It was two dramatic finishes for Liberty and Freedom last weekend, but both teams endured different results.

The Patriots (5-4) clinched a playoff berth with their 38-35 comeback win over Bethlehem Catholic Saturday night, while Liberty (3-6) saw Nazareth kicker Matt Bugbee drill a 33-yard field goal as time expired Friday night to give the Blue Eagles a 30-27 victory.

The loss puts Liberty on the outside looking in of the District 11 6A playoff race, entering the week in ninth place out of the eight team race.

Freedom’s victory sky rockets their confidence and momentum heading into this Saturday’s 1 p.m. showdown with Liberty at Bethlehem Area School District Stadium, as the Pates look to win their fourth straight game in the series, as well as win the city championship, all while Liberty needs to win to qualify for districts.

It’s exactly how a week 10 showdown between city rivals should unfold.

“This week is a game of itself,” said Freedom coach Jason Roeder. “The passion, enthusiasm and excitement for this game is unmatched. It’s an opportunity for the city to enjoy a great rivalry game.”

After seeing his team battle with Bethlehem Catholic last week and come away with an emotional win, the Pates need to do it again this week to potentially improve their current sixth seed in the District 11 6A race.

Sophomore quarterback Jared Jenkins was a major reason for Freedom being able to pull out the win over Becahi, throwing for 335 yards and three touchdowns, along with a rushing TD. His final TD drive of the night went 85 yards on seven plays, capped by a 27-yard scoring strike to Kyree Marshburn. The quick scoring drive lasted only 2:13, which is way more time than Nazareth needed to punch their postseason ticket in last week’s victory.

After Liberty evened the game at 27 apiece following a 6-yard TD run by Todd Erney, along with a two-point conversion run by Erney with 30 seconds left in the fourth quarter, the Blue Eagles wasted no time putting themselves in position for the win.

Quarterback Anthony Harris hit Zac Kiefer on a 40-yard bomb down the sideline on Nazareth’s first play from scrimmage to set themselves up at the Liberty 25.

Bugbee then nailed his third field goal of the night for the demoralizing defeat.

“That’s a tough loss and I give our kids credit for battling back, but you can’t keep making little mental mistakes and expect to win close games like this,” said Liberty coach John Truby. “If we want any shot of getting into districts, the Freedom game is a must-win. It’s a big game for both programs.”

Freedom won last year’s contest 34-0, but Liberty was without Erney in that game. Liberty running back Nasir Legree continues to have a stellar season, as he ran 45 times for 269 yards and two touchdowns against Nazareth.

Roeder knows Legree will be a focal point heading into Saturday’s showdown, but that his team has to be ready for anything against a desperate Liberty squad.

“We have to stop their run game,” Roeder said. “Legree is a talented kid and they have a line that can block. They bring tremendous effort to this game and having a playoff spot on the line is just another motivating factor for them.”