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Tag: Liberty Hill coach Jeff Walker

High School Football: A Texas Tradition

Written by Tucker Stephenson on . Posted in HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL.

A former South Texas sports editor who had recently moved to the Lone Star State from Arizona stepped into the press box on an idyllic Friday night and sat awestruck as the scene overwhelmed him.

Both sides of the bleachers were packed to the gills, and marching bands in full regalia took their designated place in the stands as cheerleaders, twirlers and dance team members spilled onto the field in single file.

Members of the student spirit crew exchanged gifts at midfield prior to the coin toss, but even before the kickoff, it was clear the young man was busy taking in every aspect of the scene unfolding below. 

“I guess Texas high school football is everything they say it is,” he remarked.

More reports came in from him over the coming months as he got a true taste of the state’s passion for all things gridiron-related. It was enough to realize that something most writers and fans take for granted is truly extraordinary.

And it wasn’t even the playoffs yet.

Yes, it’s that magical time of year when the match-ups become even more meaningful. Legends are born in the postseason, and if your team is lucky enough to capture a state championship, a small piece of immortality comes along with it.

Perhaps Liberty Hill head coach Jeff Walker said it best when he remarked, “Teams to remember play in December.”

Besides doing his best Dr. Seuss impersonation, Walker knows what it takes to run the gauntlet known as the playoffs. So does Lake Travis’ Hank Carter, for that matter.

Those coaches know that the postseason has its own mystique, and that no opponent is to be taken lightly. Since the format expanded to take four teams per district, there have been some memorable upsets every season. It’s unavoidable given the fact that 692 do-or-die games are played during the span of one postseason.

Just last season, Richardson Pearce, a 36-point underdog, took down Cedar Hill in the first round.

Forget March Madness. These are the real bracket busters.

As the final few Austin-area teams continue their march toward glory, the weather will turn colder and the smack talk on message boards throughout the state with undoubtedly heat up. It’s like Christmas come early, except without the cheap gift from your least favorite aunt.

So no matter how your favorite college or pro team is faring at the moment, keep an eye on the biggest ongoing tournament in the state. Who knows? The next Vince Young, Baker Mayfield or Drew Brees could very well be on their way to AT&T Stadium to compete for one of the state’s biggest prizes.

LT Cavs won the State Title in December of 2016 at AT&T Stadium. Photo Texas Sports Monthly

When the smoke has finally cleared, a dozen teams will remain standing. When the postseason began, that number was 704.

So good luck to those still attempting to hoist a state championship trophy in Arlington. And to those who have already moved on to the next sport?It’s only eight more months until two-a-days arrive.

Hippos defeat Panthers AGAIN 42-14

Written by Steven Ryan on . Posted in HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL.

Hutto’s defense has come a long way since last year’s Liberty Hill game. On that night, the Hippos got gashed by the Panthers’ Slot-T offense for 51 points and 531 rushing yards at 8.2 yards per pop.

But in Friday’s rematch in Liberty Hill, it was a different story. Hutto held the Panthers’ offense to just one touchdown and contained their rushing attack to 211 yards at five yards per carry in a 42-14 at Panther Stadium.

“Our defense has matured a bunch,” said Hutto head coach Brad LaPlante. “But we reflected last year even before we played them, some of these kids have never played the Wing-T, Slot-T kind of teams because even youth football for them, they’ve gone up against spreads. So not only do they have that style of offense, Liberty Hill runs it one of the best in the state… (This time) they knew what they were up against. They didn’t know last year.”

This performance came on the heels of Liberty Hill opening the season with 442 rushing yards and three runners hitting the century mark in a dominant victory over defending District 5A-13 DII champion Leander Glenn. Add in the fact that Hutto’s defense also forced five turnovers and stymied a solid West Mesquite squad last week, and it’s clear this Hippo defense isn’t messing around.

“Our defensive line controlling the line of scrimmage was huge and our backers filled really well tonight,” LaPlante said

The offense, meanwhile, churned out 575 yards at 9.6 yards per play. Senior running back Mekhi Kimble rumbled for 202 yards and three scores on 16 carries and senior wide receiver Dajon Harrison added an 88-yard touchdown run to give the Hippos 352 yards on the ground.

