There isn't much more that Jason Roeder could think of when talking about this weekend's rivalry tilt against Liberty. The Freedom head coach knows what's at stake for both teams, but isn't worried about what a loss could do for his district seeding or how a victory by Liberty could punch them into the 4A postseason.

For Roeder, it's all about beating Liberty and letting everything else fall into place.

"To be honest, we aren't really thinking about all the other stuff that comes with this game," he said. "We just want to prepare for this final game because we know how important it is to everyone in our community. It wouldn't matter what the records are or what's at stake. All that matters is getting a win on Saturday."

Kickoff is scheduled for 2pm Saturday afternoon at Frank Banko Field in a contest that will help and hurt both of the teams involved.

A Freedom victory could help their seed heading into next week's subregional playoffs, while a loss could drop them to as low as seventh in the seedings. A Liberty win, paired with a Pleasant Valley loss, should push the Hurricanes into the subregional postseason as well.

The Patriots (7-2) have dropped two straight games since losing quarterback Joe Young to a season-ending hip injury in their week seven win over Whitehall, as Easton (9-0) got the best of Freedom last week during a 47-27 victory.

However, the Patriots could have gotten a glimpse of what life after Joe Young could become, as quarterback Jonah Gundrum has been gaining grasp of the offense.

Gundrum was an efficient 11-of-22 for 155 yards and three touchdowns in the air last week, as well as tossing a fourth quarter interception. He also ran for 79 yards and two scores to give Roeder confidence about the transition the team had to make following Young's injury.

That should pay dividends moving forward, as the Patriots look to avenge last year's 25-7 defeat to the Hurricanes.

"Last week was the first time Jonah had a full week of practice under center, so it helped," said Roeder. "Now, he's going to have another week under his belt and we hope it helps him even more

Liberty (5-4) kept their playoff hopes alive with a 35-28 win over Central Catholic at home last week, as running back Ryan Lawrence rushed for 257 yards and two touchdowns to help propel the 'Canes to victory.

Head coach John Truby knew it was an important win for his team heading into a monumental weekend clash in the coming days.

"I don't know how much bigger you can get than Liberty-Freedom, especially with what it means for us having a chance to get into districts," Truby said. "We just need to have a good week of practice and be ready for them because Freedom is a good team.

"It's huge for us and it's huge for them too. We both want to beat each other and it should be a great game."

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