When the United States prepares to celebrate its 250th birthday on July 4, 2026, a unusual football experiment is taking shape across the country. Twelve high schools that carry the name Independence High School will meet on the gridiron that year, forging a rare nationwide narrative that ties small‑town pride to a national milestone.
Only three of those programs use the nickname “Patriots,” and the most prominent of them is the Independence Patriots from Charlotte, North Carolina. Coached by Tom Knotts, the team has become a focal point of the story, coming within striking distance of challenging the legendary 151‑game winning streak recorded by De La Salle. The Patriots also boast a historic 109‑game unbeaten run in the early 2000s, a testament to their sustained excellence.
Other Nicknames and Regional Variations
The remaining schools adopt different identities to reflect local heritage. The Independence campuses in San Jose, California, and Columbus, Ohio, call their teams the “76ers,” a nod to the year 1776 and the spirit of independence that still resonates in those communities.
Beyond the football field, the name Independence appears in sixteen towns scattered across the United States. Strikingly, none of those municipalities host a high school named Independence. Three of the towns — Independence in Montana, Independence in North Dakota, and Independence in Oklahoma — have vanished into ghost towns, their rise and decline linked to mining booms, reservoir construction, and shifting population patterns.
Ghost Towns of Independence
Independence, Montana, experienced a brief boom in the 1890s after gold was discovered, only to be abandoned by the end of the decade. In North Dakota, the town was deliberately flooded in the 1950s to create Lake Sakakawea, erasing its streets beneath the water. Oklahoma’s Independence faded as residents migrated to nearby Custer City in the early 1900s, leaving behind only ruins and memories.
The convergence of these football programs and the remnants of ghost towns creates a layered story that blends athletic ambition with the echoes of America’s past. As the nation counts down to its semiquincentennial, the field will become a stage where tradition, competition, and history intersect.