Richard Podhajsky

Your Prep Sports

NORTH LIBERTY – Often it takes years to build a winning football program. But not always.

The Liberty Lightning have proven that true, wrapping up a spot in the Class 3A playoffs with a 56-0 drubbing of Clinton on Friday in just the program’s second season playing varsity football.

The Bolts (7-2) won in all three phases, relying on a brutalizing running game to run over and around the River Kings (0-9).

Liberty High racked up a total of 425 yards rushing on 35 carries, only throwing the ball four times.

The Lightning came into the game averaging 253 yards rushing per game.

“It was good but it’s everybody on the team,” head coach Jeff Gordon said of his team’s running attack. “And what really helps the run game is we got a guy who can hurt you outside in (receiver) Ben Houselog.

“So it’s a team effort. It’s the scout team during the week. But like I said, I was proud that we played hard and didn’t take our foot off the gas.”

Liberty High simply didn’t need the passing game, mixing and matching junior Max Tafolla and senior Kaleb Williams, who ran for 179 and 122 yards, respectively.

Williams got the run game going early, taking the first play from scrimmage 35 yards off the right side for a touchdown.

That was one of three first half touchdown runs for Williams, who set up his second score with a 33-yard punt return down to the Clinton 23-yardline.

“I didn’t want my team to underestimate these guys,” Williams said of providing an early spark. “Our coaches talk a lot about respecting the other team and so we wanted to get ahead right away and keep pushing it. And so that’s what we did.”

While Williams was running through big holes, Tafolla preferred running through River King defenders, scoring only once but leading the team with 15 carries and – along with fullback Jack Ankenbauer – helping soften up the Clinton defense.

“All respect to Clinton – they played hard – but we just found their weaknesses and that was the running game so we utilized that to our advantage,” Tafolla said. “I think that’s what we’ve tried to do all this season.”

The Lightning defense, meanwhile, allowed a few early yards to Clinton but stiffened as the game went along, holding on multiple fourth downs and knocking out starting quarterback Jai Jensen in the first quarter.

Zach Hoffman would come on in relief but finished just 3-of-7 throwing for only 16 yards while rushing for -19 yards, though he was sacked five times.

He was eventually replaced by Ulysses Patterson, who started the game at running back.

The River Kings would only pick up 112 total yards, 70 coming in the second half after the continuous clock had been instituted.

The focus now turns to what’s next for Liberty, and what’s next is a trip to the postseason. And what they’re hoping for is a deep postseason run.

“Since freshman year coach Gordon had us front squat and pressing 10-pound plates, imagining that state trophy,” Williams said. “And when we were that young as freshmen we were thinking, ‘No way. There’s no way.’
“And now that we’ve got here we’re almost there, we’re one inch closer. We just gotta keep working.”

While the program may be new, the team celebrated a 22-member senior class on Friday and Gordon says even from the start, their shared goal hasn’t been to just make the playoffs.

“Well, we actually envisioned more than (a seven-win season),” Gordon said. “In every game we’ve been in, we could’ve won or we could’ve lost. It’s just worked out that way.

“So I’m just really proud of the guys because they could’ve quit at any point in the last couple or four years. So it’s really just a testament to our seniors for building this.”

                                ICL               CLI

First downs              9                    8

Rushes-yards       35-425           33-65

Passing yards         37                  47

Total yards              462                112

Comp-Att-Int           1-4-0            8-14-1

Punts-avg.                0-0.0          5-33.0

Fumbles-lost            2-1               1-0

Penalties-yards        2-20            3-30

Liberty    21 21  14  0  –  56

Clinton     0   0     0   0  –   0

ICL – Kaleb Williams 35run (Ryan Nugent kick)

ICL – Jack Ankenbauer 15 run (Nugent kick)

ICL – Williams 13  run (Nugent kick)

ICL – Williams 24 run (Nugent kick)

ICL – Max Tafolla 25 run (Nugent kick)

ICL – Drake Woody 11 run (Nugent kick)

ICL – Dawson Zimmerman 35 punt return (Nugent kick)

ICL – Cole Tuttle 4 run (Nugent kick)

Individual statistics

RUSHING – ICL: Max Tafolla 15-179, Kaleb Williams 7-122, Jack Ankenbauer 3-32, Darius Willis-Newell 5-81, Drake Woody 2-6, Cole Tuttle 1-4, Carter Fedeler 1-1, Mike Luyeye 1-0. CLI: Ulysses Patterson 10-61, Zach Hoffman 11-(-19), Jai Jensen 4-3, Tavian Bailey, 6-11, Treveon Bailey 1-11, Team 1-(-2).

PASSING – ICL: Woody 1-4-0 37. CLI: Jensen 5-5-0 31; Hoffman 3-7-0 16; Patterson 0-2-0.

RECEIVING – ICL: Ben Houselog 1-37. CLI: Devan Galant 4-26, Treveon Bailey 3-17, Nick Keis 1-4.  

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