Lions’ defense left Mesa school no room to breathe

A fumbled snap by two-time defending Open Division champion Liberty in the first minute of play was enough to give No. 6 seed Red Mountain an effortless three-point advantage early.

From that point on, the Lions decided handouts were off the table.

At points, their offense looked unstoppable, and through the entire contest, their defense was inevitable.

No. 3 seed Liberty (10-1) pummeled the Mountain Lions all night in a 48-23 win in their Open quarterfinal matchup at Mountain Ridge, which means they’ll face No. 2 seed Basha (10-1) in the semifinals next week.

“We had two weeks to prepare. I think our guys were really ready to play. We can be cleaner, but for the most part it was a lot of positives,” Liberty Coach Colin Thomas said.

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