Liberty Hill Wins Slugfest Against Pflugerville
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Updated: October 19, 2024
photos: Steve Thomas
Liberty Hill defensive back Eyan Jones was the hero Friday night. With less than 90 seconds left to play, Jones made a crucial interception to seal a 35-28 win over Pflugerville in a massive District 11-5A D2 showdown. The interception came after a bad punt had given Pflugerville the ball at Liberty Hill’s 40-yard line. Pflugerville was driving for the tying score, but Jones made his interception inside his team’s ten-yard line.
Friday’s battle of Panthers at the Pfield featured two high-scoring offenses and a major impact on the district title race. At 5-1 overall and 3-1 in district, Liberty Hill had averaged 54 points per game entering Friday’s contest. The Panthers’ lone loss was in week one against perennial powerhouse Cibolo Steele. Pflugerville was also 5-1 overall but 2-1 in district. Entering Friday’s game, the Panthers were averaging 51 points per game. The Panthers’ lone loss was a 38-35 heartbreaker against Elgin. While Friday’s game score was not as high as expected, the heavyweight bout lived up to the hype.
Early in the game, Pflugerville’s defense was the dominant force. On the opening drive, Pflugerville recovered a fumble at the Liberty Hill 40-yard line. One play later, Pflugerville quarterback Cole Taylor connected with receiver Kyran McFrazier for a 40-yard touchdown pass. Throughout the rest of the first quarter, the Panthers stifled Liberty Hill’s vaunted slot-T offense.
Midway through the second quarter, Liberty Hill was finally able to respond. Running back Kyle May tied the game with a four-yard touchdown run. On the ensuing drive, however, Pflugerville reclaimed the lead with a nine-yard pass from Taylor to McFrazier. Shortly before halftime, May knotted the game back up with a 21-yard touchdown run.
Late in the third quarter, Pflugerville’s high-flying offense struck again. Cole Taylor connected with receiver Jaivion Martin, and Martin trucked through multiple defenders to score a 64-yard touchdown. Pflugerville did miss the extra point, though. Liberty Hill running back Bryce Muchaw then responded with a five-yard touchdown run, and the Panthers made the extra-point to go back in front 21-20. Once again, however, Pflugerville struck quickly. Running back Rhyder Miller broke free for a 53-yard run to the Liberty Hill 17-yard line, and Taylor connected with Martin for another touchdown on the next play.
In the fourth quarter, Bryce Muchaw was the hero for Liberty Hill on offense. With just under nine minutes left to play, Muchaw tied the game on a 20-yard touchdown run. On Liberty Hill’s next drive, Muchaw broke free for an 82-yard touchdown run to put Liberty Hill ahead for good. As mentioned in the beginning, Pflugerville had a golden chance to tie the game; but Eyan Jones made his critical interception.
After the game, Liberty Hill Head Coach Kent Walker praised his team’s resilience but also admitted that the game was stressful. “I think it took a few years off me, and I have a few more grey hairs,” Walker said with a laugh. Walker also said, however, that he reassured his team after the shanked punt and challenged his players to step up and make a play to win, and Eyan Jones answered that call. With the win, Liberty Hill improves to 6-1 overall and 4-0 in district. Next week, the Panthers return home to host Austin McCallum (2-5, 0-4.)
Pflugerville, meanwhile, falls to 5-2 overall and 2-2 in district. Next week, the Panthers will travel to Burger Stadium in Austin to face Austin Crockett (0-7, 0-4.)
by Steve Thomas
Players Pictured
Liberty Hill
#9 Kyle May
#10 Garrett Lindgren
#22 Dylan Belinga
#24 D.J. Seaborn
#27 Caden Campbell
#51 Keegan Jeschke
#52 Caleb Nicholas
#57 Webb McWilliams
#59 Nikko Vasquez
#60 Jett Harrison
Pflugerville
#0 Donny Wright
#1 Kyran McFrazier
#4 Kenneth Magee
#5 Sonny Davis
#6 Quentin James
#7 Cole Taylor
#9 Brandon Bradshaw
#10 Elijah Tyson
#11 Kishan Ware
#21 Kevin Banks
#24 Rhyder Miller
#52 Davion Haywood
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