BRENTWOOD, CA - Liberty running back Tyerell Sturges-Cofer led the way for the offense, finishing with 260 yards rushing and three touchdowns, to help lift Liberty to a 37-0 victory against rival Freedom in the North Coast Section Division I title game, handing the Lions their first-ever section title in the sport of football.
“Tonight we planned to run a lot more,” said Sturges-Cofer. “They kept blitzing, so we’d go up the middle, then kick out.”
Sturges-Cofer started to get hot in the second quarter, breaking a 53-yard run, leading to a Johan Diaz field goal, to give Liberty a 3-0 lead with 7:38 remaining in the second quarter.
After forcing another punt, the Lions drove 80 yards down the field and finished off the drive on a Sturges-Cofer six-yard touchdown run, giving the Lions a 9-0 lead with 4:08 remaining in the second quarter.
Liberty's defense forced a huge turnover with 1:48 remaining in the second quarter, stripping the ball from Freedom receiver Mekel Ealy, that led the way for a Jay Butterfield touchdown throw to receiver Sione Vaki, giving the Lions a 16-0 lead heading into halftime.
With Liberty receiving the ball to start the second half, the offense put together a 79-yard drive that took 8:30 minutes, finished by a Sturges-Cofer nine-yard touchdown run, to give them a commanding 23-0 lead with 3:35 remaining in the third quarter.
Liberty sealed the deal to start the fourth quarter on a 44-yard touchdown run from Sturges-Cofer, giving the Lions a commanding 30-0 lead with 11:47 remaining in the fourth quarter.
“We kept pumping up the kids,” said coach Ryan Partridge. “We told them they’ve got to be confident, not cocky, but we knew we could beat them.”
While the Liberty offense was hummimg on the ground, Freedom's offense struggled to get anything going throughout the game, getting out-gained 427-39, while crucial penalties hurt the rhythm of the game.
Liberty's defense did a great job containing Freedom's two stars, running back Giles Jackson and receiver Baylei Coston, with senior defensive back Devon Willis doing a great job of disrupting the timing between Freedom quarterback Joey Aguilar and Coston.
Prior to this season, Liberty had never won more than nine games or advanced past a section quarterfinal. Now, they finish the year as an 11-win team and NCS champions.