“Our offensive line going against the defensive line every day in practice, they’re getting better every single day, so now they’re starting to gain confidence against other opponents,” LaPlante said. “You saw the confidence with the offensive line, and then Mekhi just wiggles, he finds the holes, he makes good reads and he always makes something out of nothing, or something bigger than what it should be because he always keeps his feet moving.”

Hutto kept Liberty Hill in it until halftime with four turnovers. One of those was a fumble forced by senior cornerback Matthew Montes that got recovered and returned for a touchdown by senior defensive lineman Hadley Weems to make it 14-14. But the Hippos cleaned it up in the second half and ran away with the win.

“That’s just our kids. We play the next play. We had a pregame speech all about power,” LaPlante said. “Well, power is we’re always going to forget if it’s good or bad and go on to the next thing at hand. So our guys did a great job at that.”

Liberty Hill Falls to La Vega

Written by Steven Ryan on . Posted in HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL.

Waco La Vega has had Liberty Hill’s number for some time, and that was the case again in the Class 4A Div. I State Championship at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX. The Panthers played evenly for most the game but came undone during a disastrous third quarter in a 35-21 loss, their fifth straight defeat to the Pirates in the last four years.

“(The losing streak to La Vega) plays in the back of your head. Even as an adult it does,” said Liberty Hill coach Jeff Walker. “But I felt confident coming in. We felt like we had the team that could beat them this year, but they’re familiar with us. We got up on Sealy and Carthage and some of those guys because they hadn’t seen us offensively and it’s hard to prepare for us in three days, but (La Vega) had seen us… They’re familiar with us. We’re familiar with them. They just made big plays and we didn’t.”

The decisive third period got off to an ominous start with La Vega senior Donta Stewart returning the second half kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown. It only got worse from there. La Vega scored on the second play of its next possession when junior wide receiver Malachi Wright caught a short hitch route, juked his defender and raced down the sidelines for a 90-yard touchdown. 

Liberty Hill drove down to La Vega’s 15 on the ensuing drive but fumbled a handoff that was recovered by senior defensive lineman JaCorrey Coaster to extinguish the threat. Five plays later, the Pirates struck gold again as Wright got behind his defender for a 61-yard yard touchdown reception. Wright won offensive MVP honors with four catches for 172 yards and those two game-breaking touchdowns. In the third quarter, La Vega scored 21 points on just seven plays from scrimmage.

“I told the guys all the time earlier in the year (that) late in the season (and/or) playoffs, you have to win turnovers, you have to win special teams and you can’t give up big plays, and we (lost) all three in that quarter,” Walker said. “Momentum is a big part of all sports… At halftime it’s 7-7 and we thought it’s an even football game and it’s gonna be a two-quarter game. Let’s go out and fight, and we kicked off and they returned it (for a touchdown). I think it took a little wind out of our sails.”

Looking at the final stats, you wouldn’t think Liberty Hill lost by double-digits. The Panthers racked up 15 more first downs, almost doubled the time of possession and out-rushed the Pirates by 154 yards with their famed slot-T offense in a game that was expected to be decided on the ground. Senior running back Kyle Harrison capped his stellar career with 114 yards and a score on 27 carries, and in the process set a new Austin-area single-season rushing record with 2,875 yards.

“It sucks to lose but my team made it here and we did leave a legacy,” Harrison said. “That’s also an award for my lineman, too, because they’re the one getting me there. All year it’s been them. That’s pretty cool but it’s not really what I was thinking. I was thinking, come in and get the job done, but it’s pretty cool for me and my lineman… We didn’t get it done, but we got here and not very many teams got here like us, and it’s pretty fun playing in Jerry World.”

La Vega found the end zone on its opening possession when sophomore quarterback Ara Rauls converted a fourth-and-1 with a two-yard sneak and sophomore running back Jar’Que Walton broke free for a 35-yard touchdown run three plays later. 

Liberty Hill’s defense forced punts on each of the Pirates’ other three first-half drives and the offense evened the score with a four-yard touchdown run by Harrison on the first play of the second quarter. That score was set up by a rare pass completion, only Liberty Hill’s 18th of the season, where senior Kristian Taggart caught a throwback screen and followed his blockers for 18 yards and a first down on third-and-8. 

