For nearly three quarters, the Lions held a slight lead over the visiting Panthers from Liberty Friday. However, three touchdowns over the final 13 minutes would hand Livingston a 28-22 loss in their second district contest.
Livingston's first drive went 53 yards in six plays and ended with Jerren James’ 8-yard run off tackle to put the Lions up. Quarterback Damorian Hill stretched the ball across for a two-point conversion to provide an 8-0 advantage for the home team.
Near the end of the first quarter, Liberty quarterback Frankie Marez found receiver Jason Wickliff running a wheel route and hit him over the shoulder for a 53-yard touchdown strike. Still, Livingston would cling to that 8-7 advantage into halftime.
“We had some kids that made some unbelievable physical plays and played with passion,” Livingston coach Finis Vanover said. “At times, Liberty bowed up and whipped our tails. They have played everybody that way, and every one of their games has been three or four points. They were up on Huffman, and (the Falcons) were really the only ones that got some distance on them. For three quarters, they were giving this same deal to Huffman until they ran out of gas.”
Livingston did have the ability to move the ball on offense despite having to change plans made in practice just hours before kickoff. Their issue was converting those possessions into points. Two opportunities were missed on drives inside the red zone. One ended in an interception that bounced off a receiver’s hands, while the other was a turnover on downs.
“We had mistakes, we had great plays, we had great defense, and we had terrible defense,” the coach said. “We would have efficiency at its best, then look like we had never practiced before. That goal line deal that we could not get right before the half, we spent a 25-minute period Wednesday on that offense. It was one formation that we were in, and two plays that we ran. Then, we would run it to the other side. If we had one more down, we would get up and run it one more time, especially if we were in a time out dilemma, which we were. We practiced that for 25 minutes.”
The Lion defense held Liberty to just 96 total yards in the first half. They could not hold that pace over the final two periods.
With 34 seconds remaining in the third quarter, Marez found Wickliff again, this time for 45 yards to go up 14-8.
Wickliff would continue to be a nightmare on the next drive, returning a punt 57 yards to put Liberty inside the Livingston 10. One play later, Marez danced into the end zone.
The Lions finally answered with 6:19 remaining in the contest. An eight-play 68-yard drive was capped by an 8-yard run from Tyler Soza. The unsuccessful two-point conversion made it a 21-14 game.
Liberty then marched for seven plays and Marez scored via the quarterback draw.
Yet, Livingston again had a response, with Hill completing a 6-yard pass to Carson Pipes. Hill then connected with Tristen McCue for the two-point try after.
Deciding against the onside kick allowed Liberty to take over at their own 24-yard line with just 1:25 left in the game. Keeping it on the ground, the Panthers got the first down that would secure their first win of the season.
The Panthers outgained the Livingston offense 339-279. Wickliff brought in five receptions for 142 yards and two touchdowns. The 185 rushing yards was scattered mostly among three ball carriers. Hill was the biggest threat for Livingston, going for 70 yards on 11 carries. The Lion passing game continues to struggle with inaccuracy and drops. They were a combined 3-for-12 for 56 yards and a touchdown.
“We started throwing great, and then we wouldn't catch the thing. How many drops did we have? It is the same song and 27th verse, but they didn't quit or lay down. We had a couple of sinking spells, and gave up big plays on third-and-forevers. It was a back-and-forth deal, and we still would have had a chance if we would have gotten the score before the half. That was the biggest killer.”
