COYOTES DOWN
L-E’s defense adjusts, comes up big in second half
Liberty-Eylau's defense bent but didn't break in the second half.
The Leopards held a seven-point lead at halftime, after surrendering 14 points to Anna in the final 2:11 of the first half, but shut out the Coyotes in the second half and went on to hand the visitors their first loss in District 7-4A, Division I play with a 38-24 victory Friday at Harris Field.
L-E senior quarterback Decorian Phillips connected on all five passes in the second half for 165 yards and a big bomb to Mahleik Darty, who turned on the jets for his second TD of the night. Phillips finished 17-of-19 passing for 354 yards and three TDs with an interception. Darty had three catches for 101 yards and two scores, and Dazawion Cooper hauled in four passes for 120 yards and a TD.
Phillips also ran for a score, as did Ralph Crabtree, who rushed 19 times for 107 yards. Liberty-Eylau finished with 511 yards of total offense, but it was the defense that made the biggest adjustments at halftime to blank Anna for the final two quarters.
The Coyotes were 0 for 4 on fourth-down tries, with three of those stops coming in the second half. Anna drove to the L-E 4 on its opening possession of the second half, but were stopped 2 yards shy of the first down marker. On its next drive, a sack on fourth down turned the ball over at the Leopard 28, and a fourth-and-1 resulted in no gain to give Liberty-Eylau the ball at midfield with 5:17 remaining. L-E ran out the clock from there. The Leopards scored on their first possession before being stopped three consecutive times, twice on turnovers. Down 10-7 after Josh Abara's 88-yard jaunt to the end zone for the Coyotes, Liberty-Eylau rallied to score on four straight drives in the sec-
ond quarter, building a 24-10 lead with 2:51 left in the half.
In the final 2:11, Anna scored twice and L-E once, the Leopards taking a 31-24 lead into the locker rooms after the Coyotes hit a 28-yard strike on the final play of the half.
Anna had 301 yards of total offense in the first half, and the Leopards had 300 yards.
Phillips ran for one score and threw two more for Liberty-Eylau, connecting on 12 of 14 passes for 189 yards with one interception. Crabtree had 13 carries for 86 yards before intermission and capped the opening possession with a 9-yard TD scamper just 1:37 into the game.
The Coyotes responded with an 11-play drive covering 61 yards, Gustavo Martinez booting a 25-yard field goal. On the third play of the ensuing L-E drive, Aaron Lee picked off a pass at the Anna 19.
The teams traded punts, and Abara broke free on his first carry, scoring from 88 yards out for the Coyotes.
The next Liberty-Eylau drive ended on a fumble, recovered by Tyler Sparks for Anna, but the Leopard defense forced a three-and-out.
Crabtree raced 52 yards on the second play to help set up Phillips' 1-yard TD run. The Coyotes fumbled on their second play, Shannon Roy recovering the loose ball at the L-E 37.
On the fourth play, Phillips found Cooper for a 50-yard strike, and following another three-and-out by the Coyotes, the Leopards marched 69 yards in six plays, Steven Goben booting a 23-yard field goal to make it 24-10 with 2:51 left in the second.
Lee raced 60 yards on the second play for an Anna touchdown, and Darty finished off the Leopards' 8-play, 61-yard drive with his 9-yard scoring reception from Phillips.
Abara rushed for 49 yards on three carries to set up the 28-yard strike from Keelan Crosby to Noah Palshaw.
Abara finished with 165 yards rushing in the game, and Lee added 135 to help the Coyotes roll up 419 yards on the ground.