Tonight was the last regular season game, causing many emotions and spirits to be at an all-time high, especially if you’re a senior. The night resulted in the Eagles bringing home the feeling of victory and honor as they send the school into the playoffs.

After a sluggish start, the Eagles surged to a 42-10 victory over Holt and it helped earn them a first-round bye in the upcoming playoffs. The Eagles are seeded second in the Class 6 District 4 playoffs and will be off this week. They will host the winner of Zumwalt West (third seed) and Howell Central (sixth seed) on Nov. 7.

The theme of the game stood out itself, pink out is an annual tradition at Liberty and many other schools. It signifies the importance of spreading awareness on breast cancer, almost every morning in the month of October there has been a statistic or fact to inform students about the stigmatization surrounding breast cancer. 

In the game, the Eagles faltered early on in the first quarter, but immediately rebounded. Both teams failed to score in the opening quarter. Holt scored a touchdown with close to 3 minutes into the second quarter, and the Eagles started showing what they can do. When halftime hit, the Eagles were leading 13-7.

“After halftime, we turned it up, we played a lot better.” Maddoxx Jones (12) said.

A pivotal moment during the game was after halftime. After a more physical game plan was put into action, the Eagles could show off their wings against Holt. They outscored the Indians 28-3 in the second half on way to the rout. 

“After halftime when we got the ball,” Jaylen Mack (12)  explains about the turning point in the game. 

Mack was a force who couldn’t be stopped as he rushed for 157 yards and four touchdowns. Jones and Caleb Orcutt (11) had the other two TDs for the Eagles.

By the end of the game, the final score was 42-10 and the Eagles had high hopes for the incoming playoffs that are approaching.

The gameplay was astonishing even from just a casual watcher, the Eagles’ offensive line being the regular star of the show. Looking back at the season so far, there has been a noticeable pattern of offensive line players being more physical in comparison to past seasons. This is important because the defense on most other district teams have been mediocre and easy to get through.

The offensive line stood out during the game as they helped open holes for the running game and provided key blocks for quarterback Sullivan Thornton to throw for 257 yards in the air. The o-line wasn’t the only victors of this game, the Eagles have a strong and capable defense that is noteworthy to say the least. They also play a large role in blocking the opposing team, making sure to keep the Eagles in the lead. The defense is a half of a whole in football, and it’s a group effort to ensure victory.

LIBERTY 42, HOLT 10

Holt      0  7   3   0 – 10

Liberty 0 14 14  14 – 42

Scoring

Second Quarter
H: Reo Pettus 4 pass from Ivan Dean (kick), 11:45
L: Caleb Orcutt 32 pass from Sullivan Thornton (Zander Killian kick), 5:50
L: Jaylen Mack 17 run (Zander Killian kick), 1:45

Third Quarter
L: Jaylen Mack 5 run (Zander Killian kick), 11:10
H: Noah Bailey 18 FG, 3:00
L: Jaylen Mack 25 run (Zander Killian kick), 0:39

Fourth Quarter
L: Maddoxx Jones 48 pass from Sullivan Thornton (Zander Killian kick), 9:16
L: Jaylen Mack 40 run (Zander Killian kick), 5:05