The Liberty Eagles lost to the Timberland Wolves Friday, Sept. 4 after a hard-fought game. The game was tied 14-14 for most of the fourth quarter, but with two seconds left on the clock, junior Josh Gibbs sealed the win for his team with a game-ending 24-yard field goal. 

In the first half, the Eagles started off strong. With touchdowns by junior Jordan Smith and senior Blake Seaton, the score was 14-0 at halftime. 

“We started the first half playing like we had nothing to lose,” junior Cole Blackstock said. “The sideline was loud, the offense was driving the ball, and our defense was taking control of the game.”

When the second half hit, Timberland came back with a vengeance. The Wolves scored a touchdown on a quarterback keeper by senior Josh Ardnt in the third quarter and then scored again at the beginning of the fourth when senior Travon Kennedy ran it into the endzone, tying up the game with 8:37 left on the clock. 

“Once our mentality changed, we started making more and more mistakes which cost us the game in the end,” Blackstock said. 

The remaining eight minutes left in the game were played hard by both teams, and when overtime seemed to be in the near future, Gibbs kicked the field goal that won the game while seconds ticked down on the clock. 

The Eagles (1-1) will look to regroup for their first road game of the season when they travel to Troy on Saturday at 11 a.m.

“We’re planning for Troy just like we would any other team,” Blackstock said. “What happened against both Timberland and Warrenton doesn’t affect us now.”

This week’s game was also senior night for our cheerleaders and Liberty Belles. With a reduced crowd size to perform for, they still gave it their all and had an amazing halftime show for those who were in the stands.

“It felt surreal almost because I remember last year’s senior night and it didn’t feel like that long ago that I was a junior watching the seniors walk,” senior cheerleader Julia Fallert said. “I miss seeing my friends and classmates in the student section but seeing people support on the other side of the fence feels really great.” 

Timberland 0   0    7    10  –  17

Liberty         0   14   0     0  –  14

Second Quarter
L: Jordan Smith 26 run (Cole Allen kick), 10:10
L: Blake Seaton 5 run (Cole Allen kick), 1:20

Third Quarter
T: Josh Arndt 3 run (Josh Gibbs kick), 7:12

Fourth Quarter
T: Travon Kennedy 24 run (Josh Gibbs kick), 8:37
T: Josh Gibbs 24 FG, 0:00