'Canes pull away in third quarter

FROM KEITH GROLLER

In back-to-back losses to Nazareth and Whitehall, Liberty had given up 77 points and had been "pushed around" in the words of Hurricanes coachDave Brown.

But after giving up a Parkland touchdown early in the second half on Friday night in Orefield, Liberty decided to push back — in a big way.

Trailing 21-14, the 'Canes erupted for 21 unanswered points in the third quarter and used a determined defensive effort to hold off the Trojans for a much-needed 35-28 Lehigh Valley Conference victory.

Anthony Orlando had two interceptions that led to a pair of quick touchdowns in the pivotal third period as Liberty quickly erased Parkland's lead and took command of a back-and-forth, offensive-flavored game.

"The turnovers were the difference," Brown said. "Defensively, we still gave up some yards and some big plays. And we have still have to get better. But I think we ran and hit better than we have all year."

Orlando hit Parkland in the gut with his interceptions and runbacks that put Liberty in excellent scoring position.

The Trojans had fought back from first-half deficits of 7-0 and 14-7 and seemed in position to take command early in the third quarter with two touchdowns in the first two-and-a-half minutes after intermission.

First, Rob Dvoracek capped a quick scoring drive with his second TD run out of wildcat formation and then quarterback Tim Baranek got loose for a 43-yard scamper that electrified the large crowd.

Ahead by seven and with the ball, Parkland looked for a knockout blow.

Instead, Orlando turned the tables.

"It was just assignment football and everybody on defense did their jobs which made my job easy," said Orlando, the senior safety who is a son of former NFL defensive standout Bo Orlando. "I can't take the credit. These were all-around team plays."

One play after his first interception, Liberty struck for a tying touchdown on a 21-yard TD pass from Jim McCarthy to Michael Harris.

Before the quarter was through, McCarthy would score a pair of TDs himself on runs of 22 and 3 yards, the second coming right after another Orlando pick.

Orlando's brother, Joey, is a standout wide receiver at the University of New Hampshire. Anthony showcased a bright future as well with his playmaking ability.

"I got to show [Joey] what's up," Orlando said, smiling. "I've got to show him where the good side of the ball is."

Certainly, Liberty's defense showed a better side of itself as it buckled down late to preserve the victory.

Parkland did make it a one-touchdown game on Jarel Elder's 72-yard touchdown dash with 9:49 left, but the Trojans couldn't capitalize after recovering an onside kick and came up empty again on one final possession.

McCarthy then ran for a pair of first downs that killed the clock and kept Parkland's explosive offense off the field.

"Parkland's tough," Orlando said. "Dvoracek runs hard and Elder is tough, too. But our defense did the job. We knew we had to play a full four quarters just like we did at Glen Mills to start the season."

It was certainly an entertaining contest between the two longtime rivals who combined for five PIAA 4A state championship game appearances in the 2000s.

And the result left both teams 3-2 overall, 2-2 in the LVC at the halfway mark of the regular season.

But Liberty felt much better about how it reached the midway point.

"All games are big, but if we dropped this one, we would have been pretty much out of it," Brown said. "We had to win this one. We challenged our kids, and they certainly stepped up."

Parkland coach Jim Morgans will look for the same response from his kids.

"We've got to stop turning the ball over like that, especially against good football teams," Morgans said. Liberty's a good football team, but we're a good team, too. We scored 28 points tonight and still came up on the short end of the stick.

"We've got to find a way in big games, when it's tight and there's a lot of excitement going on, to just settle down. I am not going to point the finger at any kid. We've just got to stop playing so tight."

Liberty visits Emmaus next week while Parkland gets Allen.

"We've still got a lot of good football players on this team and there's a lot of football to be played," Morgans said. "I still think we're going to be all right."

http://www.mcall.com/sports/varsity/mc-liberty-parkland-football0930-20110930,0,5020895.story