Liberty rally falls short

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Liberty rally falls short

Sports

Friday, 27 August 2010 12:30

libertybenn

News-Gazette Photo/Mary McIntee

Liberty running back Jalen Benn scored the Chargers first touchdown Thursday at the Kickoff Classic.

Chargers score twice in final period of 21-13 loss

By Rick Pedone
Sports Editor

For two and a half varsity periods Thursday, host Liberty often looked overmatched against Class 6A East Ridge at the Kickoff Classic.
Suffering four turnovers, the Chargers trailed 21-0 with seven minutes to play, but the Liberty defense came up with two key turnovers of its own and sophomore quarterback Greg Hankerson cashed in, leading a pair of TD drives to make the final score 21-13. East Ridge led 7-0 after the first period when the JV teams played.

Hankerson found Randy Gil across the middle, and Gil made a spectacular run after the catch for a 23-yard TD pass play with 12 seconds to play. The PAT, which would have tied the varsity portion of the game, was blocked.
Hankerson overcame a shaky start that saw him throw three interceptions and another was nullified by a penalty. The Chargers also fumbled three times, losing one.
But, despite all of those misfires, the Chargers persevered, Coach David Benson said.
“Everything that could happen to us, it happened tonight,” Benson said. “But, I’m proud of the way our guys played. They didn’t give up. Our defense did great (coming up with five turnovers). I told the offense, which did make some plays late in the game, that we have to catch up to the defense. I’m not disappointed at all. What I liked was our effort; we were giving everything we had out there.”
The Chargers defense blanked East Ridge in the second half.
Jalen Benn’s 21-yard run with three minutes to play made it 21-7, counting Gil’s PAT.
Benson noted that East Ridge is probably one of the two best opposing teams that the Chargers will see this season.
“Them and Edgewater,” he said. “They are that kind of team. (Coach) Bud O’Hara has done a great job of putting that team together, just like he does every year.”
Liberty’s varsity defense came up with a big turnover right after it took the field at the start of the second quarter. The JV quarter ended with the ball at the Liberty 2-yard line, but the Chargers caused a fumble two plays later and recovered.
East Ridge was inside the Chargers’ 25 and driving for another score midway into the final period when the game turned as linebacker Jamarious Leeks recovered a Knights fumble. Leeks had a clear field in front of him, but he slipped. But, the Chargers drove for a touchdown that was capped by Benn’s run.
With just over a minute left, linebacker Anthony Graham intercepted Knights quarterback Mike Ferrera-Weed and set the Chargers up at the East Ridge 30, leading to Gil’s score.
Evan Claudio and Demetrius Taylor both had big receptions to keep Liberty’s scoring drives alive.
Hankerson said the key to the Chargers’ fourth period rally was that they kept trying despite their miscues.
“We stuck together, just like we always do,” he said. “We had a few problems at first, but we got some things straightened out.”
Benson said Hankerson showed poise uncommon for a sophomore late in the game.
“At first, the sophomore in him showed. He was a little confused early and he made a couple of bad reads, but, he’s not the type of kid who is going to panic. He stayed with it, and he made some plays when we needed them.”
Benson said it was a good debut by his team. The Chargers open the regular season against Lakeland Tenoroc next Friday, and they have a month until their 4A District 7 opener against Harmony.
“The thing I liked is that we made mistakes, but we made them going 100 percent,” he said. “That’s OK. Those are things that we can fix. That’s why you play the Kickoff Classic, to work those things out.”
Other county teams played their Kickoff Classics Friday.
The regular season for all county teams begins next Friday.