The Liberty Hawks football team ram roughshod past the Summerville Bears to win its fifth game in a row, and remain undefeated in its return “home.”
After three straight road games, the Hawks returned to their home-away-from-home, Madera South, while their stadium is getting renovated. However, it was business as usual for the Hawks with a 41-20 victory over the Bears The Hawks are undefeated through five games for the second year in a row.
The Hawks instituted the running fourth quarter clock for the fifth time this season. Twice, including this game, the opponent has asked for the clock to run in the third quarter. The current rule is a running fourth quarter clock after a team leads by 35, but can be run in the third quarter by the losing team if the winning team approves.
The Hawks are averaging 48.2 points per game while giving up a little more than 20 per game. They are also averaging 360.6 yards rushing per game with four games of 300 yards rushing or more.
Running back Henry Bilskey fell just shy of hitting 1,000 yards in his fifth game. He rushed for 178 yards on 14 carries and five touchdowns. He finished the first half with 964 yards rushing with 16 touchdowns.
Tyler McCamey added 68 yards on just four carries and fullback Benni Lounbandith rushed for 62 yards. Liberty had a team-record 11 ball carriers rush for 362 yards in the victory.
Liberty averaged 9.2 yards per play. Meanwhile, Summerville averaged just 3.9 yards per play, and turned the ball over twice.
Liberty opened the game with possession, but fumbled the ball away on the first play of the game.
The Bears completed a screen pass on third down. The receiver shook off many Liberty tacklers for a 26-yard touchdown even though the blockers with about 10 yards down the field. The point after gave the Bears a 7-0 lead with 0:44 left in the first.
The Hawks turned the ball over on downs when Brody Von Flue tried to run a fake punt, but was tackled short.
However, the Hawks got the ball right back. Tye Davis stripped the Bears’ receiver of the ball, and Austin Graham picked up his second fumble recovery in two games.
The Hawks went to work. Bilskey gained 16, and Lounbandith gained 14 to the 18. Bilskey carried for 11, and, two plays later, scored from two yards out to tie the game with seven minutes left in the first. The touchdown was the first of six straight scoring drives for the Hawks.
The Bears drove 65 yards on 10 plays to find the end zone on a quarterback sneak with 1:20 left in the quarter. The point after failed for a 13-7 lead.
Bilskey gained 10 for a first down, and Lounbandith followed for 13 more. Von Flue hit Bilskey on the left for a 23-yard gain to the 21. Two plays later, Bilskey got the ball going to his left, and found a wide-open lane to the end zone. The point after was missed to tie the game a minute into the second quarter.
On Summerville’s first play of the next drive, they tried a screen pass. McCamey jumped up to tip the ball, and caught it on the way down for an interception.
On the next play. Bilskey went to his left, and the followed Von Flue into the end zone for a 39-yard touchdown run, just 25 seconds after the previous one, for a 20-13 lead.
Ayden Wilhelm got credit for a sack when Summerville quarterback fell down, and the Bears had to punt after third down pressure from Blayz Ketchum.
The Hawks drove 55 yards on five plays to find the end zone. McCamey had the big play with a 35-yard gain inside the Summerville 10.
Two plays later, Bilskey found the end zone from three yards out for a 27-13 lead midway through the second quarter.
The Bears went on a drive to, basically, end the first half. The went 56 yards on 16 plays before getting stalled on the Liberty 20. The Bears missed a 37-yard field goal to go into the half trailing 27-13.
Tackles from Wilhelm, McCamey, Felipe Chavarria, Brody Sisco and Ketchum only allowed two yards, and forced a second half punt.
McCamey opened the drive with a 10-yard gain to the 35, and a first down. Bilskey went on one of his patented runs to the left, and cut across the field for a 65-yard touchdown run for a 34-13 lead early in the third quarter.
After an initial first down, the Bears dropped a quarterback snap, and threw incomplete on third down for a punt.
Von Flue found Graham for 13 yards to get into Bears’ territory. Lounbandith gained nine to the 22. On third down, after a penalty, Von Flue hit Brody Wilhelm over the middle, and Wilhelm carried the ball into the end zone for a 27-yard touchdown, and a 41-13 lead with 4:25 left in the third.
From there, the Hawks and Bears played to a running clock.
The Bears were forced to punt on their next possession. The punter was set to kick, but looked up to see Deegan Shandor right on him. The punter pulled the ball down, and Shandor tackled him before he could get the kick away for a 10-yard loss.
Von Flue was intercepted near the end zone, and the Bears took over, but was forced to punt.
After the Hawks went four-and-out with their reserves, Summerville scored on three plays with a 42-yard touchdown run with about eight minutes left in the game.
The Hawks closed out the game with a seven play drive with five different ball carriers for the 41-20 victory.