Ryan Pennington dashed
42 yards into the end zone with 42 seconds remaining
in a 21-14 win.

By JIM FLICK

VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT

BROOKFIELD — Liberty fired the last shot in a fourth-quarter shootout Friday night to defeat Brookfield 21-12 in a Trumbull Athletic Conference game.

Liberty (6-2, 3-2 TAC) took a 7-0 lead in the second quarter, and neither team scored in the third quarter. But both teams’ offense erupted in the fourth quarter, scoring two touchdowns apiece, with the Leopards putting the final points on the scoreboard with only 42 seconds remaining.

But while Liberty took home the victory, Brookfield (5-3, 2-3) held a statistical edge, out-gaining Liberty 257-176 in total offense. Liberty did not complete a single pass in the game.

In fact, Brookfield shackled the back who was the area’s leading rusher going into the game. Liberty’s Fitzgerald Toussaint gained 1,077 yards in the first seven weeks of the season, the top total of rushing yards in the area. But he gained only 26 yards on nine carries against Brookfield.

The Leopards took an early lead when they needed to drive only 26 yards for a second-quarter touchdown. Liberty took over within the shadow of the goal line after a Brookfield player fumbled a punt, and a Brookfield penalty marched the ball five yards closer to the end zone. Liberty running back Ira Cross dived into the end zone from one yard out, and the extra point kick gave the Leopards a 7-0 lead.

Liberty held a 7-0 halftime lead even though Brookfield out-gained the Leopards 89-33 in total offense in the first half.

After a quiet third quarter, Brookfield almost pulled even with 10:20 remaining in the fourth quarter, when Matt Palumbo caught a 26-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Devin O’Brien. However, Brookfield’s kicked had been injured in the first half and was unable to attempt an extra-point kick. Instead, O’Brien lofted a pass attempting a two-point conversion, but didn’t complete the pass and Brookfield trailed 7-6.

Liberty struck back quickly, widening the lead to 14-6 two minutes later after Cross scored his second touchdown, this time on a four-yard dash into the end zone.

Brookfield returned fire as O’Brien led the Warriors to a second touchdown, this time scrambling in from one yard out. Trailing 14-12 with 1:24 remaining in the game, Brookfield again attempted a two-point conversion. But when O’Brien fired a pass into the end zone, but the receiver was unable to make the catch.

Brookfield attempted an onside kick, but Liberty fielded the ball at its own 45 yard line. On first down, Liberty quarterback Justin Machamer scrambled for three yards. On the next play, with just 42.5 seconds remaining in the game, the Leopards scored when Ryan Pennington dashed 42 yards into the end zone. The extra point made the final score 21-12 Liberty.

“I think our kids out-played them,” Brookfield coach Randy Clark said. “Our kids played one [heck] of a game.”

In fact, the game’s leader in total offense was O’Brien, the Warriors’ quarterback. He ran for 93 yards to lead both teams in rushing, and gained 94 yards passing.