Bison charge past Hemet, 49-20, improve record to 3-0
Zachary Velasco leaps above a Hemet defender to catch a touchdown pass Thursday. (Photo by Rick Rowell) By Doug Spoon, Editor Liberty High...
By Doug Spoon, Editor
Liberty High didn’t have its first real offensive possession of the football game until only 4:32 remained in the first quarter Thursday night. At that point, visiting Hemet already had a 10-0 lead.
Then the Bison woke up -- and the Herd was off and running.
Anthony Quinones passed for 102 yards and 3 touchdowns, Andre Skelton ran for 162 yards and 2 touchdowns, Anthony Ruelas ran for 169 yards, and Eddie Smith returned a punt 70 yards for a TD as Liberty defeated the Bulldogs, 49-20.
Liberty excelled in virtually every aspect of the game in improving its record to 3-0. Other than a few penalties, the only real sign of concern came on the Bison’s first play from scrimmage, which followed a 56-yard Hemet drive that ended in a 1-yard TD dive by running back Daniel Mendoza.
With Liberty starting from its own 34-yard line following the kickoff, a short pass from Quinones to Zachary Velasco resulted in a fumble that was recovered by Hemet. The Bulldogs scored five plays later on a 39-yard field goal by Moises Amezquita for a 10-0 lead.
That’s when the momentum began to shift. Liberty drove 70 yards in 8 plays on the next series, capping it with a 20-yard TD run by Skelton. Virtually untouched up the middle, Skelton went into the end zone standing. Two plays later Hemet fumbled the ball away and the Bison capitalized on the opportunity, with Quinones throwing a perfect strike to Velasco at the goal line for a 42-yard TD pass play.
“He’s a great quarterback with a great touch,” Liberty coach Adam Contreras said about Quinones. "With the receivers we have, it’s a great combination.”
Having fought back for a 14-10 lead, Liberty never surrendered it. After the Bison defense forced a three-and-out from Hemet, Liberty needed just three plays to score again, with Quinones hitting Brent Burroughs on another perfectly thrown ball, this one for 47 yards and a score.
Hemet added a 35-yard field goal by Amezcuita to add to its point total, but Liberty came right back three plays later for another touchdown. The key play was the first one of the drive, when Ruelas ran 56 yards. The TD came on a 4-yard run by Skelton and, following Thiago Scapinelli’s PAT kick, meant a 28-13 Liberty lead.
Liberty scored once more in the half on a 4-yard TD pass from Quinones to Velasco for a 35-13 halftime lead. The Bison defense allowed only one Hemet score in the second half, which was another display of Liberty dominance.
The most electrifying play of the second half came early in the fourth quarter, following third-period touchdowns by Skelton (7 yards) and Angelo Serena (5 yards). Hemet punted from its own 37-yard line – a kick that took a couple bounces and appeared headed out of bounds.
But rather than letting the ball go, Smith grabbed a high bounce just inside the sideline, tip-toed for about 10 yards along the line, cut inside through a crowd, and raced 70 yards into the far corner of the end zone for a touchdown.
That, and some strong defensive play, was especially satisfying to Smith, who played his freshman ball at Hemet before transferring to Liberty as a sophomore.
“I saw a perfect bounce, I saw some room, and I got it done,” Smith said about the punt return. "Yeah, it was a special night for me. My freshman year I went to Hemet and I know a lot of these kids. I went to middle school and grew up with them. It was kind of good to have a reunion a little bit and put on a show in front of my people."
Contreras can’t say enough about his senior running back and linebacker.
“He’s a great player and he’ll find ways to make plays,” Contreras said about Smith. “He almost had an interception, too. This was kind of a special game for him.”
Next Friday, the Bison hit the road for a game at Del Norte High in San Diego.
Quarterback Anthony Quinones passed for 102 yards and 3 touchdowns Thursday. (Photo by Rick Rowell)
Andre Skelton shows his emotion after running for a touchdown in the first half. (Photo by Rick Rowell)
Brent Burroughs races untouched into the end zone with another Liberty score. (Photo by Rick Rowell)
