The playoffs likely weren’t foremost on the minds of the Independence Bulldogs in 2007.
You see, the Bulldogs entered the 2007 season on a 36-game losing streak and any thoughts of playoffs seemed far, far away. However, Independence snapped the losing streak in the third game of the season and eventually advanced to the postseason.
Four years later, star running back Matt Bromley and the rest of his graduating class can look back on a career that included four trips to the playoffs and records of 8-3 and 9-2 in their final two seasons.
Bromley, who will continue his football career at Missouri Southern in Joplin, is proud of what he and his teammates accomplished at Independence.
“After my senior season was over, it hit me that we really did well for the high school,” Bromley said. “I’m just proud of all of the four years there.
“I’m hoping the kids younger than us realize that if they work hard and listen to coach, they can do some great things.”
He hopes the success of the recent years can create a tradition for the Bulldogs.
Independence coach Carl Boldra said it’s definitely a start, but the work isn’t over.
“The biggest thing is that they learn to work like the teams we had in the past did,” Boldra said. “Are they still hungry, because they had success? Do they understand how hard those guys worked in order to have that success?”
There’s no doubt it took a lot of work to take the Bulldogs from a long losing streak to a Class 4A contender.
Bromley, who didn’t suit up for the game as a freshman, said he’ll never forget when the team snapped the 38-game losing streak.
“They were singing songs on the bus,” Bromley said. “It was great.”
Independence improved the next season by earning a 5-5 record and a trip to the playoffs.
But the team really became a contender when Bromley and his class were juniors.
“We knew our junior year was going to be a good year for us,” Bromley said. “A lot of the sophomores and juniors from the year before were ready to step up.”
The Bulldogs finished 8-3 in 2009 and advanced to the second round of the 4A playoffs.
As seniors, Independence grabbed its best season during Boldra’s tenure by posting a 9-2 record.
Boldra said a lot of the credit for the turnaround should go to last season’s senior class. Along with Bromley, the likes of fullback Andre Ysusi, linebacker Bobby Sanchez, quarterback Peyton Botts, free safety Cory Wright, lineman Delon Knight and center Jesse Raney were crucial to Independence’s rejuvenation.
Bromley set the tone.
“Matt’s the type of kid who worked so hard and made himself so much better,” Boldra said. “As a sophomore, he hurt his ankle the third game of the season and already had 400 yards. But he got so much better in the offseason. He got stronger and faster.
“His senior year, his shoulder popped out on him four times, and he put it back in the huddle. He’s a competitor.”
He also displayed strong leadership qualities.
“He had the mentality where he always wanted the ball when the game was on the line,” Boldra said. “But he would always give the praise to everyone else.
“He’s going to be missed bad.”
There’s no doubt about that. Bromley rushed for 2,155 yards and 34 touchdowns his senior season and 4,795 yards and 63 TDs in his career.
But as big of a void Bromley and his senior class leave, they also have left behind an even larger foundation for Independence football.
“We don’t have to beg kids to come out now,” Boldra said. “Now kids want to follow in the footsteps of that tailback. Now we have challenges at practice. We have depth. You probably can’t call it tradition, but the kids believe we can win now. And when kids believe it, they can go out and achieve it.”
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