Patriots’ experience overcomes Vikings
Age met youth in a Sunrise Region quarterfinal Friday.
Liberty, with a pedigree of proven postseason experience, wanted to jump on a much-younger Valley team early.
The Patriots racked up 348 yards on the ground, including 220 in the first half, in cruising to a 42-6 win over the Vikings.
Liberty (9-1) went 78 yards on 14 plays using over six minutes for their first score, which was exactly how head coach Rich Muraco drew it up.
“We wanted to pound on them early to set the tone,” Muraco said. “Valley is up and coming with all of those young players, but we played pretty well tonight.
“Once again, our offensive line made the difference.”
Niko Kapeli carried the bulk of the yardage, gaining a game-high 237 yards on 20 carries with touchdown runs of 7, 6 and 65 yards.
Quarterback Kai Nacua also hit Jared Tuilagi for a 50-yard score to give Liberty a 28-0 halftime lead.
“People know we are going to play a physical game; that’s our trademark,” Muraco said. “We have a big offensive line and when we play like this, good things happen. Again, give Valley credit, with all of those underclassemen and to still make the playoffs is quite an accomplishment.”
The Vikings, who fielded 11 freshmen and eight sophomores on the roster, scored their lone touchdown late in the third quarter on Anthony Sanders’ 13-yard pass to Kennedy Williams. The Vikings (4-6) amassed 86 yards on the ground to finish with 174 total yards.
