Liberty High football coach Larry Luthe best summed Friday night’s thriller with South Carroll.

“Two evenly matched teams [and] we made one more play than they did,” Luthe said.

Actually, it was a couple. Liberty junior running back Seth Jacobs scored the decisive touchdown late in regulation and the Lions’ defense stopped 13th-ranked South Carroll in the final minute to preserve a 35-34 upset victory to gain first place in the Carroll County Athletic League.

“It’s like a bounce back,” Liberty linebacker Nico Marsicano said. “[We] know what happened last year. We were robbed of a victory and we were just like ‘That’s not happening again.’”

The Lions (5-2 overall, 4-0 CCAL) trailed 34-28 with under three minutes left in regulation, but Jacobs and senior quarterback Jack Pellicciotti refused to let Senior Night in Eldersburg end on a sour note.

Pellicciotti put his head down and barely picked up the first down near midfield on a fourth-and-one with 1:30 to go. On the next play, Pellicciotti (158 yards passing) found senior wideout Sam Evans to put the ball at the Cavaliers’ 20-yard line with a minute left.

“We executed at a very high level tonight,” Pellicciotti said. “Credit goes to our [coaches]. They know exactly what they are doing, and they come from coaching a college offense. They trust us to know what we are doing and just go out there and win.”

On the next play, Jacobs found an opening in the South Carroll defense and broke a few tackles as he rumbled for a touchdown that tied the game at 34. Senior kicker Austin Cirri remained composed after several offsides penalties by South Carroll and converted the extra point to give Liberty a 35-34 edge.

“That was unbelievable,” said Jacobs, who rushed for 110 yards on 17 carries and the four scores. “The offensive line blocked really well. The linemen [said] to trust the holes and go where you are supposed to and it will work. It worked really well.”

South Carroll (6-1, 3-1 CCAL) got the ball with 53 seconds left and drove to midfield. The Lions’ defense forced three incompletions from South Carroll quarterback Carter Mazalewski, including on fourth down, to preserve the victory.

Last season, Liberty had the lead against South Carroll with 1:30 left in the game, but the Cavaliers rallied for 28-23 victory en route to the CCAL championship and an appearance in the Class 2A/1A state final.

It was a different story Friday.

Last week, Liberty failed to convert inside the red zone in the final seconds in a loss at Frederick County’s Brunswick.

“We haven’t been able to finish it, but we were able to finish it this week,” Luthe said, referencing Liberty’s inability to close out in their two losses this season. “I was really happy for the kids – really exciting. Senior Night, they will have something to remember for a while.”

The game, matching the only unbeatens in CCAL play, was a back-and-forth affair Friday. On the first play from scrimmage, South Carroll senior running back A.J. Rodrigues connected on a halfback pass with Jackson Strzelczyk (four receptions, 91 yards) for a 61-yard score.

Liberty responded with a 67-yard TD pass from Pellicciotti to Phil Sackett, but the Cavs answered with two touchdowns from Rodrigues to take a 19-7 lead after one quarter.

Rodrigues was sensational again for the Cavaliers, accounting for 164 yards (103 rushing) four scores while also picking off Pellicciotti in the third quarter.

“AJ is a stud. Probably one of the best players in the state,” South Carrollcoach Mike Kraus said. “We have a couple of seniors on our team that have carried us a long way. I am proud of them. I’m proud of my team. They hung in there to the very end.”

Liberty’s defense was able to hold the Cavs’ offense down for the majority of the second and third quarters by swarming Rodrigues.

[Losing] is not something we are used to,” said Kraus, whose team also lost a fumble that stalled a drive. “We made a couple of mistakes and it ended up costing us.”

Back-to-back Jacobs touchdown runs, inclduing an eight-yarder with two minutes left in the first half, put Liberty up 21-19 at halftime. The Lions extended the lead to 28-19 after Jacobs’ one-yard plunge with five minutes remaining in the third.

South Carroll closed out the third quarter with a 31-yard touchdown from Nate Boore to set up the exhilarating final frame. Rodrigues broke free for a 59-yard touchdown run, and quarterback Carter Mazalewski’s two-point conversion run put the Cavaliers back up.

The Lions, however, would not be denied, putting them in the driver’s seat for the Carroll County crown with two games left. South Carroll plays Westminster next week.

It was the first loss in 17 regular season decisions for South Carroll, dating back to the 2019 season.

“I told them to look at the scoreboard,” Kraus said when asked what he told his team after the loss. “We will see them again. The question becomes where we will see them. Even with this win tonight, they are not going to overtake us in the regional playoffs as far as where we stand. [If] they have to come to Parker Field, we will take our chances.”

LIBERTY 35, NO. 13 SOUTH CARROLL 34

South Carroll 19 0 7 7 - 34

Liberty 14 7 7 7 - 35

First quarter

South Carroll - Jackson Strzelczyk 61 pass from AJ Rodrigues (Ryan Carrado kick)

Liberty - Phillip Sackett 67 pass from Jack Pellicciotti (Austin Cirri kick)

South Carroll - Rodrigues 26 run (kick failed)

South Carroll – Rodrigues 29 run (conversion failed)

Liberty – Jacobs 22 run (Cirri kick)

Second quarter

Liberty - Jacobs 8 run (Cirri kick)

Third quarter

Liberty - Jacobs 1 run (Cirri kick)

South Carroll – Nate Boore 31 run (Carrado kick)

Fourth quarter

South Carroll – Rodrigues 59 run (Carter Mazalewski run)

Liberty – Jacobs 10 run (Cirri kick)