Rest Their Case: Liberty Reigns Supreme Against Red Mountain
- Nathan Smith
- 5 days ago
- 2 min read
The change of scenery couldn't deter Liberty as the Lions run wild on Red Mountain.
After an early fumble, the Lions quickly found momentum with a TD on 4th down, followed by the interception by RM QB's Dom Carmigiano. The Liberty defense was relentless, also grabbed a fumble from an errant exchange. All of the factors contributed to a 20-3 Lions lead at the end of the 1st quarter.
The two-headed monster at the quarterback position, Jayden Pico and Brayden Stevens, torched Red Mountain Stevens through the air, and Pico on the ground. Pair Jayden Sanchez at the running back position and it was a recipe for success.
Red Mountain as a whole could not find rhythm on both sides. A fumble recovery deep in Liberty territory only resulted in a field goal. The following drives were 3 and outs, near turnovers and the patented smash mouth run game stifled on nearly every attempted. A 4th down conversion attempt was knocked away and Liberty was in the driver's seat.
Liberty toyed with it's prey. An end around pass to Trey Youngker was sign of dominance, prevalence, and ferocity from Colin Thomas's crew.
Tyreke Cornett continues to be unreal on the side of Red Mountain. A strip fumble just like he did against ALA-Queen Creek last week, only this time he took to the house. And then on the next Liberty offensive drive, on the FIRST PLAY, he makes a one handed snag for an interception. The kid is remarkable.
The plays that followed left much to be desired. Red Mountain turned the ball over with an opportunity to put the game in reach.
The 2nd half was more of the same. Liberty defense with their offense is a one-two punch no one can come back from. Jayden Sanchez tacked the drive off with another touchdown. Jayden Pico continued the trench warfare, scampering for another rushing touchdown to make the score 48-10.
Late game energy led the Mountain Lions down the field to make it a 48-16 game headed in the 4th. The cheering from the crowd motivated the seniors as it will be the last time they step foot on a high school field. The scored another touchdown late to make it 48-22.
Liberty proved themselves as the number 1 team in Arizona. Out of state losses cannot define this team. On Arizona soil, this team is one of legacy, dominance, and supremacy. There was skepticism surrounding the #3 rank, but Colin Thomas's crew has proved that seedlings are simply just numbers from an algorithm.
We will see you next week.