BRENTWOOD, CA - Senior running back Ronnie Rivers led the way for Freedom's offense once again, as he finished with 229 yards rushing and two touchdowns to help lift Freedom (10-0, 5-0 BVAL) to a 47-7 victory over intra-district rival Liberty(4-6, 1-4 BVAL), in the 19th Annual Bell Game.
"This win was a big accomplishment for me," said Rivers, who topped the 200-yard mark for the third time in the last five games.
Quarterback Jonathan Pierce finished with 262 yards passing and four touchdowns, including Freedom's final touchdown with 2:11 left in the third quarter to receiver Thomas Houston, to seal the deal for Freedom.
Pierce's favorite targets on the night were junior receiver Baylei Coston, who led the team with 83 receiving yards and scored his only touchdown with 3:11 left in the third quarter on a 22-yard throw from Pierce, and sophomore receiver Giles Jackson, who finished with 77 yards receiving and one touchdown.
Freedom's defense slowed down Liberty's offense throughout the game, as junior quarterback Ryan Dutt had only 81 yards passing and threw two interceptions. Rivers returned one interception for a touchdown, with 4:16 left in the second quarter, while senior linebacker Kyle Harmon had another pick.
Dutt did throw his only touchdown pass of the game with 2:46 left in the first quarter, on a 10-yard throw to senior receiver Connor Capps. That throw gave Liberty a 7-0 lead, before the Falcons scored the final 47 points of the game.
With the win, Freedom not only finished the regular season 10-0 for the first time in school history, but also collected its second league title. The Falcons now await an expected berth in the North Coast Section Open Division, where they should be a top-two seed.
"We all came together as a family and worked very hard for this," said Harmon.
If the playoff seedings occur as expected, Freedom will play again in two weeks, in the Open Division semifinals.
