Streaks avenge loss

By RANDY ROBERTS

Expositor Sports Writer

LIBERTY CENTER - The Archbold Blue Streaks snapped a long losing streak on Saturday when they took out the Liberty Center Tigers 26-6 for their first win at Tiger Stadium since 1989.

The win in the Division V regional quarterfinal took some sting out of a matchup from a week before, where the Streaks led at the half but settled for a heartbreaking loss.

Again, the Streaks led by 14 at the half, but the difference was that Archbold kept their foot on the gas in the second half and kept the pressure on in the second half.

It took a strange bounce to get Archbold on the board. A Streak punt bounced down the Tiger sideline and struck a Liberty player in the leg. Archbold recovered the ball and took over at the Tiger 26. From their it took just two plays to score as Jacob Fidler carried around the left side for 15 yards and into the endzone for a 7-0 lead.

The Streaks went up by two scores early in the second when quarterback David Rupp finished off a 76-yard 8-play drive with a sneak.

The Tigers came back and scored their only points of the night when Jake Elling ran right up the middle and raced 60 yards to score with five minutes left in the half.

Archbold then came back and used up all but 10 seconds of the clock to damage the hopes of the Tigers. Rupp again snuck in from two yards out as Archbold took a lead of 20-6 at the half.

While Archbold only managed one more score in the second half, a 1-yard score by Rupp, they kept the ball for much of the second half and kept the Tiger offense off the field.

Price added two interceptions plus the Streaks blocked a field goal to keep the Tigers off the board.

Archbold finished with 165 yards on the ground. Fidler ran for 74 and Price added 72. Price was also 18 of 24 passing for 187 yards and two early interceptions. Liberty Center ran for 156 yards with Elling leading the way with 105 yards. They added 41 through the air on 4 of 12 passing.

The Streaks will meet Liberty-Benton on Saturday in a Division V regional semifinal doubleheader at Doyt Perry Stadium at Bowling Green at 7 p.m. The first contest will see Patrick Henry and Bucyrus Wynford play at 2 p.m.