Huron falls at top-seeded Liberty Center

LIBERTY CENTER — As if traveling 90 miles to get to Liberty Center wasn't enough of a headache, Huron found out the hard way just how good its opponent was, falling, 41-7 in a Division V quarterfinal matchup Friday night at Rex Lingruen Stadium. LC, the second-ranked team in Ohio and top seed in Region 18, imposed its will on the Huron defense from the outset, driving 80 yards in six plays on the game's first drive, going ahead 6-0 when Colton Kruse scored on a 53-yard touchdown run. Ian Rosebrook kicked the first of five extra points to push the lead to seven points, and LC, which has won every game except for one by more than 28 points, never looked back. On the touchdown, Kruse ran a sweep to the left, cut it back and ran down the middle of the field untouched to paydirt. Huron's first drive stalled at its 48-yard line, and it had to punt. LC methodically worked its way down the field again, covering 85 yards in 12 plays, scoring on a 1-yard touchdown run by Kruse. Kruse ran for 30 yards on the drive while his fellow triplet, Trenton, covered 14 yards on the ground. Huron (8-4) failed to get anything going on offense in the second quarter while LC (12-0) continued to ground and pound, moving the ball 80 yards on its next scoring drive to make it 21-0 when Trenton Kruse scored on a 14-yard run, and the lead was pushed to 28 points after Waylon Rentz ran for a 19-yard touchdown with four minutes remaining in the first half. On the ensuing drive, Huron, seeded eighth in the region, moved the ball from its 20 to the LC 42, but the drive ended after an incompletion on fourth down. LC, which won a regional championship last season, took a 28-0 lead into the half. LC rushed for a total of 350 yards. "We've struggled against the run," said Huron coach Sam Hohler. "That's a nice team. They have some big linemen, they're physical and their backs are good. We tried to limit their big plays. They just have a heck of a team." Colton Kruse ran for a 41-yard touchdown in the third quarter and had a 10-yard run for another score in the fourth to make it 41-0. Kruse carried the ball 14 times for 196 yards and four touchdowns and Trenton Kruse had 10 carries for 86 yards and a score. Beau Harkelroad was responsible for Huron's only points of the game, which came on a 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Huron was held to 75 yards of total offense. "Their defense is really good, they're pretty special," said Hohler. "They held us to seven points, and that came on a kickoff return." It was the final game for 16 Huron seniors. "I'm proud of our kids, especially the seniors. I'm very proud of our program and where we're headed," said Hohler. "We have 16 seniors, and some were starters for three years. They did a great job leading the team. We lost some good seniors last year, and they filled (that void)." Huron's four losses came to teams with a combined record of 40-7. The Tigers' first loss was to Genoa, 21-20, but they got revenge on the Comets by beating them 28-21 in the first round last week. The other losses came to teams that are still in the postseason.Huron 0 0 0 0 — 7Liberty Center 14 14 7 6 — 41LC — Colton Kruse 53 run (Ian Rosebrook kick)LC — Colton Kruse 1 run (Rosebrook kick)LC — Trenton Kruse 14 run (Rosebrook kick)LC — Waylon Rentz 12 run (Rosebrook kick)LC — Colton Kruse 41 run (Rosebrook kick)LC — Colton Kruse 10 run (kick failed)H — Beau Harkelroad 90 kickoff return (Cameron Manner kick)