The Eagles went head-to-head with the Francis Howell North Knights in the first round of the district tournament Friday, Oct. 27. The Eagles reigned victorious with a 49-0 shutout victory as the Knights fall out of the district running.
The Eagles continue their season in the district semifinals Friday when they travel to play at Zumwalt North for a 7 p.m. kickoff. Liberty has a 7-3 record while Zumwalt North is 6-4. Both teams played each other on Oct. 6 with Zumwalt North securing a 35-14 win.
“I’m really excited,” sophomore Caiden Galati said. “I think our team has a lot of momentum, and we can do some big things.”
It was all Liberty against the Knights. The first quarter started off slow, but senior Austin Steenbeke changed that quickly as he ran for a 2-yard touchdown, followed by an extra point scored by junior Cody McMullen. Following shortly after, Williams would not be denied as he dove into the endzone for a second touchdown and a 14-0 lead.
Kicking off the second quarter, Williams scored another touchdown running a blaze with his offensive line behind him, followed by McMullen scoring another extra point kick. Shortly after, senior Peyton Bertels received the ball from McMullen, and then continued to run 68 yards to the endzone extending the lead to 27-0. Within the final minute of the first half, McMullen passed to the wide open Galati and he would not be denied as he made it into the endzone resulting in the Eagles’ fifth touchdown.
“I felt really good to score for my team, and put us up at a higher score. Third touchdown of the year, felt great,” Galati said.
The Eagles continued their offensive attack into the second half McMullen scored his first touchdown of the night. Williams followed with another touchdown securing the Eagles the victory, followed by yet another successful McMullen extra point. Sophomore James Alexander scored the final touchdown and freshman Jonah Kaler adding the final extra point resulting with a final score of 49-0.
LIBERTY 49, HOWELL NORTH 0
Howell North 0 0 0 0 – 0
Liberty 14 21 7 7 – 49
First Quarter
L: Austin Steenbeke 2 run (Cody McMullen kick), 8:56
L: Marquis Williams 37 pass from Cody McMullen (Cody McMullen kick), 4:23
Second Quarter
L: Marquis Williams 23 run (Cody McMullen kick), 10:26
L: Peyton Bertels 70 pass from Cody McMullen (Cody McMullen kick), 3:59
L: Caiden Galati 34 pass from Cody McMullen (Cody McMullen kick), 0:34
Third Quarter
L: Matt Manocchio 37 pass from Cody McMullen (Cody McMullen kick), 1:12
Fourth Quarter
L: James Alexander 5 run (Jonah Kaler kick), 2:25
