Liberty goes wire-to-wire in rout of Durango
After watching his team blow a halftime lead in a loss a week ago, Liberty head coach Lou Markouzis wanted to be sure the Patriots were in control from start to finish against visiting Durango.
He got his wish Friday night in a 35-7 win.
The Patriots (2-1) outgained Durango 185 to minus-10 in the first half and limited the Trailblazers’ time of possession to 5:03 on their way to a 21-0 lead.
“We had our main guys in there in the first half and we just decided we wanted to control the clock and get our top guns in there and move the ball,” said Markouzis.
Michael Reveles rushed for 111 yards and a score on 18 carries for to lead the Patriots, who averaged nearly 6.5 yards per carry and outgained Durango 432-169.
“I thank the linemen for everything,” said Reveles. “Without the linemen, you can’t run the ball.”
Reveles scored on a 31-yard run in the fourth quarter that made the score 35-0.
Ian Jackson had touchdown runs of 15 and 20 yards for the Patriots. Freshman Jordan Kapeli, who rushed for 67 yards in his varsity debut, had a 1-yard touchdown with 31 seconds left in the first half.
“I was excited and nervous, then after a while it got funner and funner,” said Kapeli. “The crowd just makes you all hyped up. It was amazing. The line was always pushing forward and we just followed.”
The Patriots finished with four sacks, including two by senior linebacker Sage Nua, and held the Trailblazers to 2 yards rushing.
Chase Roberts passed for 165 yards to lead Durango (0-3), but most of those yards came late in the second half after Liberty had the game in hand.
Reveles said Friday’s game was a great tune up for the Patriots as they open Southeast Division play next week at Silverado.
“This was a boost of confidence for next week,” said Reveles. “They (Silverado) are always talking smack and I’m tired of us being underdogs all the time. I just can’t wait.”
Markouzis said the Skyhawks will present a huge test for his team.
“All in all, the kids played real well tonight. But we are not satisfied,” said Markouzis. “(Silverado) has tremendous talent on that team. They are the division champs. We have to go in and play our best football, and hope that they don’t play their best football for us to come out victorious.”
