Liberty runs past Bishop Gorman in flag football — PHOTOS

Freshman quarterback Charli Taylor passed for five touchdowns as Liberty’s flag football team rolled to its seventh consecutive victory Friday night, defeating host Bishop Gorman 36-24.

The Patriots (10-2, 3-0 Class 5A) shook off a slow start, as the offense came alive in the second half against the Gaels (9-4, 1-2). Taylor was the catalyst for Liberty, finishing 30-for-39 passing for 284 yards and the five scores.

“We had a rough start with a lot of mistakes, but they settled down in the second half and played Liberty football,” Patriots coach Al Tucay said. “I think the girls played well — they responded.”

Liberty is catching fire at the perfect time. After a Dec. 6 loss to Shadow Ridge, the Patriots have outscored opponents 293-56 during the current win streak.

To keep that run going, Liberty had to overcome a powerful Gorman offense, led by elusive senior quarterback Avery Reed.

Reed got the Gaels on the board first, connecting with senior receiver Olivia Cobell on a 53-yard touchdown pass to give Gorman a 6-0 lead. Cobell battled a Liberty defender for a contested catch, bobbling the ball a couple times before securing it and running about 20 yards to the end zone.

On the next drive, sophomore wide receiver Trishelle Tucay caught a pass from Taylor and sprinted for a long touchdown. A two-point conversion gave the Patriots an 8-6 lead.

Gorman responded midway through the second quarter on a 3-yard pass from Reed to freshman wideout Malia Browner to put the Gaels up 12-8. Liberty tried to score once more just seconds before halftime, but Gorman senior defensive back Sienna Gostanian snagged a touchdown-saving interception in the end zone.

From there, the Patriots made adjustments and Taylor got in a groove. She connected with sophomore wideouts Siaosina Leau and Rocsi Bitanga for third quarter scores, putting Liberty ahead 22-12 and giving the Patriots a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

Gorman scored on the opening play of the fourth quarter, on a 10-yard pass from Reed to senior receiver Preseah Williams to cut the deficit to 22-18. But two more Patriot touchdown passes by Taylor — to Leau and senior WR Aniyah Dela Cruz — put the game out of reach.

The Gaels reached paydirt once more with 39 seconds remaining in the game on another Reed-to-Cobell touchdown. Reed went 18-for-37 passing for 272 yards and four touchdowns, with two interceptions.

Trishelle Tucay hauled in seven catches for a team-high 101 yards and a touchdown for Liberty.