PEORIA — For at least one more week, the reigning Kings of Arizona will remain atop their Open Division throne.
The Liberty Lions shook off a sluggish start then delivered a third-quarter knockout punch on Friday night, eventually dispatching the Higley Knights 64-26 in an Open Division quarterfinal matching two reigning state champions.
“We took the momentum in the second half and we were able to get some separation,” Liberty Head Coach Colin Thomas said. “Credit to Higley — they played hard and we knew they would. We were able to hang in there and execute well as the game went on.”
Liberty (10-1), the reigning Open Division champs, led only 22-19 at halftime but flipped the switch and exploded for a 35-0 advantage in the third quarter to turn a close game into a blowout in the blink of an eye. Higley, the two-time defending 5A champs, ended its season at 7-4.
The second-half onslaught began with two Lions TDs in 15 seconds. First, Liberty QB Hayden Fletcher dropped in a perfect 69-yard touchdown pass to Drace Wadlington to extend the lead to 29-19.