In the history of the OHSAA playoffs, two teams from Lake County have never won a state championship in the same season.

That streak ended on Saturday afternoon, when Perry joined Kirtland in the winner’s circle with a thrilling 21-14 victory that came down to the final play.

First Quarter Fireworks

Despite not having 1,000-yard rusher Jayden Studio in the backfield, quarterback Walter Moses and the Perry offense came out firing on all cylinders.

Moses completed three passes for 127 yards in the first quarter, including a 42-yard touchdown pass to Luke Sivon at the 4:51 mark to give Perry a 7-0 lead.

Despite out-gaining Liberty Center 161-14 in the quarter, the Tigers kept the deficit at one score thanks to a three-and-out and a fumble recovery deep in their own territory.

Liberty Center Slowly Climbs Back

Trailing 7-0, Liberty Center tortured Perry with a 13 play, 80 yard drive that took over eight minutes off of the second quarter clock.

The drive would end when Trenton Kruse escaped a plethora of Perry tacklers for a 33-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 7-7.

Starting the third quarter in a tie game, Liberty Center would drive down and take the lead on a 4-yard touchdown pass from Landon Amstutz to Colton Kruse.

Perry Turns To Richards

With the offense struggling and momentum shifting towards Liberty Center, Perry turned to do-it-all senior Brayden Richards to take snaps during the third quarter.

Richards’ first play under center was a screen pass to Sivon, who went 37 yards for his second touchdown of the game to tie the score at 14.

Richards, who made several big plays at receiver and on defense, is also a star athlete in both basketball and track-and-field.

It was evident how explosive of an athlete he can be when he broke free for a 60-yard touchdown run. The score was his second of the third quarter, and it put the Pirates in front 21-14.

A Thrilling Finish

Both defenses stepped up early in the fourth quarter, as neither team was able to find the end zone.

With starting quarterback Walter Moses back in the driver’s seat, Perry was able to piece together a strong drive.

However, Liberty Center came up with a big stop to take back possession at its own 23 with just 3:23 remaining in regulation.

The Tigers aren’t a team that likes to pass much, but they were able to do so successfully with the game on the line, working to the Perry 22.

However, that’s as far as they would get, as Perry broke up four consecutive passes to escape with the state title, 21-14.

Liberty Center, who was in search of its first state title since 1997, struggled to adjust to the explosive Richards during the third quarter.

Once they did, it was too late, as Perry took the lead and never looked back.

Link To Final Stats: https://ohsaaweb.blob.core.windows.net/files/Sports/Football/2023/PerryLibertyCenterGameBook.pdf