Liberty finding a way to win

September 17, 2012 at 12:00a.m.

It is often said that a good football team is one which is able to find ways to win in the fourth quarter.

If true, area teams had better take notice of the Liberty Leopards.

At 3-1, the Leopards have already equaled the win total of their previous 27 games prior to the start of the 2012 season. And, they’ve done it in dramatic fashion.

Liberty opened the season with 21-17 win over Salem. A touchdown with 1:30 left in the game snapped an 18-game losing streak.

Against Burton Berkshire, the Leopards trailed by a touchdown after three quarters, then ran off 26 fourth-quarter points en route to a 36-24 win.

This past Friday, a score on the game’s final play resulted in a 25-20 win at LaBrae.

Trailing 20-19 with three seconds left and with possession at the 12-yard line, the Leopards lined up for a potential game-winning field goal. Instead, a low snap forced holder John Helms to improvise. The senior gathered in the ball, then raced around left end to the end zone.

“I can’t do anything in that situation but watch and hope,” said first-year coach Brian Jones. “John is a senior, and he’s one of our fastest players. He’s football-smart. He knows he has the green light to create plays in that type of situation.

“This was a case where luck meets preparation. You need a little bit of good fortune to pull off that type of play, but it also helps to be prepared for every scenario.”

Jones said his top priority was to instill confidence.

“We were at a point to where we expected to lose close games. The mindset was, ‘If something can go wrong, it probably will.’ But I believed in these kids. My challenge was to get these kids to believe in themselves,” Jones said.

FOR THE RECORD

Struthers, Ursuline and Hubbard fell from the ranks of the unbeaten over the weekend, leaving just six area schools at 4-0.

In Mahoning County, Austintown Fitch and Youngstown Christian remain perfect. Trumbull County has three teams — Brookfield, Niles and Warren JFK — which have yet to taste defeat. Crestview is Columbiana County’s lone representative with an unblemished record.

The list will be decreased by at least one this week when JFK travels to Broofield. The two schools are former conference rivals from the Trumbull AA, but haven’t met since 1978.

Fitch will have its hands full when it hosts Boardman (3-1). The backyard rivals have met 64 times, and are separated by just one game. Fitch leads the series 32-31-1.

Niles will have history on its side when it hosts Beaver Local (1-3). The Beavers are 0-17 all-time against All-American Conference opponents.

Crestview travels to Mineral Ridge (2-2). The two teams have played six straight years since becoming members of the Inter-Tri County League. The series stands at 3-3 in that span.

The Rebels own the area’s longest current regular-season winning streak at 13 games.

Youngstown Christian, winners of 12 consecutive regular-season games, will host Mathews (1-3).

COMPUTER TIME

The Ohio High School Athletic Association on Tuesday will release its first set of computer rankings. The weekly rankings are used to determine post-season qualifiers.

Eleven area teams are expected to be in playoff position when the first set of rankings are released. They include Fitch, Warren Harding, Howland, Niles, Struthers, Brookfield, Lakeview, Crestview, Ursuline, Youngstown Christian and Warren JFK.