The Basha Bears will face off against the Liberty Lions at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Basha is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They blew past Williams Field 33-10. The win was nothing new for the Bears as they're now sitting on three straight.
It was another big night for Noah Roberts, who rushed for 128 yards and three touchdowns on only seven carries. That's the most rushing touchdowns he has posted since back in October of 2024.
Basha didn't let much get past them through the air: they limited Williams Field to a completion percentage of just 33.3%. The Bears hasn't an opponent to post a completion percentage of 0.58 or higher in three consecutive matchups.
Basha didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Kaleb Garcia and Eli Cramer-Cronin.
Meanwhile, Liberty faced Red Mountain in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Friday. The Lions were the clear victors by a 48-23 margin over the Mountain Lions. With the Lions ahead 34-10 at the half, the contest was all but over already.
Basha better keep an eye on Jayden Pico. He was instrumental in Liberty's win, rushing for 99 yards and three TDs on only five carries. Pico got the majority of those rushing yards when he took off on a run that went for an incredible 52 yards. Braxton Huynh was another key player, picking up 63 receiving yards and one score.
Liberty's defense made their presence known, laying out Dominic Carmigiano three times. The team can thank three different players for their defensive prowess: Zeth Thues, Paz St John, and Max Curtis, who each picked up one sack apiece. Another thorn in Red Mountain's side was Thues, who picked up a sack and made nine total tackles.
Liberty's victory bumped their record up to 10-1. As for Basha, their win bumped their record up to an identical 10-1.
Basha lost to Liberty at home by a decisive 35-17 margin when the teams last played back in December of 2024. Thankfully for the Bears, Dominic Lombardo (who rushed for 124 yards and three touchdowns) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
