BRENTWOOD, Calif. - As Liberty quarterback Jay Butterfield's long pass down the left sideline was batted down on fourth-and-long in overtime, the Pittsburg sideline erupted onto the field, as the Pirates secured a thrilling 24-21 overtime victory in Brentwood against the defending Bay Valley Athletic League champions. No current BVAL team other than Pittsburg has ever won outright back-to-back league titles, and the Pirates took a huge step towards ensuring that would once again be the case.
With 2:52 left in regulation and facing a fourth-and-five play trailing by seven, Pittsburg (7-1, 3-0 BVAL) needed to do something if the Pirates wanted to win what has been largely considered the de facto league title game. They were on the Liberty seven-yard line, and being led by backup quarterback Santino 'Tino' Chavez after an injury to Jerry Johnson. Chavez had to make a play, and that’s just what he did. Rolling out of the pocket, he passed to wideout Brian Andre Pierce Jr, who fell into the end zone for the touchdown, just in front of the left pylon.
After receiving the ball first in overtime, the Pirates capitalized with a 28-yard Lorenzo Anaya field goal, that went perfectly through the uprights. The Pitt defense went on to push Liberty’s offense back to the 37-yard line, where the Lions' hopes ended with Butterfield's final pass towards the end zone.
“Not much was going through my mind. I knew what I had to do. This win means everything to us," Anaya said. "Ever since the end of last season, and us ending up 7-4, all of our losses came back to haunt us. We didn’t want to repeat that so we worked hard all of spring ball, all of this season. We came back, did what we had to do, and did our job.”
Coming into the game, many wondered if it would live up to the hype the match-up produced last year, in which Liberty outlasted the Pirates 24-21. It did just that and even matched the score, except there was a different outcome this time.
Around the middle of the fourth quarter, and after throwing for 258 yards and two touchdowns, Johnson - the school single-season record holder for scoring passes - went down for Pittsburg. The sack, by Liberty’s Peyton Borrelli, knocked the quarterback out for the rest of the game with an ankle injury. This put Santino Chavez in a tough situation, with a major advantage in the BVAL title race on the line. He capitalized on the opportunity, leading his team to the three-point overtime win.
“Tino would be starting for a lot of teams. He’s always ready, and for him to come in, in this pressure situation, with a packed house and make the plays is awesome. It’s a testament to his character, and he deserves it because he’s a team guy,” said Pittsburg head coach Victor Galli.
Liberty (7-1, 2-1) started out the game strong, with a touchdown drive where the Lions ran the ball 11 of the 16 plays. It was capped off with a Brenden Bell rushing touchdown, to give them the seven-point lead, putting an early charge into the Homecoming crowd. The Lions, however, would only run the ball 16 more times the rest of the game, as Pittsburg began to assert itself. The Pirates responded to Liberty's early score with their own 70-yard scoring drive, capped by a touchdown pass from Johnson to Johnny Blackmon III, in the first minute of the second quarter to tie the game at seven.
Midway through the second quarter, Pittsburg took its first lead when Johnson and Pierce hooked up on a corner route to the back left pylon.
In the second half, trailing by seven, Liberty hit a major turning point in the game, first when Darrion Bartley tied the game midway through the third quarter with his touchdown run. Senior Justice Jackson then intercepted one of Johnson’s throws, and this was immediately followed by a 34-yard touchdown pass from Butterfield to Jackson, giving the Lions a 21-14 lead which held up for most of the fourth quarter.
Liberty was handed its first loss of the season, but there is a strong likelihood these teams could face off again down the road. The way it stands now, it is likely that Pittsburg and Liberty could receive the two and three seeds in the NCS Division 1 playoffs if they both win out, meaning they could potentially face-off again in the section semifinals. For now, Liberty would like to regroup and prepare for challenges ahead.
“I hate to say its good for the kids to lose sometimes, but you need to learn how to battle adversity and come back strong. It ain’t over yet. I told the team to remember this feeling, how it hurts to lose, and just come back Monday,” said Lions coach Ryan Partridge about his team.
After the game, the Pittsburg team chanted 'Tino' in support of the quarterback's effort, praise that had certainly been earned.
The Pirates will face Heritage at home next week, as the Lions will go on the road to face Deer Valley with a 5 pm start.
