It would be easy for the coaches to second-guess themselves after a game like Liberty County’s 20-19 victory over host Windsor Forest on Friday night at Islands Stadium.
That’s because there were so many plays that, had any one of them gone another way, the outcome could have been different in the Region 3-3A opener for both squads.
“We made some plays. That’s what it took to win this ballgame,” Liberty County coach Tony Glazer said. “(Windsor Forest) made plays early on. We made plays the last drive. We went back and forth making big plays. Big plays were the story of the game. Fortunately for us, we made the last big play.”
No play was bigger than quarterback Jah’barri Felix’s 2-yard toss to Julian Gerena with 4.7 seconds left in regulation to push the Panthers ahead 20-19.
The Knights (1-1, 0-1 region) had tried to eat up clock while ahead 19-14, even getting a clutch 10-yard run on third-and-9 from Izaiyah Cooper, who stepped up when starting quarterback Anthony Williams injured his right ankle earlier in the second half.
But the Panthers (1-1, 1-0) forced a punt and got the ball back with 1:58 left in regulation.
“We told them (earlier) that we have to take advantage of opportunities,” Glazer said. “We got a big stop on defense, so for our offense, it was now or never. We knew it was the last possession we were going to have.”
Liberty County’s version of the two-minute drill included a 19-yard completion to Gerena and a 33-yard pass to a leaping Jaden Hurd in a crowd of defenders.
Felix saved the drive when he covered a shotgun snap over his head for a big loss, then he got it back by breaking several tackles on a 17-yard run to the Windsor Forest 18.
Facing fourth-and-8 with 18 seconds left, Felix threw an incomplete pass that was flagged immediately for defensive pass interference. Saved again, the Panthers had first-and-goal at the 9 when Felix ran left and Knights linebacker Courtney Partick made a touchdown-saving tackle at the 2.
After spiking the ball to stop the clock, Felix rolled right and tossed to Gerena in the end zone for the score.
“We ran a little rub route on the end zone, knowing we were going to get man (coverage),” Glazer explained. “So we sent two guys in and ran in the flats and tried to roll the quarterback to get a soft throw because we knew with eight seconds (left), we wanted to get two (passes) off.
“So if we roll out and he isn’t there, we throw it out of bounds or in the end zone, and we get one more play. We didn’t throw in the middle because it was congested, and we didn’t want to run because if we get stopped, the ballgame’s over.”
Glazer gave credit to Windsor Forest for playing hard and to its coaching staff. Knights first-year head coach CJ Frazier did the same while also noting that the winning touchdown pass might have gone a different way based on the game officials’ judgment.
“They ran a little pick route at the end that could be called as (an offensive) pass interference sometimes, sometimes it’s not,” Frazier said. “Give credit to those guys. That’s a really good team over there and that’s a great coaching staff. We plan to get these wins in the future.”
Neither team led by more than six points, with each scoring three touchdowns. Both coaches agreed that ultimately it came down to special teams and extra points.
Liberty County missed the last kick, which with 4.7 seconds left was inconsequential. The other conversions, however, were huge. Trey Aiello made his first two attempts and also boomed kickoffs into the end zone for touchbacks.
Windsor Forest had taken the opening kickoff and driven 80 yards to the end zone. The Knights got the last 42 when Williams threw over the defense and allowed Jayden Thomas to run under the bomb for a score. The pair repeated the pattern on the left sideline for a 43-yard gain on their next possession.
“We just want to get our playmakers the ball,” Frazier said. “I think we executed well on offense, executed well on defense, but as a head coach, I’ve got to do better on making sure my special teams executes just as well.”
Frazier had the Knights go for two after the early touchdown, but they bobbled the execution and were called for a penalty, which the Panthers declined.
“That’s a young coaching mistake on my end trying to be too aggressive,” Frazier said.
The next time they scored, on Williams’ 12-yard keeper with 7:43 left in the third quarter, Frazier sent in Justin Hicks to kick the extra point for a 13-7 advantage.
On the Knights’ third score with 1:39 left in the third quarter, Hicks made the kick but it was negated by a penalty. This turned out to be critical, as they bobbled the snap on the second attempt and Hicks’ kick was wide for a 19-14 lead.
“The kids played good enough to win this game,” Frazier said. “I’ve got to do a better job as a coach and make sure we get these wins in the future. Maybe not be so aggressive and trust my kickers. We have good kickers on the team. Early on, if there was anything I would change, it would definitely be that.”
Some things did go in Windsor Forest’s favor. Jaysen Jackson had a huge game with a fumble recovery and a blocked punt, both of which led to scoring drives in the third quarter.
The block set up the Knights at the Liberty County 32. Later facing fourth-and-4 at the 26, Hicks went in to attempt a field goal, but a penalty pushed the line of scrimmage back five yards. The Knights instead went for it on fourth-and-9, and Cooper found Jackson for a 31-yard score and a 19-14 lead.
Windsor Forest also got interceptions from Dorion Bowling-Tynes and Andrew Mitchell, and blocked Aiello’s 50-yard field-goal attempt in the closing seconds of the second quarter.
Ryan Golden and De’shawn Wylie made picks for Liberty County in the tight contest.
LIBERTY COUNTY 20, WINDSOR FOREST 19
| LC | 0 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 20 |
| WF | 6 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 19 |
|
RECORDS: LC 1-1, WF 1-1 |
|||||
First Quarter
WF—Jayden Thomas 42 pass from Anthony Williams (conversion failed)
Second Quarter
LC—Brandon Roberts 5 run (Trey Aiello kick)
Third Quarter
WF—Williams 12 run (Justin Hicks kick)
LC—Jah’barri Felix 10 run (Aiello kick)
WF—Jaysen Jackson 31 pass from Izaiyah Cooper (kick failed)
Fourth Quarter
LC—Julian Gerena 2 pass from Felix (kick failed)
FINAL SCORES
Week 3 - Aug. 30
Richmond Hill 45, Everglades, FL 0
New Hampstead 47, Effingham County 44
Toombs County 49, South Effingham 0
Benedictine 43, Burke County 14
Oceanside Collegiate, SC 16, Calvary Day 15
Jenkins 58, Groves 0
SE Bulloch 43, Islands 7
Long County 42, Johnson 0
Liberty County 20, Windsor Forest 19
Savannah Christian 45, Providence Christian 0
Porter Gaud, S.C. 23, Savannah Country Day 3
Central Fellowship Christian 24, St. Andrew's 20
Memorial Day 24, Grace Christian 0
Hilton Head Christian 34, Bethesda 14
Cathedral Academy, SC 35, Coastal Homeschool 14
PHOTO CREDIT: Prep Sports Report
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- Dr. David Sedory: Benedictine Military, Bradwell Institute, Liberty County
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