Football Game Preview: Liberty Patriots vs. Palo Verde Panthers

Liberty and Palo Verde are an even 3-3 against one another since December of 2021, but not for long. The Liberty Patriots will challenge the Palo Verde Panthers at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams have allowed few points on average, (Liberty: 13.2, Palo Verde: 8.7) so any points scored will be well earned.

Liberty is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Nevada's top teams: Foothill, who was ranked 16th at the time (Liberty was ranked fifth). Liberty blew past Foothill, posting a 51-0 victory. The result was nothing new for the Patriots, who have now won seven games by 24 points or more so far this season.

It was another big night for Jianna Reyes, who threw for 380 yards and five touchdowns. That's the most passing touchdowns she has posted since back in December of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Kilolo Westerlund, who picked up 134 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

Meanwhile, Palo Verde had already won eight in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 12.8 points) and they went ahead and made it nine on Monday. They strolled past the Bulldogs with points to spare, taking the game 19-0.

Liberty better keep an eye on Samantha Manzo. She was instrumental in Palo Verde's win, rushing for 108 yards and one touchdown.

Palo Verde didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Caitlyn Torpey and Manzo.

Palo Verde pushed their record up to 14-1 with the win, which was their fifth straight on the road. Those victories came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 5.0 points per game. As for Liberty, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 10-2.

Liberty suffered a grim 34-12 defeat to Palo Verde in their previous matchup back in January of 2024. Can Liberty avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.