Patriots ride defense past Pioneers, into Sunrise title game

After watching his offense lose two fumbles inside the Canyon Springs 5-yard line, Liberty football coach Rich Muraco knew his defense would have to rise to the occasion.

His defense turned out to be the difference that lifted Liberty into the Sunrise Region title game for the first time in program history Thursday night.

Sam Tai had three second-half sacks and Jared Tuilagi made a crucial fourth-quarter interception to help the Patriots to a 26-13 home win over Canyon Springs in a region semifinal.

“Our defensive line really dominated the game, I thought, especially in the second half,” Muraco said. “Sam Tai, Spencer Hill-Hale, Kimo (Seau), they all just did a great job with the pass rush and the pressure.”

Southeast League champion Liberty (10-1) will visit Northeast champion Las Vegas (11-1) in the Sunrise title game next Friday with a spot in the state semifinal round on the line.

Tai, a senior defensive end who has committed to UCLA, had two sacks in the fourth quarter to kill drives for Canyon Springs (7-4). The first was a strip sack in which he forced a fumble the Pioneers were unable to recover, and the second was a crushing hit on quarterback D’Vante Howard on fourth down.

Both plays came with Liberty clinging to a 14-13 lead. The Patriots missed a 30-yard field-goal attempt after taking over the first time but took a 20-13 lead with 1:46 remaining on quarterback Kai Nacua’s 2-yard touchdown run.

Tuilagi intercepted Howard on the Pioneers’ ensuing possession, and Nacua tacked on a 3-yard touchdown run with 55 seconds left to give Liberty a 26-13 cushion.

“I was working so hard in the first half to get (Howard). He was slippery,” Tai said. “I made some adjustments at halftime, and it worked out well.”

Nacua also scored on a 1-yard run late in the third quarter, and the extra point gave Liberty a 14-7 lead. But Canyon Springs answered with Howard’s 68-yard TD pass to Trey Evans to pull within 14-13.

That’s when Liberty’s defense took over, giving the Patriots a chance to play for their first region title next week.

“This is a huge step for us,” Muraco said. “We had 10 goals at the start of the year. We’ve got two left: regional champions and state champions. We’re in position. We’re going to have to play 10 times better than we did tonight if we’re going to beat (Las Vegas).”

The defensive stands helped Liberty overcome the two lost fumbles inside Canyon Springs’ 5-yard line, one in each half.

 

The berth in the Sunrise title game was quite the 40th birthday present for Muraco, as Tai led a chorus of Patriots signing “happy birthday” to him after the game.

 

“That was our goal, to get him the ‘W’ for his birthday present,” Tai said with a smile.

 

Liberty’s Niko Kapeli rushed for 99 yards on 20 attempts, and Teu Tai added 78 yards on nine carries. Teammate Jordan Kapeli scored on a 6-yard run in the second quarter to give the Patriots a 7-0 lead.

 

Evans, who had 10 receptions for 130 yards and two TDs, caught a 4-yard scoring strike from Howard that helped the Pioneers head to halftime tied 7-7.

 

Howard passed for 184 yards and the two scores for the Pioneers, who have reached the playoffs both years under coach Hunkie Cooper.

 

An emotional Cooper had tears streaming down his face as he praised the progress his team has made.

 

“You can look at my face and tell,” he said. “You want it so much for your kids. It wasn’t about tonight. It’s about the progress they’ve made along the way.”