Willie Williams scored on a kickoff return and a punt return in the first half to set up Liberty's first North Coast Section victory in school history, a 33-14 win over Amador Valley Saturday in a Division I first-round game. <\/p>\n
Williams' two returns gave Liberty a 16-0 halftime lead. He then extended the Lions' lead to 23-0 early in the third quarter when he took a screen pass from Joseph Tolentino and shrugged off multiple Amador Valley defenders for a 38-yard touchdown. <\/p>\n
The visiting Dons cut the deficit to 23-7 less than two minutes later when Ledre McCullough went 78 yards off-tackle for a touchdown. Liberty extended the lead back to 19 points before the end of the third quarter, however, on a Stirling Strong field goal. <\/p>\n
Amador Valley made one last effort to cut into the lead when McCullough scored from 3 yards out early in the fourth quarter and Collin Miller recovered the ensuing onside kick, but the Lions defense held and Liberty was able to put the game away. <\/p>\n
The Lions advance to the quarterfinals with the win and play next Saturday at fourth-seeded California. <\/p>\n
Granada 55, Northgate 20: Rob Payne, playing offense for the first time this season, ran for 199 yards and four touchdowns on just 11 carries as the 10th-seeded Matadors (3-8) advanced to the Division II quarterfinals. <\/p>\n
Payne, a starting defensive back, was pressed into service on offense because of injuries. He was stopped for no gain on his first carry, then went 44 yards on a sweep the next time he touched the ball, knotting the game at 7-all with 39 seconds left in the first quarter. <\/p>\n
He scored on runs of 27 and 17 yards in the second quarter as visiting Granada built a 31-14 lead against Northgate (5-6). <\/p>\n
Quarterback Brian Barnett also scored on a 60-yard run, and Matthew Dremelas kicked the first of his two field goals from 30 yards out, with 12 seconds left. <\/p>\n
Payne scored for the fourth time, bolting for 55 yards on the second play of the third quarter. <\/p>\n
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Liberty's Willie Williams scores three times in Lions' historic NCS win<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Willie Williams scored on a kickoff return and a punt return in the first half to set up Liberty's first North Coast Section victory in school history, a 33-14 win over Amador Valley Saturday in a Division I first-round game. Williams' two returns gave Liberty a 16-0 halftime lead Continue reading