Last Friday, Liberty beat Orange 50-22, making Liberty the OCC champions and giving them a number one ranking in central Ohio. Students who attended the game can attest to how exciting it was. Liberty made multiple amazing plays against Orange; both defense and offense performed very well. Senior and varsity football player Jake Struck is proud of how the entire team played last Friday.
“A defining moment was when our defense got back to back turnovers that led to our offense scoring,” Struck said. “That really put the game away.”
In addition to last week’s win, Liberty Football has had an excellent season thus far. Assistant coach Ebie reflects on what he and the other coaches have done to prioritize winning this season.
“We set the standard pretty high, but when you come back to those core values of Liberty- growth mindset and being a great teammate- you can go as far as you want,” Ebie said. “We keep these values in mind going forward as they will take us as far as we wish to go.”
There’s a lot of excitement coming off of an OCC championship, but the pressure is high as well. This Friday Liberty plays against Lancaster in round one of the playoffs for division 1, region 3. As the game draws nearer, Liberty coaches are analyzing the opposing team.
“Landcaster is a good team; we played them the past 2 years, so we know how well coached they are, and how they will not go down easy,” Ebie said. “Some of their plays are hard and challenging, we will see how well we respond to our core values to meet that challenge.”
Coaches and athletes are gearing up and locking in for this friday- which will decide whether Liberty advances to round 2 of the playoffs. With the tension being high, most players will focus on preparing how they usually do for games.
“Being the #1 seed is obviously a huge achievement, but it doesn’t change how we prepare for the game,” Struck said. “It is a win or go home situation, so we are preparing the same way we always do so that we have the best chance for success.”
One of the reasons for Liberty’s great performance so far is the players. With 31 seniors on Varsity this year, there is ample talent and leadership. Being OCC champs is something that hasn’t happened for a while at Liberty. Head Coach Sansbury looks forward to what the rest of the season will bring.
“Our ultimate mission is for us to be the best team we can be,” Sansbury said. “We have not accomplished this–as it is a never ending mission, but it’s something for us to constantly strive for.”
As dedicated as the coaches are, the possibility of greatness wouldn’t be considered without the team. The varsity football team has been training relentlessly since summer, now is the time to see that work pay off.
“The team is most focused on giving 100% effort on everything we do because any game from now on could be our last,” Struck said.
