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After falling in the first game of the three team tiebreaker to Mercer Island, Liberty (8-2) bounced back to defeat Inglemoor (7-2) in the second tiebreaker match up 21-3 on Oct. 27 at Issaquah High School.
The Patriots showed incredible resilience according to head coach Steve Valach following the emphatic win over Inglemoor to clinch a week 10 playoff game for the Patriots.
“With this group of kids there is a really mental toughness, that was the real ultimate test of mental toughness,” Valach said.
Liberty was down to their last opportunity to grab the final 3A KingCo playoff spot. Entering the tiebreaker, just two teams were able to move on. Liberty lost the first opportunity in overtime at the hands of Mercer Island 10-7, 20:00 minutes before.
Then came the second chance, the final two, 12:00 minute quarters of the tiebreaker against Inglemoor. The Patriots had played the Vikings in their final league game back on Oct. 24 and fell 10-3.
But on a chilly Tuesday night, the Patriots needed just two quarters and scored 21 points to punch their ticket to the postseason.
Inglemoor went up 3-0 on their first drive but Liberty responded with a quarterback sneak from Colton Hollerbach to take a lead they would never surrender at, 7-3. The senior quarterback was thrust into the starting spot following an injury to freshman quarterback Myles Motley against Inglemoor. But the senior stepped in and stepped up and sent his team to the playoffs.
Junior defensive back and wide receiver Danny Grabowski had a redemption arc of his own as well. He had a critical fumble against Mercer Island in game one before flipping the Inglemoor game on its head. His response came in the second game with an interception returned for a touchdown to extend Liberty’s lead to 14-3.
“To come out and make a pick six like that was unbelievable,” Valach said.
Liberty scored another touchdown in the final moments of the fourth quarter and got a stop in the final minute of the game. Liberty will play a week 10 playoff game against a team to be announced later.