The Panthers got back within shouting distance when junior quarterback Jacob Cearly scampered for a nine-yard touchdown with 8:48 remaining to cap a 13-play, 65-yard scoring drive. But one last home run, a backbreaking 43-yard touchdown run by La Vega senior running back John Richards with 6:59 to go, extended the lead back to 21 and put the game away.

“We had a good season. We had a lot of ups and downs. We had a lot of injuries. We fought and we battled kind of like we did today,” Walker said. “I’m just proud of them. I’ve been proud of them all year long. They’ve given me everything. It’s a group that when they don’t win they apologize to me and say ‘I’m sorry, coach.’ This program has never been about me and never will be about me, and it kind of hurts me when they say that but I’m just proud of them. They put in the time, the effort, the energy. These guys didn’t miss a day in the summer. They come every day. They pay a price and you’d like to see them get rewarded and of course, we didn’t get the reward today.”

Liberty Hill Makes State

Written by Russell Dowden on . Posted in HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL.

The Carthage Bulldogs entered the game as the two-time defending state champion having won 40 consecutive games Friday night as they faced the Panthers of Liberty Hill.

The game was a back and forth battle that ended up being decided ultimately by a first half ending Field Goal as the Panthers went on to win  44-41.

The Liberty Hill Panthers will play the Waco La Vega Pirates, 53-0 winners over Decatur), Friday, December 21, and 3pm at AT&T Stadium for the 4AD1 State championship.

Liberty Hill over Sealy 35-21

Written by Steven Ryan on . Posted in Football, HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL.

In a round of the playoffs that typically separates the men from the boys, Liberty Hill showed what it was made of. The Panthers overcame a disastrous play at the end of the first half and rattled off 21 unanswered points to beat Sealy 35-21 in the Class 4A Division I Region Semifinals Friday at Bastrop Memorial Stadium in Bastrop.

Sealy took a 21-14 lead into halftime after a 41-yard Hail Mary touchdown pass from senior quarterback Garrett Zaskoda to sophomore wide receiver Hunter Clarke as the clock hit zero. A play like that can sometimes linger in the locker room and cause the team that gave it up to come out flat in the second half. But Liberty Hill showed maturity in brushing it off and punching back harder.

“I told them ‘A lot of teams come back from 35 down at half. Teams that are up 35 fall apart.’” said Liberty Hill coach Jeff Walker. “The halftime score, we just forgot it. I told them to get out there, just forget what the score is. Yea, they got a big play. So what? They can’t get them all night. Just keep playing and our kids did that… We got a lot of seniors that didn’t want to play their last football game. When you got that, you got a good chance.”

After trading two punts a piece to open the second half, Liberty Hill senior running back Kyle Harrison (21 carries, 253 yards, two touchdowns) found running room and dashed 56 yards down to the 10. That set up senior running back Shane Gonzalez (18 carries, 126 yards, one touchdown) to score on the next play and tie it at 21.

The defense forced a third straight punt on the ensuing drive. When the offense got the ball back, they went right back to what they do best: run that ball. The Panthers put it in the hands of Harrison, Gonzalez and senior Kristian Taggart (11 carries, 56 yards) for a 10-play, 53-yard touchdown drive that ended with Harrison finding paydirt from eight yards out.

“(The plan was to) keep the ball away from them and get in the end zone,” Walker said. “Unfortunately, we fumbled the football and had penalties that cost us. Other than that I thought we moved the ball well. We just didn’t do it consistent enough because we turned the ball over or we got called for holding. Penalties and turnovers got us, but other than that I thought we played well.”

Sealy thought it tied the game in the fourth quarter but a four-yard touchdown run was called back by holding. Two plays later Liberty Hill’s pass rush got to Zaskoda and forced an intentional grounding penalty. On fourth down, the pass rush got home again with senior Mason Ogle bringing down the quarterback for his third sack. The Panthers had five sacks as a team.

“I’m real proud of our defense. They stepped up in the second half and played outstanding. We knew they were able to do it,” Walker said. “We have a 6-foot-4, 225-pound (defensive end in Kory Schmidt) and a 6-foot-5, 260-pound (defensive end in Williams Baty) on the edge and (Schmidt) is real fast, and (Baty) is not slow so they give people some problems with match-ups. Defense played lights out.”

