Watching Saquon Barkley burst through the Liberty High School defense without anyone able to bring him down, let alone get a hand on him, it seemed he could have made it look easy even if they trotted out their 291-strong Grenadier band to help them.

The junior tailback finished with 211 yards on 14 carries, accounting for all of the Zephyrs' scores en route to their 28-19 win over the Hurricanes at Frank Banko field last Friday.

He scored on runs of 33, 41, 50 and 57 yards, leaving and exasperated 'Canes defense struggling to catch him from behind once he broke the first level. Of their 306 total yards, Barkley had 219, adding an 8-yard reception to his night.

His ability to find that sliver of daylight, and then kick into a second gear once he was in the open field, kept the Zephs in control even as Liberty maintained the pressure until the final gun.

"When I touch the ball, I just look for the holes the lineman create, and they do a great job of that," said Barkley who averaged over 15 yards a carry. "When they set the holes, I try to make the right decision, and I always want to make one or two guys miss, and if I do that, I can score a touchdown."

It was Barkley's second game over 100 yards rushing, and he's quickly emerging as one of the top backs in the LVC. With his breakaway speed and ability to cut on a dime, Barkley found the turf at Banko Field to his liking. He'll be back on that same surface next week as the Zephs return to take on Freedom.

While Barkley was the story of the night, head coach Brian Gilbert was focused on the underlying theme that materialized during their LVC opener. They persevered in a game that saw them up 21-6 at one point, surrendering two late touchdowns that gave Liberty hope as they were marching for another score before the final gun ended their drive.

"We didn't have a great week of practice, and I thought, thank goodness we got through this game," said Gilbert. "But that's got to be the biggest lesson that they learn. We will not have another week like that."

Gilbert said the players understood that preparation is essential and they realized that fact as soon as the game was over.

"They were happy with the W, but they weren't satisfied." said Gilbert. "They knew we played sloppy."

Gilbert also knows that every team in the conference will pose challenges and Liberty was their first test. The 'Canes finished with 283 total yards, the bulk of those coming via the pass as Douglas Erney was 23-40 for 219 yards.

"Each week's going to be a dog fight," said Gilbert. "I think all the teams from last year that were down, have improved. We saw that case tonight."

Gilbert also knew that Liberty would be prepared and excited to play at home to open league play. And with the talent they have, they were able to generate some problems for the Zephs offensively.

"When we were on offense, they just pressured us," said Gilbert. "And they spread it out on offense, using their skill all over the place."

The Zephs were 1-8 on third down conversions, underscoring their inability to sustain drives. They were also 0-2 in red zone opportunities.

Additionally, their special teams gave Liberty a short field to work with after kickoffs, an area that Gilbert said needs work. Fortunately, their shortcomings were offset by the nimble feet of Barkley.

"We just got enough big plays on offense to keep us ahead," said Gilbert.

Quarterback Jeff Charles finished the game 8-15 for 66 yards. He also rushed for 16 yards. Ryan Bonshak was solid as well, finishing with 15 yards on the ground, and catching three balls for 23 yards.

Conor Sullivan had two catches for 18 yards, and Darius Young hauled in a pass for 18 yards.

The game exposed some deficiencies throughout the course of the night, areas that they'll need to correct, said Barkley.

"We can't make mental mistakes," said Barkley who watched his team commit a crucial turnover late in the game that could have put the final nail in the coffin. "We also have to run the ball more, and wrap up when we tackle, and the special teams have to get a little bit better, and I have to improve myself as well."

The Zephs allowed Liberty to hang around, as Erney engineered a drive that culminated in a two-yard TD strike to K.J. Williams that cut the lead to 21-13 in the fourth quarter.

Still, the win pushes their record to 2-0, with the 'Canes victory representing a successful debut in Lehigh Conference action. The win also marks the second consecutive win over the school on Linden Street.

Winning their first LVC match-up is a good accomplishment but Barkley knows they have to improve if they want to keep on winning.

"We need to have good practices, and get focused on Freedom.," said Barkley. "Whatever we did today is in then past, and we'll focus on Freedom starting Sunday."

Gilbert said their game plan defensively was sound. They got a big interception from Bonshak who snagged the tipped pass off receiver K.J. Williams hands that put them deep in Liberty territory. They also had a number of crucial stops, most notably stuffing back Harvey House on a 3rd and 1 late in the third quarter.

Jacob Kerchner was a demon on defense all evening, registering six tackled, one of those for a loss. Darius Young, Jacob Buskirk and Bonshak each had five tackles, with Buskirk tossing in two tackles for losses.