COALINGA — The Liberty Hawks football team did something no other Hawks’ team has done in almost 15 yards, but it wasn’t a good note in a 20-0 loss to the Coalinga Horned Toads.
The last time the Hawks were shut out in a loss was in 2011 to the Washington Union Panthers, who would go on to win a State Championship. The Hawks lost 41-0, and like Friday night, had the ball at the one, only to see it turn into a game-changing play.
In a game that seemed to see Coalinga do everything right, and Liberty do everything wrong, the Horned Toads came away with the win.
In the statistic department, the game was played rather even. Liberty had 15 first downs to Coalinga’s 12. The Hawks rushed for 186 yards, and Coalinga rushed for 172. Liberty threw for 40 yards, and Coalinga threw for 35 yards. Liberty gained 226 yards of total offense while Coalinga had 207. Both teams threw an interception, and combined for 15 penalties for 127 yards. Both teams also possessed the ball seven times.
The biggest difference came in the amount of plays. Liberty took 51 plays to gain 226 yards while Coalinga took 36 plays for 207 yards.
Henry Bilskey led the Hawks with 82 yards rushing, the first time he’s been held to less than 100 yards all season. Tyler McCamey rushed for 96 yards to lead the Hawks in rushing for the first time this season.
The Hawks got the first possession of the game, and Tristan Ruiz gained three on fourth-and-one. However, after a sack, the Hawks turned the ball over on downs at the Coalinga 33.
The Horned Toads drove 66 yards on 10 plays, and were helped by a horse collar penalty to score a touchdown. The key play was a fourth-and-two pass for nine yards with the penalty added onto it.
Coalinga scored from five yards out for a 6-0 lead with a minute left in the first quarter.
Bilskey opened the next Liberty drive with an 18-yard gain. Brody Von Flue hit Brody Wilhelm for six-yards on third-and-six. Bilskey gained 13 yards to the Coalinga 27.
The Hawks faced a third-and-14, and two incomplete passes ended the drive.
The Hawks’ defense, led by Brody Sisco, who made a stop for no gain on third-and-two, forced a punt.
The Hawks got first downs on a nine-yard pass to Bilskey, a 13-yard run by Bilskey and a 14-yard run by McCamey into Coalinga territory.
The drive stalled on a false start penalty, two runs for losses and a sack. Von Flue punted on fourth-and-22.
Coalinga used a 33-yard run to flip the field, and get into Liberty territory. Three plays later, Coalinga tried a pass down the sideline, and Wilhelm came up with the interception to close out the first half.
Coalinga opened the second half with a five-play drive to get into the end zone. Liberty penalties for a personal foul and pass interference helped the drive. Coalinga scored on a 13-yard run up the middle, and the two-point conversion was good for a 14-0 lead four minutes into the half.
After the Hawks went three-and-out, the defense forced an intentional grounding penalty, and Coalinga had to punt.
Liberty drove down the field to get back into the game. Von Flue hit McCamey for an 11-yard gain on third-and-nine. Then, McCamey ran for 23 yards, and Bilskey gained 15 to the Coalinga 25.
On fourth-and-five, Von Flue hit Wilhelm for 14 yards to the seven. However, on the next play, McCamey was lunging to the end zone, and fumbled the ball. Coalinga recovered in the end zone.
The Horned Toads went on a time-consuming 10-play, 29-yard drive deep into the fourth quarter. Liberty helped the drive by jumping offsides on fourth down, but the Horned Toads had to punt.
Two plays later, the Hawks went into their bag of tricks. Bilskey took the hand-off and tried a pass, but it was picked off by Coalinga.
The Horned Toad put the game out of reach with a 31-yard touchdown run that, basically, ended the game.