Liberty Hill Continues Undefeated in District

By Chris Doelle
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Updated: October 8, 2022

Liberty Hill vs SA Veterans Memorial by Steve Thomas

photos: Steve Thomas

Liberty Hill Outlasts San Antonio Veterans Memorial

For the first time ever, the Liberty Hill Panthers faced off against the San Antonio Veterans Memorial Patriots Friday night. At stake in the pivotal District 13-5A D2 matchup was at least a share of first place in the district. Both teams featured high-octane offenses with Liberty Hill averaging over 50 points per game while Veterans Memorial averaged over 40. Liberty Hill entered the game at 5-1 overall and 2-0 in district. Last week, the Panthers cruised to a 70-10 victory over Bastrop Cedar Creek. Veterans Memorial, meanwhile, entered the game at 4-1 overall and 1-0 in district. Last week, the Patriots won a 49-42 shootout with Lockhart in their district opener. In that game, running back James Peoples ran for 387 yards and five touchdowns. On Friday night, both offenses were once again on full display, especially on the ground, as the Panthers won a 56-49 shootout over the Patriots.

On the opening drive, James Peoples once again made his presence known on the field when he broke free for a 64-yard touchdown run. Liberty Hill immediately answered, however, when running back Jaxson Hines tied the game on a three-yard touchdown run. Following the Liberty Hill touchdown, Veterans Memorial quarterback Christopher Irving put the Patriots back in front with a 20-yard touchdown keeper. Liberty Hill appeared poised to tie the game on their next drive, but Joe Yanez recovered a fumble for Veterans Memorial at the Patriots’ 29-yard line. Irving then extended the Patriots lead to 21-7 on a nine-yard touchdown keeper early in the second quarter. On the ensuing drive, Liberty Hill running back Ben Carter narrowed the gap to 21-14 on a 16-yard touchdown run.

Following the touchdown, the Panthers attempted an onside kick, but kicker Connor Hawkins recovered the kick before it went the required ten yards. The play resulted in Veterans Memorial getting the ball in Liberty Hill territory, and Irving capped off the drive with a seven-yard touchdown keeper. Liberty Hill running back Noah Long brought the Panthers back to within seven on a nine-yard touchdown run, but Peoples once again broke free on the next drive for a 60-yard touchdown run for the Patriots. In keeping with the pattern, Carter scored on a 31-yard touchdown run on the next drive for Liberty Hill; and Peoples scored his third touchdown of the night to put the Patriots ahead 42-28. Shortly before halftime, Long broke free for a 67-yard touchdown run to pull Liberty Hill to within seven points.

In the second half, the Liberty Hill defense rose to the occasion. After the Panthers’ offense turned the ball over on downs on the opening drive of the third quarter, the defense recovered Irving’s fumble at the Panthers’ 21-yard line. Ben Carter then tied the game with his second touchdown of the night on a 12-yard touchdown run. Early in the fourth quarter, Khaleel Booker recovered a fumble for the Patriots at the Panther 20-yard line; and Irving put the Patriots back in front 49-42 on a one-yard touchdown run. The Panthers wasted little time tying the game, however, as Long scored on a 59-yard touchdown run. After the touchdown, the Panther defense forced the Patriots to punt; and quarterback Reese Vickers broke free on the following drive for the game-winning touchdown on a 23-yard keeper. After the game, Vickers said that he was surprised that they called his number on the play but that he trusted his running backs to block for him. The Patriots then drove the ball deep into Panther territory for one last gasp at tying the game, but the Panthers defense stopped Irving short of the line to gain on fourth down to seal the game.

After the game, Liberty Hill Head Coach Kent Walker called the game a tale of two halves citing his defense’s significantly improved play in the second half. Walker said that he told his players that he took responsibility for the struggles in the first half but made adjustments and encouraged his team to refocus and play better in the second half. With the win, Liberty Hill improves to 6-1 overall and 3-0 in district. Next week, the Panthers will travel to Lockhart for another district test against the Lockhart Lions (4-2, 1-0.) Veterans Memorial, meanwhile, falls to 4-2 overall and 1-1 in district. Next week, the Patriots will return home to host the Bastrop Bears (2-5, 2-1.)

Players Pictured

Liberty Hill