Liberty Hill junior quarterback Jacob Cearley didn’t throw a pass but ran seven times for 39 yards with two touchdowns – the second of which came from 26 yards out with 1:37 on the clock as he fooled the defense with a beautiful fake and bootlegged out for the walk-in score. Any hope of a mad comeback was dashed when Sealy fumbled the ensuing kick and Liberty Hill recovered.

 

Hippos edge out Panthers in OT Thriller

Written by Steven Ryan on . Posted in HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL.

Some games neither team deserves to lose. Friday’s non-district clash between Liberty Hill and Hutto at Hippo Stadium in Hutto, TX, was one of those games.
The Panthers and Hippos went punch-for-punch in a high-scoring bonanza before a two-point conversion stop in overtime gave Hutto the 52-51 win.
“We knew we were going to have a hard time stopping them,” said Hutto coach Brad LaPlante. “That team will play four or five rounds deep (in the playoffs). But I hope that’s also a sign that we’ll play four of five rounds deep, too. It’s not that their defense was bad. It’s not that our defense was bad. We’re two really good offensive football teams.”
Hutto had the ball at Liberty Hill’s 18-yard line with an eight-point lead and barely more than five minutes to go after senior linebacker Hunter Blair recovered a fumbled snap by the Panthers. A score likely would’ve put it away, but the Hippos gave it right back when senior running Chux Nwabuko fumbled a swing pass on the next play.
Liberty Hill took advantage of its second life with a 12-play, 66-yard drive that ended with junior quarterback Jacob Clearly sneaking it in from one yard out with 23 seconds left. Still needing a two-point conversion to tie, senior running back Shane Gonzalez powered through the Hippo defense to reach the end zone and silence a Hutto crowd that was getting increasingly raucous throughout the second half.
Hutto scored on the opening possession of overtime when senior quarterback Chase Griffin placed a perfect pass on the right cornerback’s back shoulder and senior wide receiver Caleb Forrest made the necessary adjustment for the 15-yard touchdown. Liberty Hill scored on its first overtime possession, too, with an 11-yard touchdown run from senior Kyle Harrison.
Rather than take the extra point and force another overtime, however, Liberty Hill coach Jeff Walker decided to go for the win. He called for a handoff to senior running back Connor Kuykendall, but the handoff was awkward and Hutto’s defense collapsed on the ball and made the game-saving stop at the one-yard line to send its sideline and crowd into a euphoric eruption.
“Well, you call a timeout, settle your kids down. Whatever else happened, it doesn’t matter to that point. If we can make one play, game’s over,” LaPlante said. “We just needed that one stop.”

Griffin completed 30-of-44 passes for 455 yards with seven touchdowns and no interceptions as he continues to make his case for best quarterback in the state. His top target was Forrest, who hauled in 10 grabs for 230 yards and four touchdowns. Nwabaku took six carries for 31 yards and added seven catches for 52 yards with a 16-yard score. Junior wide receiver Dajon Harrison had six receptions for 76 yards and rushed for 31 yards on three jet-sweeps.
“Offensively, I think I did a good job, along with the receivers, O-line and the running backs of just sticking to what we know,” Griffin said. “We know that we can take five yards and turn it into ten yards with our playmakers. Kudos to the O-line and kudos to all the playmakers who really extended yards after catch… They don’t blitz a whole bunch. They’re very steady. But we saw we had some athletic advantages on the outside so just kept on trying to get the ball to the perimeter.”
Liberty Hill racked up 585 total yards, with 531 of those coming on the ground, as its Slot-T offense flummoxed Hutto’s defense with its bevy of fakes and misdirections. 302 of those yards came on 21 carries from Harrison, who scored five touchdowns. Kuykendall also hit the century mark with 113 yards on 15 totes. Gonzalez plugged away for another 87 yards on 17 attempts.
“You don’t prepare for a team like that every week,” LaPlante said.  “Our defense can stop our offense in practice. They feel really good. They have a lot of confidence. They have to understand what they’re going against in that machine, and just the different type of offense that of these kids may have never seen. Maybe youth football, fourth grade. Some of them, they haven’t seen it, and that’s OK. That’s why you didn’t see our coaches get down. We kept on playing… and eventually, we got what we needed.”