Football Game Preview: Mercer Island Islanders vs. Liberty Patriots

Mercer Island is 2-8 against Liberty since September of 2016 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Islanders will face off against the Patriots at 7:30 p.m. Mercer Island has given up an average of 31.2 points per game this season, but Thursday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

On Friday, Mercer Island came up short against Redmond and fell 35-28.

Mercer Island's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Luke Christofferson, who threw for 210 yards and four TDs, and Jonah Gonder, who picked up 98 receiving yards and one touchdown.

Mercer Island didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Connor Moloney and Eli Stoffer.

Meanwhile, Liberty had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 18 points) and they went ahead and made it three on Friday. They took their contest with ease, bagging a 49-0 win over the Pirates. The result was nothing new for the Patriots, who have now won five matchups by 29 points or more so far this season.

Liberty's win came from a few key players Mercer Island will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Spencer Bogh, who rushed for 47 yards and three scores. Those three rushing touchdowns gave him a new career-high. Another passer making a difference was Dawson Durham, who threw for 143 yards and three TDs.

Mercer Island's loss dropped their record down to 3-5. As for Liberty, their victory bumped their record up to 7-1.

Mercer Island was taken down by Liberty 49-0 in their previous matchup back in September. Can the Islanders avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.