JESUS CANO
Prep2Prep Adult Contributor

October 26, 2019

ANTIOCH, Calif. — In the same quarter, Jake Byrne threw his worst and best pass of the game. After giving up a pick six to Donovan Fells, which saw Antioch take a late one-point lead, Byrne stepped back on the gridiron — and led his team.

His 35-yard pass to Deniro Killian Jr. set up Roy Lee to score a five-yard touchdown to give Freedom the 27-21 victory over Antioch.

“That play wasn’t even designed for him (Killian),” said Byrne. “But I saw him at the corner of my eyes, flip my hips and let it rip.”

Byrne finished the night 258 yards and three touchdowns.

After starting the drive on their own 15, the Falcons shot themsleves in the foot with a pair of penalties. But with a few strong carries from Jordan Lee and connections to Killian Jr. business was boomin’ for Freedom. The Falcons converted twice on fourth down on the winning drive.

When Antioch got the ball back, the Panthers threatened, but a big sack by Brett Bausola ended the game.

“I knew I just had to run to the sidelines and celebrate with my teammates,” said Bausola.

It’s certainly been a long season for the Falcons, but they have adjusted and remained optimistic.

It took Freedom eight weeks to capture its first victory of the season, but now the Falcons are just one game away from becoming playoff eligible.

“We’ve grown,” said Freedom head coach Andrew Cotter. “It’s been a process. It hasn’t been easy. They fight and we’re gonna continue to fight.”

It was a win Antioch desperately needed. With its newly established double wing offense, Antioch was still in contention for the BVAL title.

They got off to a good start with DeJuan Butler scoring on the first drive of the game to make it 7-0.

It was a back-and-forth battle. With Antioch’s offense, it limited the amount of passing Rocco Borrelli was able to attempt. Bausola was aware of this, and in the second quarter picked off Borrelli, setting up Byrne to find Jordan Lee for a 20-yard touchdown pass to make it a tie game.

Carlos Aldaba hit a 32-yard field goal to give Antioch the 10-7 lead into halftime.

Late in the third quarter, Byrne hit Lee for a 50-yard catch and run touchdown to make it 21-10 Antioch.

Butler answered quickly, escaping on the draw for a 46-yard touchdown run making it 21-16 Antioch.

Then, the eventful fourth quarter happened that led to Freedom’s game-winning drive.