Lions Look To Light Up Liberty Tech
After a dominating performance against White House-Heritage, CPA welcomes undefeated Liberty Tech into the Den with a return trip to Cookeville on the line. The Lions are one win away from a chance at defending their state championship.
The Lions offense has put points with their balance. Mr. Football finalist Zack Weatherly has completed 65% for nearly 2,000 yards and 23 touchdowns on this season. Against Heritage, Weatherly went 10 of 14 for 186 yards with 3 touchdowns. Weatherly’s favorite target both on the season and last week was Price Perdue. Against the Patriots, Perdue had four catches for 123 yards and 2 touchdowns. This season, Perdue has 36 catches for 767 yards and 9 touchdowns. CPA’s run game has been led by powerful running back Chip Omer. Omer has run for 1,284 yards and 13 touchdowns. Weatherly has added 305 yards and 8 touchdowns on the ground. CPA’s offense must prepare for a stout Crusader defense. Liberty Tech’s defense has held opponents to 9 points per game, including 5 shutouts. Over the past 6 games, the Crusaders have given up only 13 points.
On defense, CPA has forced teams into making mistakes and made timely stops. The Lions defense has forced 33 turnovers through 13 games in holding opponents to 15.6 points per game. In last week’s game, CPA stopped Heritage twice inside the five-yard line on fourth down. Also against the Patriots, the Lions forced 4 Heritage turnovers, including a 61-yard pick six by the Lions’ leading tackler John Orr. Orr leads the team with 96 total tackles. Defensive lineman Cole Smith has been a disruptive force up front with 10 tackles for loss this season. CPA will need every bit of disruption they can muster against a Liberty Tech offense that has averaged 36.6 points per game. Even when the Crusader defense has struggled, Liberty Tech’s offense scored enough to bail out their defense. Outside a 2-point victory over Dyersburg, their next closest margin of victory has been 17 points.
This game looks to be the toughest test for the defending champions this postseason. Liberty Tech has been a runaway train through the playoffs, outscoring their opponents 100-7 through the first three rounds. CPA has been dominant through the playoffs, outscoring opponents 127-33 through the first three rounds. If the Lions want to return to Cookeville, they have to play a top-notch game against one of the state’s best teams.
