Two weeks after opening the season with a road loss, then getting beaten by Mother Nature last week, St. Cloud got on the right side of the scoreboard Friday at the Austin-Tindall Sports Complex.
Quarterback Logan King threw two touchdown passes, and the Bulldog defense scored and forced four turnovers as St. Cloud defeated in-county foe Liberty (0-3), .42-7
It wasn't a classically-played game as the teams combined for 24 penalty flags, 13 in the first quarter alone. But between the flag throws, King hit 10 of 18 passes for 174 yards. The run game was potent, averaging 11.5 per carry (23 rushes for 265 yards). On defense, Bryce Williams, Jacob Hernandez and T.J. Griffin intercepted passes and Rylon Taromino recovered a fumble.
"We were so emotional because we didn't play last week; we hadn't hit anybody but ourselves for two weeks," St. Cloud Coach Mike Short said. "We were explosive all over, it wasn't just one kid. And we got in some freshmen who are going to be superstars."
The Bulldogs (1-1) led 14-0 four minutes into the game and maintained control. Jacob Hernandez returned the opening kickoff into Liberty territory, then needed four plays to get on the board, when King hit Alex Springs across the middle for a 21-yard scoring strike. Then on the Chargers' third snap, Williams intercepted a pass and took it 20 yards for another score.
The lead was 28-0 at halftime after T.J. Griffin scored on a 14-yard run and King hooked up with Owen Conner on a 34-yard scoring strike in the second quarter.
Liberty cut into that lead in the third quarter on an impressive 16-play, 75-yard drive that took nine minutes off the clock. The Chargers converted two fourth downs, and quarterback Jeremiah Pierre-Louis turned it into points on seven-yard keeper.
"That drive was when we were down 28-0," LHS Coach Demetrius Hart said. "I loved seeing that the kids refused to quit. We're building something special here. I'm proud of what the guys are doing."
But the Bulldogs got the points back on the next drive. Griffin carried for 19, 7 and 23 yards on the drive, and King barreled over the goal line from 1 yard out.
Jonathan Morales closed the scoring with a 25-yard TD run with six minutes left.
