.

In the last regular season game in his high school career he rushed for 162 yards on 17 carries, his long was a 43 yard run for a touchdown, Wheeler caught a pass reception for 30 yards, had 2 pass completions for 16 yards, and scored a second touchdown on a 7 yard dash into the end zone to complete the scoring against an excellent football team at Myers Park.

For his efforts he accumulated 208 yards of total offense and kept the Patriots close in the first half against the number 3 ranked team in the state.

The sports editor and sports writers at The Mint Hill Times want to congratulate Shai Wheeler for his outstanding performance.