OAKLEY, Calif. - When Liberty got the ball back with under a minute remaining in the first half, after a 33-yard Jake Byrne touchdown pass for Freedom, it was assumed that the Lions would take a knee to send the game to halftime.
They did the opposite, and after an 8-yard Darrion Bartley run, quarterback Jay Butterfield threw to newly cleared Justice Jackson for a touchdown and the Lions closed out the half with a 16-point lead, sending them well on their way to a 44-14 win in the “Bell Game”.
“We were struggling in the first half until that long, explosive play to Justice," said Butterfield. "I’m just happy that he’s out here, and it gave us a lot of momentum going into the second half."
In his first Liberty game being eligible after a transfer from Berean Christian High School, Jackson had a remarkable game. He finished with five catches for 167 yards and two touchdowns, accounting for almost 80 percent of the team's receiving yards.
After a rough start to the game, fumbling and giving up a safety within the first three minutes, Freedom kept it close in the first half. After two Byrne touchdown passes, the latter being a 33-yard Byrne-to-Jordan Lee connection, the Falcons got within 10 with 27 seconds left in the second.. However, the Falcons were unable to score again as an inefficient passing attack that featured 26 incompletions ultimately led to their downfall.
Liberty’s D-Line busted through the Freedom offensive line for six sacks in the game, with Peyton Borrelli and Anthony Orgoglio picking up two each.
“They’re healthy, they’re getting better, and they are really, really good,” said Liberty head coach Ryan Partridge.
Freedom’s Jordan Lee really helped the team out in the game with 36 yards on the ground, and 38 yards receiving and a touchdown. He was able to make plays, with the passing game struggling, with only three second-half completions.
“We will take what we can and get ready for the next week. Just keep working and keep fighting," said Freedom head coach Andrew Cotter. "I saw some good things on both sides of the ball, and we need to just keep working."
On the other side, Liberty’s Brenden Bell took some of the load off of Bartley, the bell-cow back who ran for 72 yards and two touchdowns, with 50 rushing yards of his own. The clinching touchdown was a 36-yard pass late in the third, Jackson's second touchdown catch of the day. That led to the coaching staff resting Butterfield for the rest of the game with a 30-point lead.
“Gotta love ringing the bell,” said Partridge as his Lions hoisted the Bell Trophy, once again, after this one.
Freedom (0-6, 0-1 BVAL) will go on to host Pittsburg (5-1, 1-0) at home next week, while Liberty (6-0, 1-0) will host Antioch (1-5, 1-0).
