When Liberty quarterback Elenoa Malu scored her second touchdown to put the Lions flag football team up 19-0 with three seconds left on the clock over Dublin High, Liberty head coach Matt Malzahn’s hat was immediately flipped backwards, he yelled in celebration toward his bench and the girls joined in on the party. Playoff pressure turned into playoff fun.

Advancing to the second round was all but certain before the first half was even over. The Lions’ 26-0 victory over Dublin was their seventh win in a row and the beginning of their hopeful postseason run after a 12-0 league record and an overall record of 18-1. 

The Liberty offense scored all 26 points. Alannah Lopez opened the scoring with a rushing touchdown to put the Lions up 6-0, Malu followed up with two rushing touchdowns of her own and closed the game with a touchdown pass to Anna Wright.

However, the Lions’ defense didn’t let Dublin come close to scoring. It is their third straight shutout. And since their 32-0 loss to California High on Oct. 2, they have given up only six points in seven games. 

Taylor Tate on Liberty is the pass rusher and on Tuesday night she was a punt returner as well. Her 50-yard punt return in which she ran sideways toward the Dublin sidelines, back toward her own bench and up the sidelines for a fourth-quarter touchdown was called back for an illegal block.

As a junior and a leader on the defense, she has been a major part of that shutdown defense for the last three weeks and what they can do moving forward in the playoffs.

“That’s just how you have to play the game,” Tate said. “It’s about us practicing more, working harder as a team and our communication made our defense better. I’m confident (playing on the road) because it doesn’t matter who we are going to play it’s about how we play.”

Malu has been a force for the Lions all year as a sophomore in her first year commanding the offense after her first season being on defense, and she is proud of the way both offense and defense played on Tuesday night. 

“I’m incredibly happy,” Malu said. “It’s the first round so there’s a lot of pressure right now. But even with all that pressure we’re still pushing past (it) and trying to have a good last run. I still miss it but they (the defense) are doing amazing, especially the interception and our punt return. Even if it didn’t count, it just shows the determination.”

The Lions as a third seed will play on the road at Las Lomas on Thursday for the second-round of the playoffs. The Lions will look to advance past the second-round since it was their loss in that same round to Heritage last season that ended their season after a 10-0 league record and 21-1 overall record prior to the defeat. 

“It’s a lot of pressure but we’re going to come together because we want it so bad,” Malu said. “I think it will come down to whoever wants it most. I put my trust in my offense and defense, and I think we’re going to do amazing. We really want to host this Thursday, but we’ll see how it goes.”

The Lions will play at Los Lomas against San Ramon Valley on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.