It didn’t take long for Palo Verde to set the tone against Liberty on Thursday in a matchup of two of the state’s top flag football teams.

Senior Samantha Manzo took the handoff on the first play from scrimmage and raced 60 yards for a touchdown.

Palo Verde never looked back. The Panthers, No. 1 in the Review-Journal’s Class 5A rankings, got a strong first half from their offense and a second-half shutout from their defense in rolling to a 32-12 home win over the fifth-ranked Patriots.

“This was the first game that our offense kind of carried the defense early on,” Palo Verde coach Rick Eurich said. “It’s been the last several games, it was our defense carrying the team and the offense doing enough to get the wins. Tonight was the first night the offense set the tone and the defense came along.”

The defense for Palo Verde (15-1, 6-0 5A Southern League) found its rhythm late in the first quarter. With Liberty (10-3, 4-3) trailing 20-12, Alexis Manzo intercepted Patriots quarterback Kaylie Phillips near midfield and returned it for a touchdown.

Palo Verde never let up the pressure on defense. The Panthers recorded a pair of sacks with Liberty threatening to score late in the second quarter and took a 26-12 lead into halftime. Madeline West had three sacks and a pass breakup for Palo Verde.

Liberty “will be a team that we could face in the playoffs again,” Eurich said. “That was good for our morale to just know that we can play with them. They pass the ball pretty well.”

Samantha Manzo finished with 167 rushing yards. She added touchdown runs of 60 and 9 yards and a 1-yard touchdown catch, all in the first half. Alexis Manzo added a 28-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter for Palo Verde’s final score.

“Those two are gamers,” Eurich said. “They are something. I’ll probably never have another athlete come through like those two. They want to do well and want to play and help their team. They’re the best teammates.”

Phillips completed 14 of 20 passes for 224 yards and two first-quarter touchdown passes for Liberty. Trishelle Tucay caught nine passes for 141 yards for the Patriots, who were without star wide receiver Kilolo Westerlund.

Palo Verde still has regular-season league matchups remaining with other 5A state title contenders Bishop Gorman, Shadow Ridge and Desert Oasis. The Panthers beat Gorman and lost to Desert Oasis in a tournament in Mesquite in December.

Eurich said the team is still “bitter” and “embarrassed” with how last year’s state title game, a 19-2 loss to Shadow Ridge, went. Palo Verde defeated Shadow Ridge 18-14 in the Mustang Rodeo tournament championship game Jan. 3.

“It’s a special vibe with this group of kids,” Eurich said. “Tonight was a great example of that. … It’s a special team. This is a vibe that I haven’t had for a long time as a coach.”

Contact Alex Wright at [email protected]. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.