Liberty beats Paloma Valley in double OT to reach playoffs

Parris Peacock rushed for 142 yards and 3 touchdowns in Liberty's win. (Photo by Action Captures Media Group)

By Doug Spoon, Editor

You might as well call this one Menifee Bowl II. If it wasn’t considered a rivalry before, it is now.

In a wild contest that featured lead changes, turnovers, and just about everything else, Liberty High’s football team defeated Paloma Valley in double overtime on Thursday night, 41-35. The win put Liberty into the CIF playoffs and eliminated Paloma Valley from the playoff picture.

In the second set of possessions from the 25-yard line per CIF tiebreaker rules, Paloma Valley quarterback Isaac Navarro’s pass into the end zone bounced off the receiver’s shoulder pads and into the hands of Liberty defensive back Carter Lauritzen for an interception. Then, in its turn from the 25-yard line, Liberty scored on a 12-yard run by Parris Peacock to seal the victory.

The victory improved Liberty’s Ivy League record to 4-1, good for second place. In avoiding what would’ve been a three-way tie for two playoff spots had they lost, the Bison improved their overall record to 5-5. A team that was 1-4 in non-league play – with two one-point losses – certainly turned things around in the second half of the season.

“Really, it came down to the captains getting everybody together,” Liberty coach Adam Contreras said about the turnaround at midseason. “We have a good football team if we play four quarters, and that's kind of been our message ever since: ‘Let’s play four quarters and see what happens.’ Our guys truly rallied around that and bought into that.”

The excitement level was understandably high for the Bison, who are as familiar with the Paloma Valley players as they are with Heritage, which lost to Paloma Valley in the traditional Menifee Bowl, 46-6, back on Sept. 12. Heritage is in a different league and the Bison have never played the Patriots, but Menifee’s newest high school football team is getting a taste of the rivalry that Paloma Valley and Heritage have had for years.

It wasn’t the cleanest game ever played. Liberty lost four fumbles, while Paloma Valley lost two fumbles and threw two interceptions. Contreras said that was an indication of the high level of intensity that comes with a rivalry game.

“You know it's going to get sloppy eventually,” he said. “But that team over there is a good team and both teams went at it hard. They all know each other. They're all friends. They grew up together. We knew it was not going to be easy.”

“We work so hard,” said Liberty running back Parris Peacock, who ran for 142 yards and 3 touchdowns. “We had a tough preseason, but all the hard work and dedication paid off. We talked about having a little bit of a rocky first half, but our second half was strong, which is a great feeling.”

Liberty trailed 14-7 at halftime but finally caught up with 1:15 left in the third quarter on a 19-yard touchdown run by junior running back Chris Debose. After starter Trent Hallis went out with an injury, Debose came on to rush for 71 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Chris Debose contributed to the win with 71 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns. (Photo by Action Captures Media Group)

Paloma fumbled away the ensuing kickoff return and Liberty needed only two plays to score again on a 7-yard run by Debose to take a 21-14 lead. A 3-yard TD run by Paloma Valley’s Daniel Sanchez tied the score at 21-21 halfway through the fourth quarter.

It appeared Liberty might have put the game away when Peacock ran 27 yards for a touchdown and a 28-21 lead with 1:52 remaining. Peacock carried the ball on all seven plays of the drive. The Wildcats weren’t finished, however.

Starting from their own 21-yard line, the Wildcats drove 79 yards in nine plays to score on a 29-yard pass from Navarro to Arthur Stringer with 48 seconds left. The PAT kick was good and the game went into overtime with the teams tied at 28-28.

Liberty started off the first overtime session by scoring on a 1-yard run by Peacock, but Paloma Valley forced a second session when Navarro passed 6 yards to Noah Davis for a TD. With the pressure on to make the game-tying kick, sophomore female placekicker Vivi Winchester made the PAT to tie the score at 35-35.

Then came the fateful Paloma Valley interception and Peacock’s final touchdown.

Navarro finished with 254 passing. It was a bitter defeat for the Wildcats, who finished the season with a 55-54 loss to Vista del Lago last week and Thursday night’s overtime contest. Paloma Valley finished the season with a 3-7 overall record (2-3 in league).

The Bison will find out their playoff opponent Sunday morning when the CIF Southern Section office announces the pairings.

Trent Hallis scored a touchdown before leaving the game early. (Photo by Action Captures Media Group)

Noah Davis finds some running room for Paloma Valley. (Photo by Action Captures Media Group)

Wildcats quarterback Isaac Navarro prepares to throw a pass. (Photo by Action Captures Media Group)

Arthur Stringer finds an open field to gain yardage. (Photo by Action Captures Media Group)

Sophomore placekicker Vivi Winchester makes a clutch PAT kick. (Photo by Action Captures Media Group)

Liberty coach Adam Contreras and his players celebrate a score. (Photo by Action Captures Media Group)