Liberty will try to refocus after rough first half of season

Parris Peacock picks up yardage for Liberty in Friday night's game. (Photo by Action Captures Media Group)

By Doug Spoon, Editor

As coach Adam Contreras told his Liberty High football players late Friday night, the second season starts now. It’s time to put the first five games in the past and focus on a new beginning heading into league play in two weeks.

“I’m in,” Contreras told his players as they knelt before him for a brief talk after the Bison’s 40-21 loss to Tahquitz. “Feel the pain for a little bit, and then let’s go.”

Contreras will find out starting Monday what the players’ response will be. Frustration is understandable, considering the Bison came into the game with two straight one-point losses. Before Friday’s kickoff, they had outscored opponents 97-84 but had only a 1-3 record to show for it. Then you add on Friday’s events, in which a game that was 21-21 at halftime became a one-sided victory for Tahquitz.

Monday is still two days away, but there was a sign Friday night that the players aren’t about to give up. After Contreras excused them from the postgame chat, senior placekicker Jesse Juarez called the coaches back into a kneeling players' huddle, in which he led a prayer that stressed dedication to the challenge.

“That was really cool as a coach to see that,” Contreras said. “It put things in perspective a little bit. If we can pull some positives out of this going into league … I want to send these seniors off with a good rest of the season. It’s a matter of going back to the fundamentals. I have faith that our guys are going to step it up.”

The Bison have a bye next Friday before opening league play Oct. 2 at Vista del Lago. That will give them plenty of practice sessions to look ahead and forget about what happened Friday night.

The teams traded scores throughout the first half, Liberty scoring on a 6-yard run by Trent Hallis, a 2-yard run by Parris Peacock, and a 5-yard run by Peacock just 30 seconds before halftime. But the defense had a hard time stopping the Tahquitz offense. The Titans, led by running backs Terrell Strong and Jacob Arbuckle, scored on every possession the entire ballgame, with the exception of a drive that ran out of time at the end of the first half.

Strong rushed for 125 yards and 3 touchdowns, while Arbuckle ran for 61 yards and a TD. He also scored on a 99-yard interception return. Tahquitz quarterback Travis Fallios completed 9 of 10 passes for 116 yards as well. For Liberty, Peacock finished with 111 yards and 2 touchdowns rushing, while Hallis ran for 95 yards and one score.

Tahquitz took the lead for good in the third quarter on a 25-yard run by Strong. Liberty’s only possession of the quarter stalled at midfield. When the fourth quarter began, Tahquitz drove 69 yards for a touchdown on Strong’s 7-yard scamper. Liberty tried to respond with a long drive of its own, but quarterback Devin Dillard’s pass was intercepted near the goal line by Arbuckle and returned 99 yards for a TD.

All that was left was for Contreras to try and put the state of the Bison into words.

“It’s tough when things aren’t going your way; things start to unravel,” he said. “So we need to count on our leaders to keep us together. The first half of the season’s done and now we open league. Just take it day by day, and hopefully we’ll get a bid for the playoffs. I want them to focus on the good things that are happening.

“Up front, I thought we were pretty good. Some of our bread and butter plays are hitting for big yards. But No. 1 and 7 for them, they’re really good. Our defense has some tough guys. They’re going to keep battling and they’ll find a way to stop teams.

“Like I said before, I’m in, and whoever is here on Monday, we’re going to go to battle with those guys.”

Trent Hallis rushed for 95 yards and a touchdown for Liberty. (Photo by Action Captures Media Group)

 Quarterback Devin Dillard prepares to release a pass. (Photo by Action Captures Media Group)

 

 Dominic Hall looks for running room in Friday night's game. (Photo by Action Captures Media Group)