Turnovers, San Jacinto are Liberty's biggest enemies in defeat

Andre Skelton finishes off a 46-yard touchdown run for Liberty Friday night. (Photo by Action Captures Media Group)

By Doug Spoon, Editor

Combine four turnovers with an opponent that’s fired up for revenge and you’ve got an uphill battle. That was the case Friday night with Liberty High’s football team, which lost a 56-14 decision to visiting San Jacinto in the first round of the CIF-SS Division 5 playoffs.

The Bison lost three fumbles, two leading to San Jacinto touchdowns; gave the Tigers good field position after a high snap messed up a punt play; and gave up a 103-yard interception return for a TD. San Jacinto, which lost a close decision to Liberty just three weeks ago, seemed to grow stronger with each play that went their way.

Thus a game that was close (21-14 San Jacinto) at halftime turned into a blowout in a game that was an uncharacteristic way for the Bison (9-2) to end their season.

A team that came into the postseason just a missed field goal away from a perfect record was outplayed in this one, but coach Adam Contreras preferred to look at the big picture as he addressed the players afterward, saying they had “laid a strong foundation” for future teams.

“I have 40 seniors and I think the world of those guys,” Contreras said about Liberty’s first senior class. “We were practicing over there at parks when this [the stadium] wasn’t even a thing yet. You reminisce about those moments and all the hard work they put in. They’ve done a lot – more than they’ll ever realize – for this program.

“They set the bar extremely high. They’ve done something not a lot of programs do in just two years. I’m proud of them for what they’ve accomplished.”

Things started out well for the Bison Friday night when they took the opening kickoff and marched 74 yards to score a touchdown on a 9-yard run by Eddie Smith. Their decision to play aggressively was evident on the next play, when they recovered an onside kick. But just two plays later, quarterback Anthony Quinones fumbled the ball away – a sign of things to come.

San Jacinto scored five plays later on an 18-yard run by Malichi Brown. A two-point conversion failed, however, and the Bison still led, 7-6.

Moments later Liberty was in punt formation when the snap sailed over the head of the kicker Smith, who recovered the ball and tried a pass that fell incomplete. San Jacinto took over on downs and scored four plays later on a 6-yard run by Brown.

Liberty tied the score at 14 on a 46-yard run by Andre Skelton, but San Jacinto regained the lead at 21-14 on a 3-yard run by quarterback Jaylen Patterson just before halftime.

Little did anyone know that it would be all San Jacinto from that point on. The Tigers took the second-half kickoff and drove 53 yards for a touchdown on Dillon Gresham’s 5-yard run. Given a two-touchdown advantage, the Tigers continued to build momentum. After fielding a poor punt by the Bison, they needed just four plays to score again on Patterson’s 2-yard run for a 35-14 lead.

Things got even worse for the home team. After another Liberty fumble deep in Bison territory, San Jacinto needed just one play to score again on a 13-yard pass to Bresham. At that point, the rout was on. The capper came in the final minutes when San Jacinto’s Jeremiah Brown intercepted a long pass from Quinones in the end zone and raced the length of the field to score the final points of the game.

“San Jacinto’s really good; I wish them the best of luck,” Contreras said. “We gave them our best shot but tonight, they were better than us. They definitely came in with a chip on their shoulder and looking for redemption.”

Asked about the turnovers, he said, “Things happen. They were flying around to the ball and they were able to get a lot of hands on the ball. We are really good at protecting the ball, but we didn’t do that tonight. I don’t have an answer for that. Turnovers are a part of the game.”

Jacob Ramirez (52) tries to move in for the tackle Friday night. (Photo by Action Captures Media Group)

 Quarterback Anthony Quinones looks for a receiver during Friday's game. (Photo by Action Captures Media Group)

 Zach Velasco (1) gets ready to break up a pass during the second half. (Photo by Action Captures Media Group)

 Anthony Ruelas works his way through a crowd to pick up yardage. (Photo by Action Captures Media Group)