Things go Liberty Blue Jays’ way against Raymore-Peculiar

Friday September 4, 2009 7:00 PM
Team (Record)	1^st	2^nd	3^rd	4^th	Total
Liberty (8 - 3)	7	14	14	7	42
Raymore-Peculiar (7 - 4)	6	0	0	0	6

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Source: The Star

JOE LEDFORD | The Kansas City Star

Liberty running back Garrett White showed his versatility with 64 yards rushing and 54 receiving on Friday night.

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There are more than a few signs in football that show when things are going very, very bad for your favorite team.

Say, when the team bus driver knows the game’s getting ugly and it’s time to go, so he kicks the engine in gear … after the first quarter. Yeah, that’s not a good sign.

But there’s no sign that screams “Warning!” more than when you spy your starting quarterback, a future Division I player, staring blankly ahead, seated on the end of bench. And his father coming down to the sideline before the start of the fourth quarter and throwing an arm around his shoulder.

Definitely not a good sign for Raymore-Peculiar, the No. 3 team in The Star’s big-class poll and top-ranked in the state. And not a good night.

Liberty came on like a tidal wave during its 42-6 win over Ray-Pec on Friday night, and Panthers junior quarterback Cameron Coffman felt its strength.

Near the end of the third quarter, Liberty — No. 5 in The Star poll and also state-ranked — kept coming. After getting mowed down on two straight plays, then sacrificing his body for a touchdown-saving tackle on punt-return duty, Coffman shakily retreated to the sideline. The same kid who passed for 534 yards and five touchdowns during Ray-Pec’s 60-41 win in this matchup a year ago, ended his night with just 41 passing yards and then watched his sophomore backup get the final reps as a victim of too many head-knockers. His father, Paul, was so concerned that he briefly left his seat among all the other Panther parents to check on Cameron.

Liberty defenders noticed Coffman was out of the game, too, but pardon them for not showing any concern.

“We just knew if we got into their heads, they were going to fold,” said senior Matt Searcy. “We swarm, we’re not letting up.”

And this from a team known more for its weapons on the other side of the ball rather than its defense. Sixty points allowed, remember? Well, so do the Blue Jays.

Nothing’s good about 60 — unless you get discounted pancakes at Denny’s, then 60 is cool.

But 60 is not for very good for teenage football players and the coaches who love them.

“All of us were embarrassed by (that),” Liberty coach Joel Wells said. “It was 60-41, but they really stuck it to us. They beat us. I mean, they beat us in all phases. This year we really wanted to come out here and play well.”

Although Ray-Pec opened the scoring, Liberty went to work striking down any thoughts that another 60 was coming. First-year quarterback Kevin VanEgdom completed 11 of 17 passes for 240 yards and five touchdowns, outplaying his counterpart Coffman, who on Wednesday received a scholarship offer from Nebraska.

The Panthers’ longest plays from scrimmage were gift-wrapped by the Liberty defensive backs, with three pass-interference calls.

But, hey — “They’re better than giving up a touchdown,” explained senior corner Jack Bissonnette, who mugged Sharron Dawson for the first 15-yard penalty.

Wells wanted his boys to be physical, so he could live with the infractions — especially once the yellow flags stopped flying and the Panther receivers still couldn’t get open.

“We tried to jam them and get them off their timing with Coffman because he’s such an amazing quarterback,” Bissonnette said. “We just stuck with the game plan and played aggressively.”

Crazy that we’re this far into this column and haven’t yet mentioned Liberty star receiver Marcus Lucas. Oh, he played, too. Turning Ray-Pec’s single coverage into footage for his highlight reel, he caught four passes for 77 yards and a touchdown. Senior Garrett White was also outstanding coming out of the backfield, catching four passes and 54 yards and adding 64 yards rushing and a score.

But this night was all about the new Blue Jay defense. Back-to-back 42-6 final scores, and more than ready to earn a defensive reputation.

“No doubt,” Searcy said. “I think we’ve shown that.”

- 2009-09-04 23:20:02

Comments - leave comment

rpcheer13 says:

Hmmm.... I've noticed that a particular sentence has been excluded from this version of the article, as compared to the one printed in saturday's paper. "That's probably just as bad as when you notice that the cheerleaders at the bottom of the pyramid weigh more than your offensive line." This was a sentence published in Saturdays paper along with this article. Now, I am one of those "cheerleaders" mentioned in that sentence. I am in no way heavier than Ray-Pec's offensive line, an found that comment very offensive. While the comparison was made clear by this, it was an exaggeration made at the expense of teenage girls. Girls who are already self-concious enough. Also, due to the wet conditions on friday night, we did not build any "pyramids" whatsoever. Therefor any reference to Ray-Pec's cheerleaders at the bottom of the pyramid is completly made up. An apology and retraction of that sentence from Saturday's edition of this article would be very nice.

Posted 184 days ago | Delete