PEORIA, Arizona, Aug. 28 — Arizona's defending AIA Open Division champion Liberty [Peoria, AZ] Lions defeated the Mountain View [Mesa, AZ] Toros, 37-0, Thursday night in the 2025 season opener.
The Thursday night contest saw the No. 24 Lions overwhelm a Toros' team they also beat in a 49-20 blowout during the 2024 regular season. Liberty went on to win the state championship in the Open Division while Mountain View advanced to the state championship game of the AIA's Class 6A. The Toros lost there, 31-21, to the Centennial [Peoria, AZ] Coyotes.
In Thursday night's action, Liberty got on the board first with a safety, and led just 2-0 after the first quarter. But it would end up being all they needed despite three second-quarter touchdowns that stretched the lead to 23-0 at halftime.
Two more third-quarter touchdowns sealed the deal and invoked the running clock rule in the fourth quarter.
Next up for Liberty is a trip to face tbe No. 21 Corner Canyon [Draper, UT] Chargers, the top team in Utah. That game is scheduled for next Friday night, September 5, at Corner Canyon's home field.
Mountain View will also play next Friday with the Toros' home opener scheduled against the hometown rival Mesa [AZ] Jackrabbits.
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STREAM: Watch No. 24 Liberty [Peoria, AZ] vs. Mountain View [Mesa, AZ]
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Refresh for updates
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FINAL: LIBERTY 37, MOUNTAIN VIEW 0
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|| THIRD QUARTER ||
It's been all Liberty tonight in Peoria, Arizona. They add another third-quarter touchdown, and this game has been out of reach for awhile.
End of 3rd Qtr — LIBERTY 37, MOUNTAIN VIEW 0
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Liberty scores quickly to start the third quarter, and this one is about over.
3rd Qtr — LIBERTY 30, MOUNTAIN VIEW 0
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|| SECOND QUARTER ||
Liberty adds another touchdown before the break, and Mountain View is facing a big deficit heading into the second half.
Halftime — LIBERTY 23, MOUNTAIN VIEW 0
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Jayden Sanchez adds another score on the ground for the Lions as they start to pull away.
2nd Qtr — LIBERTY 16, MOUNTAIN VIEW 0
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Liberty's offense finally gets a score of its own.
2nd Qtr — LIBERTY 9, MOUNTAIN VIEW 0
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We're under way in the second quarter.
|| FIRST QUARTER ||
The first quarter ends in a defensive struggle so far.
End of 1st Qtr — LIBERTY 2, MOUNTAIN VIEW 0
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Liberty's first score of the 2025 season is a safety. They lead Mountain View early.
1st Qtr — LIBERTY 2, MOUNTAIN VIEW 0
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TOP 25 AND THE GAME OF THE WEEK ...
While you're getting ready for tonight's big game, get yourself up to speed on the preseason edition of The Sporting News High School Football Top 25.
Then check out Last week's Top 25 Roundup to see how the rest of our Top 25 fared in National Week 2.
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OUR PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA TEAMS ...
Finally, don't miss out on The Sporting News Preseason All-American Teams that just debuted today!
The Sporting News High School Preseason All-American Offense 2025
The Sporting News High School Preseason All-American Defense 2025
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We'll check back in here in a while with a look at some more storylines and an update on the weather.
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