Week 6 LYN Game

Minutemen power their way to 34-22 win over Rustburg

Liberty High School, Bedford, VA – The Liberty
Minutemen battled the Rustburg Red Devils on Friday, both looking for their first win of the year.
With only a six game regular season this spring, wins can be hard to come by depending on your schedule. On this Friday night, Coach Chris Watts Minutemen brought their hard charging brand of football to a young Rustburg team and came away with a 34-22 victory. Liberty put together a strong running game to get the win. QB 10 Tanner Stanley led the way with 95 yards on 19 carries and two touchdowns. Both FB 7 Cortarius Gilmore and RB 9 Garrett Whorley chipped in with 71 yards apiece. Sophomore FB 6 Kentrell Evans got the scoring started for the Minutemen with a 48-yard TD run up the middle at the 2:34 mark of the first quarter. Rustburg had jumped out to an 8-0 lead three minutes earlier on the feet of Red Devil QB 1 Avery Dixon from three yards out. The Junior followed that up with a two point conversion. Liberty would go on to build up a 27-8 lead at the break that they would never relinquish. The Minutemen defense played well all night despite giving up a couple long QB 1 Dixon to WR 5 Jaidan Johnson TD passes late. At night’s end, it was Liberty on top 34-22.

First Quarter – The Minutemen and Red Devils both entered this final regular season looking for their first win. Early on it was unclear who was going to step up and claim this “W.” Both teams fumbled the ball on their first offensive possessions. Rustburg took the opening kickoff. Six plays in QB 1 Avery Dixon fumbled the ball and Liberty’s DB/QB 10 Tanner Stanley recovered it at the Minutemen forty five. Two plays later Liberty returned the favor when RB 12 Jordan Steele coughed up the ball, near midfield. Rustburg would make the Minutemen pay. It took Coach Jack Baker’s troops eight plays, all on the ground, to take an early 8-0 lead.

QB 1 Dixon took it in from the three and then followed it up with a tough 2 point conversion run with 5:47 left in the first quarter. The Minutemen answered back on their next drive. Starting from their own twenty six, Coach Chris Watt’s team kept it on the ground. A back and forth barrage of runs from FB/LB 7 Cortarius Gilmore and QB 10 Stanley moved the ball out to midfield. From there Sophomore FB 6 Kentrell Evans broke through the middle of the line and rumbled 46-yards to pay dirt.

 

Cavalier RB 8 Keaton Ellis tackled by swarming Heritage defenders

The Sophomore displayed some good open field speed to get into the end zone. Rustburg’s lead was cut to 8-6 with Liberty’s missed 2-point conversion.
Liberty’s defense would play a key role on the night’s victory forcing three turnovers, two of them interceptions. The first came on Rustburg’s next drive as DB/RB Garrett Whorley jumped the route and picked off a Dixon toss.

Second Quarter – The Minutemen would turn that into points and take the lead with two and 13-8 on a 7-yard touchdown run by QB 10 Stanley.

In Coach Watt’s offense the quarterback is a key ball carrier. Liberty would go on to chalk up two more TD’s before the half. RB/DB 9 Whorley scored from six yards out and then the Minutemen followed that up with QB 10 Stanley taking it in from the sixteen.

 

K 88 Anthony Mineo made both extra points. RB/DB 9 Whorley added another interception to his ledger as the half neared its close. Liberty took at 27-8 lead into the half.

Third Quarter – Liberty took the second half kickoff and looked as though they would add to their lead. The home team drove the ball from their own seven down to the Rustburg three before fourth down forced them into a K 88 Mineo field goal. The Liberty kicker made the boot but the Red Devils were whistled for being offsides. Coach Watts took the ‘three’ off the board and took his chances on fourth down at the one and a half yard line. This proved unproductive though, as Rustburg stopped QB 10 Stanley for a loss and took over on downs at the three. Liberty failed to score but the Minutemen did eat up most of the third quarter.

Fourth Quarter – In the final stanza, Rustburg QB 1 Dixon got the visitors excited again, with a 70-yard touchdown pass and run to WR 7 Jaidan Johnson.

Once the speedy Junior had the ball in his hands with room to run he was off to the races. Rustburg’s two point conversion try was no good and Liberty’s lead was now 27-14.
Liberty answered that score with one of their own. Utilizing twelve plays, all on the ground, RB/DB 9 Whorley finished off the sixty yard drive with a one yard TD run. Whorley and QB/DB 10 Stanley carried the ball for most of the drive, with FB/LB 7 Gilmore sprinkled in on a few ‘A gap’ carries to keep the Red Devils honest.

The score with K 99 Mineo’s point after boot made it 33-14. Rustburg would add one more TD on the QB 1 Dixon to WR 5 Johnson combination again. This time the duo connected for a 50-yard TD pass, catch, and run with :56 left in the game.

RB 22 Chris Cardwell capped it off with a 2 point conversion run. Rustburg never quit in this contest, but Liberty wisely used the clock up in the second half and maintained their lead.                                 – Cap’n Crunch

Offense: 
Rushing – Liberty – Stanley 19-95, 2TDs, Gilmore 16-71, Whorley 13-71, 2TDs, Evans 1-48, TD, Steele 1-0 Rustburg – Dixon 14-51, TD, 2ptr Cardwell 9-22, 2ptr, Johnson 1-5, Rosser 2/2
Passing – Liberty– Stanley 4-6, 17  Rustburg– Dixon 7-15, 170, 2TDs, 2 INTs
Receiving – Liberty– Whorley 3-16, Steele 1-1 Rustburg– Johnson 4-128, 2TDs, Epperson 2-38, Rosser 1-4  
Punting – Liberty – Arrington 1/32  Rustburg– Terrell 2/38

Scoring:
• Rustburg: Dixon 3-yd TD run; Dixon 2pt conversion
• Liberty: Evans 48-yd TD run; PAT no good
• Liberty: Stanley 7-yd TD run; Mineo PAT
• Liberty: Whorley 6-yd TD run; Mineo PAT
• Liberty: Stanley 16-yd TD run; Mineo PAT
• Rustburg: Dixon 70-yd TD pass to Johnson; 2ptr no good
• Liberty: Whorley 1-yd TD run; Mineo PAT
• Rustburg: Dixon 50-yd TD pass to Johnson; Cardwell 2pt conversion