BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Freedom junior quarterback Brian Uliana barely had time to finish off posing for photographs and receiving postgame congratulations from Freedom fans before facing some questions, namely if the Patriots ever got down or thought a win against their hated rival, Liberty, was out of reach.
“Not at all,” Uliana said. “We never give up on this team. We just keep going (and find a way).”
That never-say-die attitude was only fitting for the Pats’ junior. The latest installment of the Freedom-Liberty rivalry was chock full of that mindset. And the two bitter, bitter rivals played what turned into an instant classic.
Uliana threw four touchdown passes to senior Frank Bucsi and another junior, kicker Sean Wrobel, booted a 35-yard field goal for the winning points with only 27 seconds left in regulation as Freedom (8-2) held off Liberty (6-4) before a crowd of well over 10,000 people Saturday afternoon at Frank Banko Field in Bethlehem. It was the first time Freedom had beaten Liberty since a 24-0 decision in 2002.
The Patriots’ win carried additional significant weight, because it sent the black and gold into the District 2/4/11 AAAA subregional playoff, which begins next weekend, and knocking Liberty out of the eight-team bracket. Asked if his team was destined for the Eastern Conference playoffs for a second consecutive year, Hurricane head coach Dave Brown was succinct.
“We haven’t even discussed that yet,” Brown said.
Freedom head coach Jason Roeder, meanwhile, was also speechless, but in a different sort of way.
“This day (in my coaching career) is #1. It’s #1 by far,” Roeder said. “What a tremendous football game.”
Fireworks were incorporated as part of the Liberty marching band’s halftime performance, but really, the fireworks had already been exploding in full force during the first 24 minutes of action.
Freedom led, 28-21, at halftime, and the seven touchdowns scored between the two teams covered distances of 72, 56, 69, 31, 24, 57 and 36 yards. Liberty jumped up 7-0 on Devon Jones’ 72-yard scoring run on its second play from scrimmage, and the Hurricanes would add a 31-yard scoring pass from James McCarthy to KJ Williams and a McCarthy 24-yard run to build a 21-14 lead with 11:10 left in the half.
Freedom’s first five total plays netted two touchdowns – a 56-yard pass-and-catch from Uliana to Bucsi and an Okezie Alozie (19 rush, 138 yards) 69-yard touchdown run. Alozie also returned a McCarthy interception 57 yards and Uliana and Bucsi hooked up for a 36-yard touchdown with 12 seconds left in the half.
After forcing a Patriot punt, Liberty took over in the shadow of its own end zone, but it mattered little. Seven plays after starting at their own 3, Jones took a sweep around left end untouched and rocketed for a 74-yard touchdown run, knotting the game at 28s.
Freedom’s ensuing possession stalled, but the Patriots recovered a muffed Hurricane punt at the 19-yard line (one of five Hurricane turnovers on the day), and three plays later, Uliana found Bucsi from 17 yards and a 35-28 lead. But Liberty fired right back. After runs of 33 yards from Jones (8 rush, 196 yards) and 11 yards from Mike Harris, Harris found Williams for a 31-yard touchdown on a halfback option pass. For what seemed like the millionth time, things were right back at square one.
“You never know with a Freedom/Liberty game,” Brown said. “(That the kids leave everything on the field) is all that we ask.”
Williams entered the game with only 20 receptions on the season and said he always kept his head up and waited for his number to get called. Williams was a hot commodity in the Canes’ aerial assault this day. He finished the day with five catches for 129 yards and also picked off a pass on defense which helped Liberty eventually build a 42-35 lead on a McCarthy 4-yard run with 3:51 left in the game.
As was the theme of the day, Freedom rallied. Uliana’s 44-yard pass to a streaking Bucsi tied the game at 42 with 1:46 left, and, after recovering Liberty’s third fumble of the game at the 1:14 mark, the Patriots ran three plays to set up Wrobel’s monumental kick.
“We preached ‘team’ the whole year,” Roeder said. “Today Wrobel made a kick he’ll never forget. And Freedom will never forget it, either.”
Freedom won’t soon forget the Uliana-to-Busci combination, either. Of Uliana’s 10 completions, eight went the way of Bucsi for 196 yards and the four scores. Uliana threw for 222 yards on the day.
“We didn’t expect to pass that much,” Uliana said. “We wanted to try to establish the run, but the name of our game is about executing, and today, the passing game was really clicking.”
Liberty finished with 578 yards of offense and 21 first downs, including 382 yards on the ground. McCarthy ran for 78 yards and threw for another 165. Stephon Font-Toomer added 33 yards on 10 carries; Harris finished with 46 yards on seven rushes; and Jack Long added 27 yards on eight totes.
Freedom finished with 402 yards and 14 first downs, but did have three turnovers.
NOTE: Both Alozie and McCarthy surpassed the 1,000-yard rushing mark on the season with their respective individual performances Saturday afternoon.
