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Tigers go down in flames
The Liberty Eagles thrashed Brentsville, 65-0, Friday in Bealeton to improve to 3-0 in the Evergreen District and set up a district championship game Nov. 6 against Fauquier (3-0). Liberty running back Bryon Williams ran for 173 yards and three touchdowns on 13 carries. In addition to Williams, six other Liberty players scored a touchdown Friday.“I don’t think we have one go-to guy right now," Liberty coach Tommy Buzzo said. "It’s been a work in process all year long to try and build depth."
Consider that construction complete in Liberty's backfield. Running backs Wayne Fleming and Anthony Budd ran for 105 and 83 yards, respectively, with one touchdown apiece against Brentsville.
Quarterback Willie Propps ran for one touchdown and threw one touchdown to receiver Josh Spindle. Two other running backs, Cortez Carter and Darrell Yates, scored a touchdown apiece, too.
Liberty (6-3 overall, 3-0 district) took a 28-0 lead over Brentsville (0-9, 0-3) after the first quarter, a 37-0 lead by halftime and a 58-0 lead after three quarters, often exploiting the Tigers by running toss plays with its assortment of speedy backs.
Brentsville's linebackers weren't quick enough to beat Fleming and company to the sidelines, while Liberty's wide receivers blocked well against the Tigers' defensive backs. That combination allowed the Eagles to average better than 15 yards per carry when running toss plays.
Toss plays were especially effective because Brentsville focused on limiting Liberty's success running between the tackles. The Tigers began the game in a 5-3 defense with huge tackle Armardeep Singh (6-foot-4, 300 pounds) clogging the middle.
Even after adjustments, the Tigers struggled to catch Liberty's rushers, which finished with 484 yards on 45 carries.
“That’s speed," Brentsville coach Dean Reedy said. "I told them at halftime, 'What we’re trying to simulate with our own people in practice, and what I’m trying to tell you Monday through Thursday, that’s what I was talking about.' You can’t duplicate that speed."
Liberty's success running outside opened up inside runs as well, which was a concern of Reedy's as his defense began to stretch towards the sidelines. Williams, in fact, scored two of his three touchdowns on long counter runs.
Propps threw for only 88 yards on 5-of-13 passing, but that topped Brentsville starting quarterback Kevin Willard, who threw for six yards on 1-of-6 passing before being replaced by Blake Alexander in the second quarter.
The Tigers tried to establish a passing game early by throwing on four their first six plays of the game, but that resulted in two three-and-out possessions.
The Eagles had two interceptions on the night (Shane Blanchard and Mike Lee) and held the Tigers to only 36 yards of total offense, 27 of which came against Liberty substitutes in the fourth quarter. Brentsville ran for two yards on 26 carries.
Liberty's defense helped make punter Mike Lennox the standout player for Brentsville. He averaged 39.1 yards on 10 punts and forced the Eagles to complete a couple long drives.
Although Brentsville is winless on the season, Liberty was only the second team to shut out the Tigers. The 65-point loss was their worst margin of defeat.
"You’re talking about an 0-8 team facing a team as good as Liberty is," Reedy said. "You can’t blow smoke at them [the Tigers]. Reality sets in. We were out-athleted in a lot of places. The positive thing is you hope….you're able to go back and learn from some of the mistakes you made."
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