Liberty’s first play from scrimmage in its 48-17 home win Friday night against Foothill showed how tough the Patriots’ defense will be for opponents in Division I of CCSD independent teams.
Foothill’s Ryder Dobbs completed a short pass to Owen Preslan-Aldrigde, and as a swarm of Liberty defenders rushed to make the tackle, Patriots safety Rysen-James Dacosin-Arcala stripped the ball to cause a turnover.
On the next play, BYU commit Ezra Sanelivi scored on a 3-yard touchdown run. It wouldn’t be any closer as Liberty, No. 2 in the Review Journal’s Southern Nevada rankings, rolled to a dominant home win over No. 8 Foothill behind its stellar defense.
“I knew the starting defense was going to be the strength of this team,” Liberty coach Rich Muraco said. “We have eight starters, multiple Division I kids on the field in a high school setting, we’re going to be good defensively. I’m happy with what they’re doing.”
Liberty (3-2, 2-0 Division I East) has taken control of first place in the Division I East League. It is in prime position to be one of the top two teams that will play for the Division I Superintendents Cup in October, behind its stellar defense that has allowed 14.4 points per game with two shutouts.
“(Defensive coordinator) Coach (Kaipo) Batoon does an amazing job, the guys are dialed in with pressures and disguising coverages and it’s tough to play against them,” Muraco said. “We struggle with them in practice, so they’re a real good unit.”
Defense playing ‘hungry’
Against Foothill, Liberty had five sacks. Maximus Paogofie had two sacks, one forced a Foothill fumble that the Patriots recovered. Carter Christensen had another highlight play with a 75-yard interception return for a touchdown.
“We’re coming in hungry,” Christensen said of the defense. “It starts from practice, all the boys on defense are hungry. Some of them are overlooked and praise to them because they came into the field to eat and play today. It starts with our bond and our trust in each other.”
Liberty’s defense made things difficult for Foothill’s dynamic passing attack and the Falcons had 29 total rushing yards. Muraco said the team’s yearlong weight training program has contributed to building a physical and strong defense.
“We lift every day. We lifted today (Friday),” Muraco said. “We don’t take a day off. … We want our guys to develop, to continually get stronger and it pays off as the game wears on. Your physicality and strength really shows. I’m proud of the way the kids get after it.”
Rising passing game
Liberty was just as strong offensively on Friday with first-year starting quarterback Madden Delacruz. The junior completed 14 of 19 passes for 304 yards with two touchdowns and completed passes to seven different receivers.
“My receivers did a great job of creating space, getting open,” Delacruz said. “My linemen were blocking great, giving me like three seconds a pass play, which is good.
“They all helped me a lot and our chemistry over the past five weeks has played a big part with how far we’ve come.”
Liberty was already known for its strong running game with Sanelivi, who had two rushing touchdowns Friday, but Delacruz’s control of the passing game has helped the Patriots develop a complete offense.
Everything is set up for a Liberty-Arbor View matchup for the Division I Superintendents Cup. The two teams played a thriller in last year’s Open Division state semifinals, where Arbor View won at Liberty 41-28 last year.
Other Friday highlights
Here’s a look at some other notable highlights from Friday’s high school football action.
Cimarron-Memorial wins after venue change: Cimarron-Memorial was planning on hosting Bonanza for its homecoming game on Friday, but the team had to deal with a curveball early in the day when a water leak forced the school to move to a remote learning day. The school made the decision to postpone homecoming activities and it determined it could not host the football game.
But the Spartans’ opponent opened its doors. Bonanza hosted the game and accommodated their opponents as Cimarron-Memorial’s gameday routine was disrupted with the school being closed. The Spartans (2-3, 2-0 Division III East) came away with a 34-27 road win behind QB Joseph Noel’s 270 passing yards and three TD passes and a rushing score.
“As grateful as we are for the win, there is an even bigger thank you that needs to be given to Bonanza High School,” Cimarron-Memorial coach Shane Kaine said in an email. “They welcomed us into their home, allowed our program to continue our season, and helped give our kids a place to compete when we needed it most.
“That is what high school athletics and high school communities are supposed to be about — supporting one another when things don’t go according to plan.”
Palo Verde is 5-0: Winning in Overton isn’t easy, but Palo Verde escaped with a 23-19 road win over 3A power Moapa Valley. X’Zavier McZeal had three catches for 110 yards and a TD and Beau Gardineer added 115 total offensive yards for Palo Verde, which is 5-0 and the only remaining undefeated team in Division II. The Panthers (5-0, 1-0 Division II East) host Silverado (3-2, 2-0) for first place at 6 p.m. Friday.
