No. 1 Liberty football overcomes injuries, defeats rival Centennial
Liberty was battered but not beaten, rallying to beat Peoria rival Centennial to likely secure the top seed in the Open Division playoffs.
Peoria Liberty secures a crucial victory over Centennial in an injury-riddled season finale. Coach Colin Thomas faced the daunting task of assembling a team with two starting quarterbacks sidelined - starter Jason Haines out for the season with a broken collarbone and top receiver Braxton Huynh nursing an ankle injury. However, Thomas' strategic moves throughout the game paid off.
Receiver Braxton Huynh took over as quarterback, while Kenny Raymond, the backup QB all season and wearing a knee brace, emerged as a key player halving the game. Despite a penalty nullifying a touchdown pass by Huynh early in the game, Liberty's defense stepped up in the second half with three crucial picks and a game-winning touchdown by tailback Jayden Sanchez in the fourth quarter.
The win solidifies Liberty's No. 1 seed in the Open Division state playoffs, granting them a bye in the next round and allowing injured quarterback Kenny Raymond to rest. Centennial, ranked 4th in the 6A/Open rankings, will now face the consequences of their loss, with the bracket for the first-round losers to be determined the following day.
Written by urgent.news from Yahoo Sports's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
