Friday recap: Liberty scores on final play to earn 1st win

It appeared Liberty would be off to a 0-4 start after playing a grueling out-of-state schedule that featured some of the nation’s top football teams.

On Friday night, American Fork (Utah) scored with 1:05 left to take a six-point lead. But that was plenty of time for the Patriots to answer.

Quarterback Jamar Malone scrambled, broke several tackles and raced for a 19-yard touchdown run as time expired, and kicker Colton Friedman drilled the extra point to give Liberty a 16-15 home win in its final nonleague game.

“It feels great to get a win, especially against a good team and in the fashion that we got the win,” Liberty coach Rich Muraco said. “For us to execute our two-minute offense and drive down the field and score feels great. It’s been a rough first few weeks for us. We played some really, really good teams … so it felt good.”

Liberty (1-3) lost to Mission Viejo (California), ranked No. 10 nationally by MaxPreps, 46-0 last week. The Patriots opened their season by losing to Skyridge, last year’s Utah 6A state runner-up, then fell to Hawaii power Mililani the following week.

It’s no secret that Liberty challenges itself in its nonleague schedule to prepare for Bishop Gorman. When Liberty stunned Gorman in the 2019 Class 4A Desert League title game and ended the Gaels’ run of 10 straight state titles, the Patriots started 0-5 against out-of-state teams on their way to the state title.

“The kids learn that against really good teams, you got to make good plays, you got to lock in for all four quarters,” Muraco said. “You can’t have mental mistakes, you can’t have blown assignments, and when you’re in those pressure situations, it definitely prepares you for league play.”

Against American Fork, running back Ezra Sanelivi broke off an 80-yard touchdown run, but Liberty trailed 7-6 late in the first quarter after the extra point was blocked.

Making his second straight start at quarterback for an injured Elijah Espinoza, Malone came through for the Patriots late for the game-winning score.

Espinoza suffered a finger injury in the loss to Mililani. Muraco said Espinoza could be back next week, but said he will see how things will play out with his quarterbacks as Liberty begins 5A Division I league play. The Patriots have used a two-quarterback system in the past.

“We have two really good quarterbacks with Elijah Espinoza and Jamar Malone, and definitely a quarterback competition that we’ll kind of figure it out over the next few weeks on who’s going to be the guy for us moving forward,” Muraco said.

Liberty next plays at Coronado at 6 p.m. Friday. The Patriots have been head and shoulders ahead of their Henderson rival for a while, but the Cougars have the attention of Muraco. Quarterback Aiden Krause has 11 touchdown passes, and Utah commit JJ Buchanan is one of the state’s top two-way players.

Coronado coach Shawn Dupris “is a good coach, and they throw the ball really well,” Muraco said. “Their quarterback is good, they’ve got two really good receivers, and that kind of has me worried. We got to make sure our coverage is tight and get some pressure on them so they don’t have a bunch of time to find their guys. It should be a good game.”

Durango delivers

Every point mattered in a tight game between Durango and Centennial on Friday. Fortunately for the Trailblazers, they found ways to score with their defense and special teams.

Durango had a pair of interceptions returned for touchdowns and scored two special teams touchdowns to pull out a 32-25 home win against Centennial in the teams’ 5A Division III Southern League opener. It’s the third straight win for the Trailblazers (3-2).

“We preached to the kids all week that this could be the league title game,” Durango coach Robert Cutts said. “We had an 11-game losing streak, but now we’re picking it up and we’re trying to define our program and show who we are. This was a defining game for our program for sure.”

Tristan Sontag had an 83-yard interception return for a touchdown, and Benjamin Solomon returned his pick 20 yards for a score. On special teams, Nysear Smith returned a fumbled punt, and Mark Mefy blocked a field goal and Jaden Carter returned it for a touchdown.

“It was a good team win, and everybody was involved, flying around and knew what had to be done,” Cutts said. “… The contributors tonight were team guys. Those are guys that fought and struggled and lost with us (last year).”

Durango’s lone offensive touchdown came on a 10-yard pass from Alexander Mercurius to Treyvion Mitchell. Mercurius is an Oklahoma baseball commit who was a first-team All-Southern Nevada selection last season as he helped lead the Trailblazers to the 4A baseball state title.

Mercurius joined Durango after its second game and came in relief after Maddex Peterson broke his thumb. Mercurius’s first game was an 8-0 win over Sierra Vista on Aug. 30, which snapped the Trailblazers’ 11-game losing skid.

“It’s really a blessing to have him come out and have such a great athlete believe in what you’re doing and contribute,” Cutts said. “He played football his freshman year and hasn’t played since then. … The leadership he brings, the voice and the calm he brings, it’s irreplaceable.”

Potential forfeits

Virgin Valley appeared to be on its way to a home win over Democracy Prep in the teams’ 3A Southern League opener. But the game took an ugly turn, and the officials called the game in the third quarter when a fight broke out.

Virgin Valley held an 18-6 lead at the time, but it is unclear what the official ruling of the game will be.

The Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association said in an email that its office is aware of the situation and is “still reviewing reports and receiving information. A decision has not been made.”

Up next

Bishop Gorman, ranked No. 5 nationally by MaxPreps, has a bye next week after it concluded its out-of-state schedule with a 55-28 win over No. 12 Orange Lutheran (California).

In other 5A Division I action, Foothill hosts Desert Pines and Basic plays at Arbor View. Some more questions could be answered in 5A Division II when Palo Verde, a 15-10 winner at Basic on Friday, plays at Shadow Ridge and Sierra Vista hosts Legacy, which lost in overtime to Green Valley.

Centennial (0-4) hosts Sunrise Mountain (0-4) on Friday in a rematch of last year’s 4A state title game. Both teams moved up to 5A Division III.

The 3A Southern League title could be determined Friday when Moapa Valley faces SLAM Academy at 7 p.m. Friday at Spring Valley. Both teams have reached the 3A state semifinals the past two seasons, with SLAM Academy losing to Truckee in the past two title games.

Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.