Eldorado knocks off Sunrise Mountain: Eldorado has become a contender in Division III. Eldorado handed Sunrise Mountain its first loss with a 33-32 road victory on Friday. Damir Owens had 110 receiving yards and two touchdowns with an interception on defense, and Liekina Pine had eight tackles and blocked a punt to help the Firehawks (2-3, 1-1) beat the Miners (4-1, 1-1). Eldorado next faces Valley (2-2, 0-1) in another key East League matchup.
Del Sol goes to 4-0: Del Sol sits alone in first place in the Division III East League. Arthur Gonzales had two rushing touchdowns, and his 1-yard score in overtime helped the Dragons (4-0, 2-0) remain undefeated after a battle against Chaparral (1-3, 0-1). Del Sol next plays at Cimarron-Memorial at 6 p.m. Friday.
Up next
Foothill (3-2, 1-1 Division I East) will look to get back on track when it hosts No. 6 Coronado (4-1, 1-0) at 6 p.m. Friday in the top local game next week. The winner will be in a solid position to finish in one of the top two spots in the East League and qualify to play for the Superintendents Cup.
Arbor View won a 56-41 shootout over Lincoln (California) on Friday. The Aggies (2-3, 1-0 Division I West) return to league action at Shadow Ridge (3-2, 1-0) at 6 p.m. Friday.
Bishop Gorman gets back to in-state play when the Gaels (4-1, 1-0 5A Southern League) host Faith Lutheran (3-3, 0-0) at 7 p.m. Friday. A win for Gorman would lock the Gaels into the No. 1 seed for the Open Division state playoffs.
Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.
Nevada high school scores
Week 6 results
Thursday
Mater East 27, Sloan Canyon 19
Friday
Bishop Gorman 25, Mater Dei (Calif.) 8
Arbor View 56, Lincoln (Calif.) 41
Basic 47, Canyon Springs 0
Boulder City 24, Sierra Vista 19
Centennial 49, Mojave 6
Cheyenne 38, Western 12
Cimarron-Memorial 34, Bonanza 27
Coronado 27, Desert Oasis 13
Del Sol 12, Chaparral 6
Destiny Christian (Calif.) 27, McQueen 0
Douglas 33, North Valleys 6
Eldorado 33, Sunrise Mountain 32
Elko 18, South Tahoe (Calif.) 15
Escalon (Calif.) 20, Damonte Ranch 19
Faith Lutheran 38, SLAM 6
Galena 10, Wood (Calif.) 7
Incline 24, North Tahoe (Calif.) 0
Laughlin 20, Beaver Dam (Ariz.) 14
Legacy 27, Clark 26, OT
Liberty 48, Foothill 17
Lowry 43, Sparks 6
Pahrump Valley 64, Valley 26
Palo Verde 23, Moapa Valley 19
Pershing County 44, Coral Academy Reno 34
Reed 49 , Carson 7
Sandy Valley 50, Beatty 6
Shadow Ridge 25, Desert Pines 7
Silverado 27, Durango 26
Spanish Springs 24, Reno 20
Spring Creek 42, Fernley 7
Truckee (Calif.) 55, Dayton 14
University (Calif.) 50, Wooster 6
Wells 38 Owyhee 6
Southern Nevada schedule
Week 7 games
All games at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted
*Denotes a league game for CCSD independent teams
Thursday
Indian Springs at Spring Mountain, 1 p.m.
Friday
Coronado at Foothill*, 6 p.m.
Arbor View at Shadow Ridge*, 6 p.m.
Palo Verde at Silverado*, 6 p.m.
Sierra Vista at Spring Valley*, 6 p.m.
Del Sol at Cimarron-Memorial*, 6 p.m.
Eldorado at Valley*, 6 p.m.
Sunrise Mountain at Chaparral*, 6 p.m.
Cheyenne at Bonanza*, 6 p.m.
Western at Rancho*, 6 p.m.
Faith Lutheran at Bishop Gorman
Las Vegas High at Liberty*
Mojave at Desert Pines*
Clark at Green Valley*
Canyon Springs at Legacy*
Durango at Basic*
Mater East at Grant (California)
Sloan Canyon at Cadence
SLAM! Nevada at Losee
Pahrump Valley at Virgin Valley
Lake Mead Academy at Foothill (California)
Lincoln County at The Meadows
Beaver Dam at Pahranagat Valley
Sandy Valley at Laughlin
Tonopah at Beatty
