Central Section Top 25 (before the start of week 9)
1. Edison Tigers 7-1
2. Bakersfield Drillers 7-1
3. Liberty Patriots 6-2
4. Ridgeview Wolf Pack 7-1
5. Clovis North Broncos 5-3
6. Lemoore Tigers 8-0
7. Hanford Bullpups 9-0
8. Dinuba Emperors 8-1
9. Central Grizzlies 4-4
10. CVC Cavaliers 7-1
11. Sanger Apaches 6-2
12. Clovis Cougars 5-3
13. Bullard Knights 5-3
14. Memorial Panthers 6-2
15. Liberty Hawks 8-0
16. Madera Coyotes 6-2
17. Mission Oak Hawks 6-2
18. Clovis West Golden Eagles 4-4
19. Tulare Western Mustangs 6-2
20. El Diamante Miners 4-4
21. Frontier Titans 4-4
22. Tulare Union Redskins 5-3
23. Centennial Golden Hawks 4-4
24. Stockdale Mustangs 3-5
25. Redwood Rangers 3-5
Outside Looking in: Golden West Trail Blazers 4-4
Featured Game: Kerman @ Liberty-Madera 10/31/14
It was a rainy and cold Halloween night in the ranchos of Madera. The last home game for these talented seniors at Liberty Stadium was about to take place. This undefeated team was ready to make history as they faced off against the Kerman Lions. After talking to players from both teams during the pregame warm-ups, one thing was clear: these two teams didn’t like each other, and were ready to leave it all on the field.
Kerman has had an up and down season. They have not lost two games in a row, and don’t plan on ever losing two in a row. Their defense is sometimes stellar; giving up six points or less in four of their five wins. A tough loss to Coalinga earlier in the season ruined their undefeated season, but the team keeps fighting. Liberty will be their toughest challenge of the season. A victory against this team is their best chance of entering the Top 25.
Liberty is looking to make history. The team has only lost two times in the last three years, and is currently undefeated. Their defense led by safety Logan Pierce is also stellar; 14 points against Corcoran is the most they had given up the entire season. They have a talented back field with Jackson Watts, Richie Brandt, and Wade Wallace. They run a lot of different formations to confuse their opponents. Liberty’s success is not a fluke, it has been well earned.
The Lions received the ball to start the game. But just before the fans could even get settled Isaac Gastelum ran the opening kickoff back for a 94 yard touchdown (7-0). Kerman began to stack the points when Evan Sagariballa was hit as he threw the ball to a wide open Jorge Godinez for a five yard touchdown pass (13-0). Liberty fumbled (rain) the ball on a punt attempt in the second quarter. This gave Kerman good field position. Kerman was able to capitalize when Alexis Cruz nailed a 21 yard field goal (16-0). That would be the score at halftime, as undefeated Liberty went into the locker rooms down in this game. The fans were beginning to feel anxious on both sides of the field.
The second half would be an entire different story. Liberty came out firing and scored 34 unanswered points and shut out Kerman in the second half. Jackson Watts with a 28 yard touchdown run (16-6). Then quarterback Zach Richie called his own number with a quarterback sneak for a touchdown (16-13). Then Wade Wallace on a hard fought 11 yard touchdown run for the lead (20-16). Kerman’s hopes were shattered when Liberty blocked a punt in Kerman’s own end zone for a Touchdown by Hunter O’Brion (27-16). Then The Hawks Sawyer Howe caught an eight yard touchdown pass from Zach Richey to cushion the lead and ensure the win (34-16). The final score was 34-16. The Liberty Hawks improved to 9-0, and the Kerman Lions dropped to 5-4.
Kerman’s offense had no answer for Liberty’s defense. They somewhat abandoned the running game in the second half and it cost them. Kerman’s Evan Sagariballa was good at scrambling but forced a lot of passes and challenged safety Logan Pierce. Kerman’s Andrew Flores ran hard and was possibly Kerman’s best chance at offensive production since the rain had an effect in the game. Kerman should win their final two games of the season and finish the season with a nice looking 7-4 record.
Liberty came out as a different team in the second half. They played as a unit, and the coaches utilized the team’s weapons successfully. They had many different running plays featuring their talented running backs. Quarterback Zach Richey is a safe player, and knows how to not hurt the team’s production. Richie knows how to manage a game under the center, and pressure doesn’t faze him. . The team has been successful for a long time now and there is no reason why they shouldn’t finish the season undefeated.
Game notes
Kerman Lions
Passing: Evan Sagariballa- 6-21, 42 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Andrew Flores- 23 car, 70 yds
Receiving: Jorge Godinez- 4 rec, 24 yds, 1 TD
Liberty Hawks
Passing: Zach Richie- 6-15, 75 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Jackson Watts- 4 car, 51 yds, 1 TD
Receiving: Wade Wallace- 3 rec, 37 yds
Week 9 results:
(1)Edison 52
(16)Madera 13
EHS: K. Williams- 3 TD’s
(2)Bakersfield 49
(24)Stockdale 6
BHS: 7 game winning streak
(3)Liberty-Bakersfield 28
(23)Centennial 0
LHS: Two straight shutouts
(4)Ridgeview 43
Tehachapi 14
RHS: 4 game winning streak
(5)Clovis North 21
(12)Clovis 14
CN: B. Olorunfunmi- 29 car, 116 yds, 1 TD
(6)Lemoore 21
(20)El Diamante 20
LHS: Next week vs. (7)Hanford
(9)Central 3
(18)Clovis West 20
CW: J. Mendoza- 15 car, 110 yds, 2 TD’s
(10)CVC 42
Selma 0
CVC: M. Garbani- 11 car, 117 yds, 3 TD’s
(11)Sanger 17
(13)Bullard 20
BHS: C. Williams- 29 car, 117 yds, 2 TD’s
(14)Memorial 14
Madera South 12
MHS: M. Alvarez- 2 rushing TD’s
(15)Liberty-Madera 34
Kerman 16
LHS: W. Wallace- 15 car, 105 yds, 1 TD
(17)Mission Oak 42
(22)Tulare Union 21
MO: Won 7 of the last 8 games
(19)Tulare Western 20
Monache 0
TW: M. Bernardo- 16 car, 76 yds, 1 TD
(21)Frontier 20
Garces 6
FHS: 2 game winning streak
(25)Redwood 53
Hanford West 26
RHS: snaps a 5 game losing streak
Bye
(7)Hanford
(8)Dinuba
Roosevelt 24
Sunnyside 19
RHS: 3 game winning streak
Fowler 31
Riverdale 26
FHS: M. Kahaian- 11 car, 112 yds, 1 TD
Fresno 48
McLane 0
FHS: N. Hinton- 3 TD’s
Reedley 47
Hoover 7
RHS: Snaps 2 game losing streak
Mt. Whitney 41
Golden West 7
GW: 4-1 in home games
Yosemite 0
Washington Union 43
WU: First shutout of the season
Featured game of week 10: Clovis Cougars @ Clovis West Golden Eagles.
(Scores, stats, and rankings courtesy of Maxpreps.com and The Fresno Bee.)
- Immanuel makes it look easy; Golden Eagles soar past the Grizzlies - February 14, 2015
- Immanuel and Fresno High unstoppable; Central making a late run. - February 4, 2015
- Central stuns Clovis West, Roosevelt stumbles but not out. - January 27, 2015
Leave a Reply