WINTHROP – After trading scores in the first half, it was the Mountain Lions that did all the scoring in the second half as they came back from a nine-point deficit to defeat the Trojans 30-27 on Friday night.
Liberty Bell got on the board first in the opening quarter, but its 6-0 lead lasted but one play as the ensuing kickoff was returned 78 yards for a touchdown by senior Kasey Brennan, and Luke Kulhanek’s extra point kick gave Meridian a 7-6 lead.
The Mountain Lions were able to take the lead back later in the first quarter with a 16-yard touchdown pass, but senior quarterback Trey Alexander was able to throw a strike down the middle of the field where sophomore wide receiver Braydon Fisher made the reception and sprinted past two defenders on his way to a 50-yard touchdown.
The game of “back-and-forth” would continue as Liberty Bell scored from a yard out to re-take the lead, this time at 18-13 halfway through the second quarter, and the Trojans would answer yet again on the following drive with a two-yard touchdown run by Jaxson Pfannenstiel. The junior running back led his team with 127 yards rushing on 15 carries.
Meridian held a slight 19-18 lead late in the first half, but got a little cushion when Alexander picked off a pass across the middle and returned it 23 yards for a touchdown. Alexander then found senior Pierce Brzozowski for the two-point conversion, and the Trojans led 27-18 at the half.
The Mountain Lion quarterback was able to break loose for two long touchdown runs in the second half, with the second one giving them a three-point lead over Meridian.
The Trojans had a good chance at retaking the lead late in the game with a pass into the endzone, but the ball was tipped and intercepted by Liberty Bell.
Meridian was able to force a punt with under a minute to play, but was barely able to get past midfield before the clock read all zeros.
The Trojan defense was led by Brzozowski and senior defensive tackle Landon Rowley, each of whom had two sacks. Meridian also got multiple stops behind the line of scrimmage from Ryan Nguyen, Ethan Valich and Issac Sipress.
The Trojans (0-1) will travel to Cascade Christian (0-1) on Saturday to take on the Cougars at 7:00.
Liberty Bell 30 Meridian 27 MER 7 20 0 0 - 27 LB 12 6 6 6 - 30 LB - 7 yard touchdown run (run failed) MER - Brennan 78 kickoff return (Kulhanek kick) LB - 16 yard touchdown pass (pass failed) MER - Fisher 50 pass from T. Alexander (pass failed) LB - 1 yard touchdown run (pass failed) MER - Pfannenstiel 2 run (run failed) MER - T. Alexander 23 interception return (Brzozowski pass from T. Alexander) LB - 25 yard touchdown run (pass failed) LB - 42 yard touchdown run (pass failed)
MER LB 29-164 Rush Att-Yards 41-174 9-25-1 Comp-Att-Int 16-30-1 175 Passing Yards 248 Individual Leaders RUSHING - MER: Pfannenstiel 15-127, Nguyen 6-22, Valich 5-14, T. Alexander 3-1. LB: N/A. PASSING - MER: T. Alexander 9-25-1-175. LB: N/A. RECEIVING - MER: Brzozowski 3-59, Crabtree 2-31, Fisher 1-50, Brennan 1-25, Burgess 1-9, Pfannenstiel 1-1. LB: N/A.
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