Preview: Neah Bay Red Devils vs. Liberty Christian Patriots
Neah Bay has enjoyed a two-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will take on the Liberty Christian Patriots at TBD on Saturday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Neah Bay had no problem doing just that on Friday. They breezed by Winlock at home to the tune of 86-6. With Neah Bay ahead 62-6 at the half, the contest was all but over already.
Jodell Wimberly continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 289 yards and eight touchdowns on only 13 carries. Wimberly is on a roll when it comes to rushing touchdowns, as he's now punched in two or more in the last eight games he's played. Tyler Swan was another major influence, as he rushed for 107 yards and ran in a TD.
Meanwhile, Liberty Christian put another one in the bag two weeks ago to keep their perfect season alive. They took their contest on the road with ease, bagging a 92-6 win over Tekoa-Rosalia. Given Liberty Christian's advantage in MaxPreps' Washington football rankings (they are ranked sixth, while Tekoa-Rosalia is ranked 49th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Charlie Branning was his usual excellent self, rushing for 170 yards and three touchdowns on only six carries. Branning is absolutely dominating the rushing touchdown category: he's posted at least two every time he's taken the field this season. Liberty Christian also got a significant boost from Dax Mercure, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 81 yards.
On the other side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Liberty Christian's defense and their three sacks. Ryan Powell was particularly dangerous to the passing game, picking up two sacks himself.
Neah Bay has yet to lose a game at home this season, leaving them with a 8-2 record. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 71.2 points per game. As for Liberty Christian, their victory bumped their record up to 9-0.
We should be in store for an exciting game Saturday as Neah Bay and Liberty Christian have no problem gaining yardage. Neah Bay has been on an offensive roll this season, having averaged 402 total yards per game. However, it's not like Liberty Christian struggles in that department as they've been even better at 441.4 per game. With a pair of commanding offenses duking it out, the defenses are going to have their work cut out for them. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more football content.
Everything came up roses for Neah Bay against Liberty Christian in their previous meeting back in November of 2022 as the squad secured a 82-24 victory. Does Neah Bay have another victory up their sleeve, or will Liberty Christian turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
