Liberty Pulls Away From Mesa in 58-18 Victory

Liberty built an early advantage and continued adding to it throughout the night, defeating Mesa 58-18 Friday at Mesa High School.

The Lions opened the game with a 15-point first quarter while keeping the Jackrabbits off the scoreboard.

No. 3 Evan Adamczyk and No. 14 Kenny Raymond accounted for Liberty's two first-quarter touchdowns. No. 33 Koen Broadley converted an extra point, while No. 88 Jayden Sellers added a successful two-point reception to help Liberty take a 15-0 advantage into the second quarter.

Mesa broke through in the second quarter when No. 4 found the end zone. The Jackrabbits' extra-point attempt was unsuccessful, cutting Liberty's advantage to 15-6.

Liberty answered during the quarter with a touchdown from No. 19 Jayveon Davidson. Broadley's extra-point attempt was unsuccessful, but he later connected on a field goal to give the Lions a 24-6 halftime advantage.

Liberty's defense played a major role in protecting that first-half lead. No. 8 Kaden Miller recorded an interception in the second quarter, while No. 9 Brayden Howland added another interception for the Lions before halftime.

The Lions continued to separate themselves in the third quarter. No. 0 Jayden Sanchez scored a touchdown for Liberty, and Mesa answered with a touchdown from No. 1. The Jackrabbits attempted a two-point conversion following the score, but the pass intended for No. 18 was incomplete.

Liberty added another third-quarter touchdown when Sellers reached the end zone. Broadley converted both of Liberty's third-quarter extra points as the Lions increased their advantage to 38-12.

Howland also came away with his second interception of the game during the third quarter, giving Liberty three interceptions through the first three quarters.

The Lions carried their momentum into the fourth and produced their highest-scoring quarter of the night with 20 more points.

No. 18 Carter Rothe and Raymond each added touchdowns during the final quarter, while Liberty's scoring statistics also credit No. 44 Kenji Nguyen with a rushing touchdown. Broadley added another successful extra point as Liberty pushed its total to 58.

Mesa continued competing and found the end zone once more in the fourth quarter when No. 17 scored, bringing the Jackrabbits' final total to 18.

While Liberty's scoring was spread across several players, quarterback No. 6 Jason Haines delivered one of the game's biggest statistical performances. The sophomore completed 18 of 27 passes for 403 yards and four touchdowns.

Rothe led Liberty's receiving production with four receptions for 138 yards and a touchdown, including a 78-yard reception. Sellers added three catches for 74 yards and a touchdown, while Adamczyk recorded three receptions for 35 yards and a score.

Raymond contributed in multiple ways, finishing with 40 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown while also recording a 43-yard touchdown reception. He finished with 83 all-purpose yards and two total touchdowns.

Liberty also received a rushing touchdown from Sanchez and a 35-yard rushing touchdown from Nguyen.

The Lions' defense complemented the offensive production with three interceptions. Howland recorded two interceptions and Miller added one. Brecken Garday led Liberty with 13 total tackles and a tackle for loss, while Christian Garcia recorded 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.

Liberty finished with touchdowns from seven different players as its offense produced points in every quarter. After establishing a 15-0 first-quarter advantage, the Lions carried a 24-6 lead into halftime before scoring another 34 points over the final two quarters to complete the 58-18 victory.