The defending Open Division champion Chandler manhandled last season’s 6A champion Peoria Liberty, 44-10, on the latter’s team’s home field Friday night. 

The Wolves extended their winning streak to 27 games, a string that began Aug. 24, 2018, against Queen Creek.

This Arizona high school football season-opening clash of the titans quickly became a bash of the Lions on their Senior Night nearly halfway through in the second quarter.

The Wolves lived up to their profile as USA Today’s No. 6 nationally-ranked team using their elite speed and physicality as it led the Lions at halftime, 23-0,

“I don’t think they were intimidated at all,” Liberty head coach Colin Thomas said about his team facing the Wolves. “(Chandler) was just better. We gotta be better in a couple areas of the game. They’re a really good football team.”

Chandler junior and one of the state’s top wide receiver Kyion Graves scored the game’s first touchdown as he caught a 43-yard bomb on his initial reception from quarterback Mikey Keene (14-for-23, 204 yards, 5 TDs passes) nearly four minutes into the first quarter. Senior Nicholas Nesbitt ran in for their second TD less than two minutes later, missed the extra point and kicked a 31-yard field goal to go up, 16-0.

By the second quarter, Liberty looked frazzled. On 4th & 1 at Liberty’s own 42, the Lions turned the ball over on downs after getting denied on the run by Chandler. That put them in field position for Chandler senior running back Eli Sanders to eventually scores a two-yard TD run.

“I thought we played really good defense tonight. Offense was sporadic but you can see the firepower and the speed at the receiver spots and the capabilities of Mikey (Keene) going vertical,” Chandler head coach Rick Garretson said. 

Chandler piled on their point total in the second half as Liberty’s offense continued to struggle.

“It was just the way their safeties played. We just came back to the sidelines and said we had it, and we had it. We kept going at them,” Graves said. “I was expecting a good game, a great game, and it was kind of underwhelming to me. But they did come out and play hard and played physical and I gotta give it up to them at the end of the day.”

But the Lions were given plenty of opportunities down the field as Chandler racked up 12 penalties that accounted for 81 yards. Liberty quarterback Brock Mast couldn’t connect (17-for-32, 111 yards, 1 TD) with his receiver well, neither throwing nor rushing for a touchdown or even yardage for the game. 

“That’s just guys being overzealous. I know one thing: our guys run to the ball and they’re physical and that’s all I asked them to do,” Garretson said. “As long as they’re doing that, then we were good. There are things at the end of the game against our second and third team, and our second team is a bunch of good football players as well, so it was great that everybody got to play. That’s what I’m really happy about.”

Liberty got its only TD in the third quarter when Mast threw a post to senior tight end Sam Wolfer on a first down just under 7:30 min left in the fourth quarter.

Standout performers

Arizona commit Kyion Graves dominated the game snaring five receptions for 131 yards and a game-high 4 TDs for Chandler. Also for the Wolves, Eli Sanders rushed for 139 yards on 22 carries. 

Highlights of the game

Graves caught his first and final TD passes for 43 and 35 yards respectively in the first and fourth quarter.

Quote of the game

“It was different tonight. Anybody that says it wasn’t, it was. From the pandemic time, there really hasn’t been competition. It’s just a little bit different when you’re not having that many people in the stands. I think and I hope that as each week goes along that things will change a little bit with the numbers going down in Arizona. But it was awesome to be out here, though.” — Chandler head coach Rick Garretson.

Up next

Chandler plays its first home game of the season against Phoenix Pinnacle, which kicks off at 7 p.m. Oct. 9. Liberty travels to Mesa Red Mountain on the same date and kickoff time for a rematch of last season’s 6A championship game. 

Have tips for us? Reach the reporter at [email protected] or at 480-486-4721. Follow his Twitter @iam_DanaScott.

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