Liberty North takes down Ray-Pec, extends win streak
PECULIAR — With just one game left before the postseason begins, Liberty North is continuing to head in the right direction after Friday’s road victory.
The Eagles slowed down a high-octane Ray-Pec offense in the 24-17 win, extending their win streak to four since dropping back-to-back games to North Kansas City and Blue Springs.
Ray-Pec came in averaging 39.5 points in all six of its victories. However, the Panthers have averaged 15.5 points in each of their two losses.
On Friday night, Liberty North slowed the Panthers’ rushing attack and shut down their passing game, except for one play that resulted in a fourth quarter touchdown. Liberty North often pressured Panthers’ quarterback Daccota Stamback and kept running back Jojo Robinson in check throughout the contest.
“Obviously, we need to focus on (Robinson) who is a heck of a ball player,” Liberty North coach Andy Lierman said. “Knowing coach (Greg) Jones, we knew he was going to run the football, especially as we get late in the year. The focus was to slow the run game down, try to force them to pass the ball a bit and just play team defense.”
Meanwhile, Liberty North has averaged 42.5 points in is previous five victories this season. Ray-Pec slowed the Eagles’ offense to just 24 points, but it had troubles stopping senior Jaxen Proden, who scored two receiving touchdowns.
Proden put Liberty North on the board on its second drive of the game. He caught a 20-yard TD pass from senior quarterback Brennan Smith. Proden caught a quick slant and used his speed to get into the end zone.
“We’ve been best friends since kindergarten,” Smith said. “I’ve known him through everything. Me and him have played on every single team together. That’s my guy. If he’s on the field, it’s probably going to him.”
Clinging to a seven-point lead, Liberty North took control of the game midway through the third quarter. Three plays after Ray-Pec pinned the Eagles on their own 7 yard line, Smith found Proden on a deep pass that resulted in a 93-yard TD.
“The call was to take a shot there. We knew we were going to at some point,” Lierman said. “We feel like Jaxen is a pretty darn good player for us. We knew going to get him the football if we could, and we felt like it was a good time to go do it.”
The Eagles’ second touchdown of the game came in the middle of the second quarter. Smith dropped back to pass, but scrambled through the heart of the Panthers’ defense. Smith weaved through the secondary and scored a 39-yard TD run, putting his team on top 14-10.
“Brennan did a great job tonight,” Lierman said. “(Ray-Pec) has a great defense and they kind of hang their hat on that like coach always has. They are athletic and fast and they move around and they create some issues for you. Brennan just managed the game and made some big plays when he had to. He really handled some pressure and took care of the football. He also had some huge scrambles for us, as well.”
Ray-Pec made things interesting when it cut the lead in half inside the final minute of the third quarter. Stamback scrambled left and flipped the ball over a defender to Devin Hill Jr. Hill broke several tackles while running through the Eagles’ defense en route to a 60-yard touchdown.
However, Ray-Pec’s final two drives ended in a quick punt and an interception. To seal the victory, Liberty North ran out the final 6 minutes and 33 seconds of the clock.
“Credit to our kids and coaches for doing that,” Lierman said. “We struggled to run the ball tonight, but (Ray-Pec) has a great front. We just couldn’t get it going most of the game. We talked before the last series about how we’ve got to run the football. We made a couple of adjustments and did something a little different and it really worked. Brock (Winship) and (Edward) Massey did a great job with Grayson (Smith) out, and huge credit to our offense for finishing that game.”
Liberty North (6-2) began the season with two wins before suffering losses to North Kansas City and Blue Springs, both of which are also 6-2 on the season. Since those losses, Liberty North has rattled off four-straight victories, which included erasing a 35-10 halftime deficit.
The Eagles will end the regular season with a home game against Lee’s Summit West (3-5) at 7 p.m. Friday.
Meanwhile, Ray-Pec has gone through a four-game and a two-game win streak this season en route to a 6-2 record. The Panthers have already matched their best win total since 2022. They will travel to Blue Springs South (4-4) on Friday.
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