Liberty avenges 2025 loss to Utah power with comeback win
The Liberty Lions scored 24 unanswered points in a home win over Utah's Corner Canyon.
Draper Corner Canyon (3-1) put up an early fight against Peoria Liberty (2-0) on Friday, September 4, but Liberty came back stronger in the third quarter, scoring 24 unanswered points for a 38-14 victory. This win finally settled the score from the Lions' 45-14 defeat at Corner Canyon's home turf last year, Corner Canyon's sole loss of the 2025 regular season.
The Lions' Ryce Palepoi extended their lead to 24-14 when he recovered the Lions' fumble deep in their own territory and ran it in for a touchdown. Liberty's sophomore quarterback Jason Haines was instrumental in the comeback. He threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to senior Carter Rothe, trimming the lead to 24-21, and followed it up with a 23-yard touchdown pass to senior Braxton Huynh, tying the game and setting the stage for the 24 unanswered points that sealed the win.
Haines was also the top scorer for Liberty, contributing four scores, including a two-yard touchdown pass to himself with 7:40 left in regulation. Corner Canyon's early momentum was powered by quarterback Jaxon Pehrson, who scored first with a 5-yard pass to Diesel Dort and later extended the lead to 14-6 after a 15-yard touchdown pass to junior Beckam Coon.
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