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On the run: Ground game gives The Colony win over Liberty
BY CHRIS O'DELL, codell@starlocalnews.com
FRISCO -- The Colony won last week's game against Woodrow Wilson despite failing to complete a single pass in four attempts.
The Cougars only threw two times Friday night against Frisco Liberty, but dominated on the ground to earn a 34-13 victory from Frisco ISD Memorial Stadium.
"We just tried to put our offense in situations to succeed," said Rudy Rangel, The Colony head coach.
"[Chandler] is a great operator," Rangel said. "He runs about 50 percent of our offense from under center."
It was The Colony's rushing attack that did most of the damage though, racking up 368 yards on 57 carries.
"[The Colony] has the mentality to run down hill and come right at you," said Galen Zimmerman, Liberty head coach. "They have good kids to run that system and good athletes to hand the ball to."
After recovering a fumble on Liberty's opening drive of the game, it was junior Phillip Albracht that got The Colony on the board first. Albracht sprinted 16 yards for a touchdown at the 3:31 mark of the first quarter to put his team ahead 7-0.
"Our goal is to get 3.5 yards each play," Rangel said. "Everything else is just bonus."
The Cougars consistently found holes for more than 3.5 yards, averaging 6.46 yards per carry on the night.
Despite that success on the ground, the Redhawks eventually tied the game on a 9-yard run from senior running back Alonte Ryan on the first play of the second quarter.
The play capped a 55-yard drive after a fumble in The Colony territory stalled Liberty's opening drive.
The Cougars answered right back with a 47-yard scamper from junior running back Mahlieke Boseman just two minutes later that allowed The Colony to recapture its lead at the 9:50 mark of the quarter.
With a chance to tie the game before halftime, the Redhawks marched into The Colony territory late in the quarter before having their drive end at the 35-yard line with a turnover on downs.
"We had some opportunities," Zimmerman said. "We just have to do a better job of finishing drives."
The Colony made Liberty pay for the failed attempt and marched 65 yards for another touchdown. It was senior fullback Trevor Briggs that completed the drive after breaking free for a 25-yard touchdown run.
"That type of system controls the clock and limits turnovers," Zimmerman said. "They did a good job of executing it tonight."
Liberty couldn't get anything going on its final possession of the half and took a 21-7 deficit into the locker room.
The Redhawks got a change in momentum on the opening kickoff of the second half when a pooch kick was recovered at The Colony 29-yard line, giving Liberty a shortened field to start the third quarter.
"We try to mix that in and do different things," Zimmerman said. "We've got a good kicker to do that."
It didn't take long for Liberty to capitalize on the field position, as junior quarterback Connor Robison hit senior receiver Garrett Turnbull in the back of the end zone for a 14-yard touchdown strike.
The score made it a 21-13 affair after the Redhawks failed to convert the extra point.
Liberty would have trouble finding any more success at the offensive end though, as The Colony held the Redhawks scoreless over the final 21-plus minutes.
"I'm excited about the pressure we finally got on the quarterback," Rangel said.
Robison completed 6-of-11 attempts for 58 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions in the game.
"I felt like [Robison] did a good job of managing the game," Zimmerman said. "When he had time, he did a good job."
It was the failure of Liberty's ground attack that ultimately gave the Redhawks trouble on offense. Ryan became the only Liberty rusher to finish with more than two yards and ended the game with just 30 yards and one touchdown on 11 carries.
That inability allowed The Colony to widen its lead late in the third quarter when Chandler threw a deep ball to Nelson for a 47-yard touchdown.
The 28-13 lead would only get larger in the fourth, with junior running back Bryan Hammond adding a 2-yard touchdown run with 7:09 left in the game to push the score to 34-13.
Hammond finished with a game-high 105 yards and one touchdown on 19 carries. Briggs added 88 yards and a score on 10 carries while Boseman became the third Cougar with more than 80 yards after getting nine carries for 83 yards and a touchdown.
The victory improves The Colony to 3-1 on the season with a Friday night matchup against Frisco next in line.
"There is no breathing or sleeping in this district," Rangel said.
Liberty fell to 2-2 with the loss and will now look to rebound with a 7 p.m. road game against Little Elm the same day.
"All games in our district are important," Zimmerman said. "Everybody is pretty good and Little Elm is another good team."
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