On Thursday, Liberty faced Arbor View in a battle between two of the state's top teams. The Liberty Patriots fell just short of the Arbor View Aggies by a score of 31-28. The Patriots were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Aggies apparently hadn't forgotten their defeat the last time these teams played back in October of 2023.
Liberty lost despite a true team effort on the offense, the best among them being Elijah Espinoza, who threw for 128 yards and two touchdowns. Liberty also got a significant boost from Ezra Sanelivi, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 97 yards.
Liberty wouldn't let Arbor View keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Liberty can thank Rysen Dacosin-Arcala and Gravis Lopez for forcing both of them.
Arbor View's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Thaddeus Thatcher, who threw for 230 yards and two touchdowns, and also rushed for 34 yards. The dominant performance gave Thatcher a new career-high in rushing yards.
Liberty's loss dropped their record down to 3-6. As for Arbor View, their win was their sixth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 7-1.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Liberty will venture away from home to challenge Basic at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. As for Arbor View, they will head out to square off against Foothill at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Arbor View is facing Foothill at the right time seeing as Foothill is stuck on a four-game losing streak.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
