By TYLER HENRY
Little Apple Post contributor
The CIF championship rematch did not disappoint, but at the final whistle, it was the Liberty who squeaked out a 36-31 win at home over the defending champion Omaha Beef.
“It feels great, especially with all the adversity we went through before the game,” Liberty HC Heron O’Neal said. “Our defense made big plays when we needed them and I love the way our offensive line rebounded late.”
Tyrie Adams started the fireworks with a six-yard touchdown run to cap off the first drive of the game, but Omaha would fire back with a connection from Andrew Jackson to Tyler Jones to even the score at 6.
From there, both defenses stepped up their game as the two teams combined for just three more touchdowns before the intermission, with the Beef holding a narrow 19-16 lead into the half.
Out of the break, it was Omaha who delivered the first blow on a strike from Jackson to Alex Noble.
Tre Griffin would get those six back on a goal-line rushing touchdown but Jackson responded in kind with a QB sneak to give Omaha their biggest lead of the game up 31-23 in the fourth quarter.
The Liberty, feeling the pressure of a late deficit, went to work on offense as Tyrie Adams manufactured another big drive, finishing the job with a five-yard connection to Ed Smith to claw within two.
That touchdown was a shot in the arm not only for the players on the field, but for the fans in the stands who rattled the usually up-tempo Omaha offense late.
“The crowd was amazing. All the false starts, all the burned timeouts, I don’t know what the numbers were but this was the best crowd we’ve ever had,” O’Neal said. “I love how we’re growing in this community and how involved they get in these games.”
Up until this point, Andrew Jackson had been on his game but as the Omaha quarterback looked to put the game out of reach, veteran DB Kendrick Harper snatched a pass out of the air to give the Liberty life with 6:18 to play.
Adams got to work again and this time it was Tre Griffin who finished the job on a 15-yard scamper to the house to put Salina on top 36-31.
With one final shot at reclaiming the lead, the Omaha offense took to the field, but Andrew Jackson would be picked off again, this time by Dewayne Autry, and two more first downs would secure the victory for Salina.
The Liberty move to 2-0 and are one of just two remaining undefeated teams in the league after a chaotic three weeks of play.
Salina will be back in action to take on the Arlington Longhorns next Saturday, for tickets click HERE.