Liberty answers Palo Verde comeback with two late TDs

Liberty's football team scored two touchdowns in the final 2:12 on Thursday night to come from behind and beat visiting Palo Verde, 42-28.

The late touchdowns followed a furious Palo Verde comeback fueled by Ryan and Calvin Beaulieu.

Calvin Beaulieu's 12-yard touchdown run with 5:05 to play tied the game at 27, and Tom Randall added the extra point to give the sixth-ranked Panthers the lead.

But Liberty mounted a six-play, 64-yard drive on the ensuing possession, and quarterback Kai Nacua scored on a 19-yard keeper with 2:12 left. Nacua caught the 2-point pass from Tyler Newman to put the Patriots (1-1) up 35-28.

Palo Verde quarterback Parker Rost took a big hit from linebacker Samson Monterde on a scramble on the first play of the ensuing possession, and linebacker Tyler Edwards pounced on the fumble to give the Patriots the ball again. Three plays later, Niko Kapeli scored on a 7-yard run, his fourth touchdown of the game.

Kapeli, who had touchdown runs of 5 and 63 yards and took a screen pass 85 yards for a score, finished with 184 yards on 26 carries.

Austin Fitzgerald hit field goals of 47 and 40 yards for Liberty. His 40-yarder put the Patriots up 27-7 with 4:07 to play in the third quarter.

That's when Ryan Beaulieu keyed Palo Verde's comeback. He caught a 45-yard TD pass from Rost with 1:29 left in the third to cut the Panthers' deficit to 27-14.

Then on the first play of the fourth quarter, Ryan Beaulieu fielded a punt on a big hop, bounced outside and streaked 65 yards down the right sideline for a touchdown to cut the Patriots' lead to six.

Ryan Beaulieu earlier had a 67-yard punt return for a TD called back when the Panthers were whistled for roughing the kicker. He also made a leaping grab for a 26-yard TD in the first quarter.

Palo Verde (1-3) has lost three games in a season since going 9-4 in 2006.