Michael Yero is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Basha High School for AZPreps365.

The month of October is set to reveal which teams can compete at the highest level of Arizona football.

Basha learned the hard way Friday night, losing, 35-7, to Liberty at Jim Wall Stadium.

"There’s nothing we can do about this one,” Basha senior Cole Martin said emphatically. “Flush this one out. We’ve got to move on.”

The Bears (5-1) and Lions (5-0) entered this rematch of year's opening round of the AIA Open Division playoffs undefeated.

The Lions won that playoff showdown to end Basha's perfect season.

A year later, Liberty did it again to the Bears.

“We’ve got to get better at all facets of the game,” Basha head coach Chris McDonald said. “We know where we need to be in terms of competing with the big dogs in the state. We showed tonight we’re not there yet.”

Basha came in looking for revenge, but with a thunderstorm delaying kickoff, things didn’t start the way they anticipated.

Junior running back Deshaun Buchanan fumbled on the opening possession, giving Liberty solid field position.

Two plays later, the Lions scored to take an early lead.

Mistakes began to add up for the Bears, who muffed their punt the following drive. Liberty quarterback Navi Bruzon led the Lions to a second touchdown drive, making it 14-0 at the end of the first quarter.

Basha's offense remained stale the remainder of the half as trailed, 21-0, at halftime.

Bruzon, who led the Lions to a signature win over Saguaro last week, was an issue for the Basha defense. Whether it was with his legs or arm, the 2024 prospect converted critical third downs and helped Liberty keep its momentum for 48 minutes.

A late touchdown catch by junior wide receiver Bryson Dedmon wasn’t enough for the Bears, who came up short for the first time this season. 

Known for their fast-paced offensive tempo, McDonald acknowledged things didn’t go as expected.

“We just didn’t execute well,” McDonald said. “We weren’t consistent enough. You have to be consistent against these types of teams. You can’t bank on explosive plays.”

Liberty once again showed it's a serious competitor in the Open Division.

As for Basha, it’s time to throw this performance away and head back to the drawing board, but the season is far from being lost. The Bears take on Hamilton and Chandler in back-to-back weeks following their bye.

McDonald is still confident his team will find its rhythm and be able to compete against the best teams in the valley.

“We’ve got to learn from this,” he said. “We have to learn from this situation, learn from this game. Learn how to get better. A loss is not a bad thing if you can learn from it. This doesn’t make or break our season. It’s our sixth game.”

In defeat, Williams made his presence felt despite the pressure Liberty threw at him. As the leader of this team, he understands more will be needed from him to take Basha where it wants to go.

“It will take a lot of hard work and the ability to be resilient,” he said. “We’ve got to put it behind us and look forward, we still have a tough slate ahead. Big learning lesson.”