[ad_1]
WINCHESTER — It’s not how you start but how you finish.
The Liberty football team started 1-4 and on the wrong end of three one-score losses, with two of those being by a point.
Thursday night, in a high-scoring but turnover-filled game, the Bison prevailed 41-34 in double overtime over Paloma Valley to secure a playoff berth and finish second in the Ivy League standings.
Linebacker Carter Laurtizen intercepted a pass to start the second overtime period, and Parris Peacock scored the decisive touchdown on a 15-yard run.
Peacock had 28 carries for 192 yards and three touchdowns, all after intermission, for Liberty (5-5 overall, 4-1 in league).
Paloma Valley (3-7, 2-3) will find out on Sunday morning if their season continues with an at-large bid into the playoffs.
“We made things a lot harder on ourselves than they needed to be, but part of sports is finding a way to win when you don’t have your best stuff and that’s what we had to do tonight,” Bison coach Adam Contreras said. “That’s the kind of game that gets a team ready for the playoffs, and I’m glad it was where it fell on our schedule.”
Paloma Valley went three-and-out on its opening series, but Liberty turned over the ensuing kickoff return. Wildcats quarterback Isaac Navarro found Zach Boggio for a 2-yard touchdown pass to give Paloma Valley an early lead with 8:30 in the first quarter.
Trent Hallis’ 6-yard touchdown run with 4:24 left tied the game after 12 minutes of action.
Paloma Valley led 14-7 at the half with both teams combining for four turnovers in the last seven minutes of play. Damien Rowell of Liberty jumped up and picked off a Navarro pass in the end zone with 10 seconds left until intermission to end a promising drive by the Wilcats.
The teams reached intermission with a combined total of five turnovers and finished with eight.
Christopher Debose had a pair of red-zone touchdown runs in a span of 52 seconds for Liberty, as the Bison took a 21-14 lead, cashing in a third Paloma Valley turnover for the second of those touchdowns.
Paloma Valley opened the fourth quarter with a 12-play drive that took 3:51 of clock but the Wildcats turned it over on downs.
The Wildcats’ defense came up with a fumble recovery just under a minute later, and Daniel Sanchez tied the game at 21 with a 2-yard touchdown run.
Peacock put Liberty back on top with the first of his three touchdowns in the fourth quarter or overtime. His 17-yard run gave the Bison a 28-21 lead with 1:52 left in regulation. Navarro and Arthur Stringer hooked up for a 30-yard touchdown pass with 43 seconds left to force overtime with the game tied at 28.
Both sides scored in the first overtime with Peacock punching in a 1-yard touchdown run moments after Paloma Valley’s defense thought they had forced a goal-line fumble. Navarro answered back. finding Noah Davis for a 13-yard touchdown pass.
“We fight until that clock strikes zeros and that’s my favorite thing about our team,” Peacock said. “But our offensive linemen deserve a ton of credit for getting us running backs holes to work with and do the things we’re doing. We’re playing with a ton of momentum now and ready for the playoffs.”
Navarro threw an interception that bounced off a defender’s shoulder pads and found the waiting hands of Lauritzen to end Paloma Valley’s possession in the second overtime. Peacock cashed in the turnover with a third touchdown as Liberty’s sideline erupted in celebration.
[ad_2]
Source link