Independence Patriots Quarterback, Arnold Taylor 

The Patriots new first year junior quarterback has been a pleasant surprise. He looked good during the summer workouts and in practice. He showed a lot of potential, however, no one expected him to start out of the gate slinging the pigskin all over the field to a solid core of wide receivers with accuracy.

Also, the work of excellent offensive line play is providing Taylor with sufficient time to find  open receivers for some big gainers. He still has plenty of hard work ahead to fine tune his game in the QB position, but he possess the athletic ability and intelligence to only improve and get better as the season progresses. Taylor could be just what coach Mike Natoli’s wide open style of offense has been seeking at Independence.

In his first game Taylor played well and connected with Trevor Bryan for a 72 yard touchdown. The combo connected again for a 26 yard touchdown reception in the third quarter against the Vikings from North Mecklenburg in the opener.

On Friday night the Indy QB tossed four touchdowns and rushed for another. He was totally involved in five TD’s against the Sabres from South Mecklenburg. He hit Brian Morgan for a 33 yard touchdown, Trevor Bryan for 36 yards and 63 yards, and to Tight End Tyson Clawson for a 26 yard touchdown reception. He also scored another touchdown running off tackle from the two yard line to give the Patriots a three touchdown advantage in the first half.

The Sports Editor and Sports Writers at The Mint Hill Times congratulate Patriot quarterback Arnold Taylor for being selected this season’s first “Player of the Week.”