Liberty roars to victory to open season

by Nate Smith Thepress.Net

Senior wide receiver Wendell Lee eludes two Concord defenders during the Lions 50-30 season-opening win last Friday Photo by Richard Wisdom

Liberty got on the scoreboard first when junior defensive end Shane Goodwin beat his man and forced Concord quarterback Mitch Daniels to fumble in the end zone, resulting in a safety and early 2-0 lead for the Lions.

The Minutemen struck back quickly when Daniels connected with Mason Knight for a 70-yard touchdown down the middle of the field that seemed to stun both the Lions defense and a near-capacity home crowd.

The ensuing Concord possession culminated in another Daniels-to-Knight connection this time scoring from 15 yards out to give the Minutemen a 14-2 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Down by 12 early in the second quarter, the Lions struck back on a 1-yard scoring plunge by Tai Tai Canady. The momentum continued into the next drive when Tolentino found Josh Jackson for a 16-yard score to give the Lions a 16-14 advantage midway through the second quarter.

That fourth down-catch (by Green) enabled us to get back in the game, said Walters, reflecting upon some of the biggest plays of the game. He ran his route to the sticks, and (Green and Tolentino) both executed the play.

Concord responded with 40 seconds remaining in the first half when Daniels threw his third touchdown pass of the half to make the halftime score 22-16 in favor of the Minutemen. Despite trailing at the half, the Lions spoke with confidence regarding their chances in the second half of play.

We just focused on rallying the team, playing with 11 guys at all times, said Walters regarding any comments during the break. We played with great heart in the first half, but not always under control. We just asked them to play with that same heart and emotion in the second half, but under control.

After the first 10 minutes of the third quarter resulted in the longest scoring drought of the night, both teams traded scores late in the third quarter. Green hauled in a 34-yard scoring pass down the right sideline for a touchdown only to see the Minutemen respond by going 80 yards in three plays to finish the drive with a 5-yard power run into the end zone to give Concord a 30-23 lead heading into the fourth quarter. The touchdown was the last time Concord achieved any kind of success the rest of the night.

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Liberty roars to victory to open season