By Mike Maltais
The Liberty Bell High School boys’ varsity football team demonstrated that it is ready for its first game of the season against the Trojans at Manson on Sept. 27 after an intra-squad game earlier this week required a sudden death overtime to break the final 20-20 score.
Coaches Sy Bannick, Brent Walker, and Brian Wilbur fielded two 11-man teams of evenly matched players Monday (Sept. 16) to test the preparedness of the Liberty Bell program after low turnout numbers forced cancellations of the season’s first two non-league games against Darrington and Concrete.
A green team comprised of Cesar Dominguez, Jaymis Hansen, Austin Watson, José Dominguez, Kelsey Jensen, Bergen Patterson, Riley Calvert, Colby Smith, Zane Herrera, Chip Jones and Findlay Holston squared off against a white team made up of Milo Holston, Jacob McMillan, Chase Kurtz, Eden Davis, Riley Dickenson, Isaac Cordes, Emmett Fink, Jorge Lara, Kaleb Martin, Garrett Jensen, Tyson Coleman and D. J. Haley.
The 23-man roster left one floater to serve as a substitute.
Quarterback coach Wilbur roamed the sidelines calling plays and offering tips to players on both squads.
The green team, with running back Watson, took an early lead into what appeared to be the beginning of a 20-0 rout through the first half. Then a touchdown pass to José Dominguez gave the white squad its first points and the momentum while they gradually closed the point gap.
The scrimmage gave the coaches what they were looking for, a team ready to face its first opponent of the season in league play at Manson next week.
A touchdown run by Jorge Lara brought white within six points of the leaders. By the time the regulation game clock ticked down to zero the score was knotted 20-20.
As the sun dipped below the horizon and a waxing gibbous moon hung low in the east, both teams lined up to break the deadlock. It was the green team that scored first to claim the intra-squad victory.
