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Defense wins championships and it doesn't hurt to have a formidable offense either.

Liberty (Bakersfield) used its stout defense to pester Pittsburg quarterback Jaden Rashada all night en route to a 48-20 win over the Pirates in the CIF Division 1-A finals at Saddleback College. Kresean Kizzy had a state finals to remember, becoming the first player with touchdowns on special teams, offense and defense in a title contest.

Meanwhile, Dylan Delgado had four of the five Liberty sacks in the first half and Grant Buckey and the rest of the defensive line made life miserable for the Pirates, taking a 27-6 lead into intermission.

Rashada, headed to Florida, threw a pick-6 to Kizzy on the game's opening drive, returning the wayward pass 48 yards for a 7-0 less than 90 seconds into the game.

Pittsburg's offense sputtered in the next two drives before a Rashada pass to Card set up a first and goal toward the end of the quarter. ...

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