Eagles Top Falcons To Win Annual Bird Bowl
BEALETON, VA - The 14th annual Bird Bowl saw the Eagles win their 5th straight bowl as they outscored the high flying Falcons 33-27. Liberty now leads the overall series 10-4 with Friday night's big win.
Liberty finished up the 2007 season 7-3 overall and 6-1 in the Cedar Run District. Liberty got on the board first with a 16 yard touchdown run from Junior Corey Lillard. On the Eagles next possession Mark Simpson burst through the middle of the line and sprinted for a 70 yard score.
Fauquier senior running back Brock Womack scored two touchdowns in the first 5 minutes of the second quarter to pull the Falcons within one point at 14-13. That's where the score would stand until the 4th quarter when Dustin West rumbled up the middle of the field for a 52 yard touchdown run with 8:50 to go in the game.
Liberty got in the end zone again 19 seconds later. After Sam Ball-Whitfield returned a Kyle Neumann pass to the Falcon 45, Coach Tommy Buzzo called timeout and drew up the perfect play. Wayne Conner hit Derrick Lee in stride on a 45 yard bomb to put the Eagles up 26-13.
With 5:42 to go in the game Mark Simpson put the icing on the cake with a 60 yard touchdown run to put the Eagles up 33-13. Mark Simpson's last game as an Eagle was his best as he helped the Eagles amass 325 yards on the ground. Simpson finished the night with 207 yards on 21 carries.
Fauquier junior quarterback Kyle Neumann threw a pair of 9 yard touchdown passes. His first went to Pete Kidwell with 4:07 to go in the 4th quarter to make it 33-20. His second touchdown was caught by junior Brandon Thompson with 33 seconds left in the game to make it 33-27.
Fauquier would attempt an onside kick that would result in a penalty after Sam Ball-Whitfield called for a fair catch and was then hit by a Falcon before he had a chance to field the kick. Liberty would take over, kneel the ball and call it a year. It was a good year for Coach Buzzo and the Eagles. To go 7-3 in the team's first year at AAA says a lot about the program and the desire of all of Eagles.
