Patriots pull away from East
| Friday, Oct 30 2009 11:34 PM
Last Updated Friday, Oct 30 2009 11:34 PM
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In the early-going, Friday night's SEYL showdown between Liberty and East looked like it was going to be a 48-minute heavyweight fight.
The Blades missed their chance to counter late in the first quarter, however, and Liberty delivered the knockout punch in the second en route to a 49-14 win at Patriots Stadium.
Liberty (5-3, 4-0 SEYL) imposed its will on the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. The Patriots won the game on the defensive line, where their four-man rush had Blades quarterback Joe Pearson running for his life all night. Jaylin Howard led way with two of Liberty's four sacks. Only Pearson's exceptional elusiveness kept that total from being bigger.
On the other side of the ball, a road-grading Patriot offensive line cleared the way for 264 rushing yards. Junior running back Carson Moyer did the most damage, carrying 18 times for 126 yards.
Liberty opened the scoring when Jacob Frost beat man-to-man coverage to haul in a 42-yard strike from Dillon Meadows. But East answered right back when, running for his life, Pearson bought enough time to complete four big passes, the last a 10-yard scoring strike to Akkeli Holley to tie the game at 7-7.
The Patriots needed just four plays to answer after a failed East onside kick. Zach Vasquez capped the 50-yard drive with a four-yard run.
East didn't flinch, however, and Holley's 63-yard return on the ensuing kickoff set the Blades up deep in Liberty territory. But facing fourth-and-5 at the Patriot 19, Pearson failed to see a wide-open Malachi Jackson coming across the middle and instead threw into coverage in the end zone, where the pass was batted down.
The Patriots then went to their bread and butter to take control, marching 81 yards, all on the ground. Moyer's one-yard touchdown run three minutes into the second quarter made it 21-7 and gave Liberty control it didn't relinquish.
