By Kaitlin Carney
GLEN SPEY — September 21, 2010 — Behind the strong running of senior Eddie Soto, the Liberty Indians rolled to a 42-0 victory over the host Eldred Yellowjackets on Thursday afternoon in a non-league football game at Brookwood Camp near Glen Spey.
On the second play of the game, Soto ran 57 yards for a touchdown. Although the extra point was unsuccessful, Liberty (2-1) had set the tone for the game and didn’t look back.
After the score, the Indians regained possession with an onsides kick and had the end zone quickly in their sights. Runs by junior quarterback Marshon Williams and Soto pushed Liberty down the field and the drive culminated in a 20-yard touchdown pass from Williams to Efrain Baez. Baez then carried the ball over the goal line for a two-point conversion giving Liberty a 14-0 advantage.
Eldred (1-2) had good field position on its first possession but couldn’t convert it into points, as the drive stalled on its own 35-yard line.
A high snap on the punt allowed Liberty to take the ball at the
Eldred 37-yard line. Any momentum the Yellowjackets had hoped to gain was gone and Liberty marched on under the cloudy, misting skies. Liberty relied on the powerful passing from Williams to Baez to get to the 19. With a run to the 7-yard line by Baez, the Indians kept advancing toward the goal line.
Williams carried it into the end zone on a 5-yard run and Tino Casiano converted the extra-point kick to give Liberty a commanding 21-0 lead.
On the subsequent Yellowjackets’ possession, senior running back Dylan Kulik muscled his way to his own 27-yard line. Jordan Tice picked up another six yards for Eldred as the team moved toward midfield and seemed to be building momentum.
However, Liberty regained the ball a few plays later with an interception at its own 44.
The second quarter opened with a 15-yard touchdown run by Anthony Covington. Casiano’s extra-point kick increased the Indians’ advantage to 28-0.
Eldred’s Tice returned the following kickoff for 20 yards. Senior Geno Jones gained four yards on first down and Anthony Moriggia muscled his way through three Liberty defenders for a first down.
But the bright spot for the Yellowjackets was marred when they were again forced to punt.
With 1:16 remaining until halftime, Soto ran for a 39-yard TD to give the Indians a 35-0 lead.
In the third quarter, Williams threw a 8-yard touchdown pass to Soto to extend the Indians lead to 42-0.
Soto led the powerful Liberty offense with 15 rushes for 158 yards and two touchdowns. Williams completed 3 of 3 passes for 61 yards and a pair of TDs.
After the game, Liberty Coach John Wilhelm said that “the win was a boost” to his squad, which suffered a tough 28-27 loss in the final seconds to Ellenville the week before.
“It was nice to come out and get a lead early and set the tone,” he said. “I’m pleased with the kids’ effort.”
Moriggia led Eldred with seven rushes for 29 yards and quarterback Adam Schoch completed 6 of 14 passes for 43 yards. Kulik led the Yellowjackets’ defense with 10 tackles.
“They plain and simple overpowered us,” Eldred Coach Mike Paradisis said of the Indians. “We don’t dwell on it. We get ready for next week. We work on the things that need work.”