Douglas Miles

Your Prep Sports

NORTH LIBERTY – The Liberty High football team could still taste last season’s loss.

The Lightning opened the 2023 season with a seven-point loss to West High despite leading at halftime.

The setback led to a 1-4 start to the season, which ended at 4-5. If Liberty was going to reverse its fortunes this year, a measure of revenge against West High could provide a big boost.

That boost was delivered by a rousing run game.

“Feels amazing,” Liberty senior tailback Owen Drapeaux said after the Lightning defeated West High, 56-45, Friday night at Liberty High School. “First win for the program against West out of three games. We played hard. They beat us last year. We came out and took it to them. We said we were going to run the ball and we ran it hard. That is what we did.”

Drapeaux led the Liberty ground game with 23 carries for 168 yards and three scores, while fellow senior Sutton Koller added 80 yards and two scores.

The Lightning totaled a whopping 354 rushing yards.

“We’ve had games in the past where the other team has taken our will running the football,” first-year Liberty High coach Scott Chandler said. “And I thought for the first time since I have been here tonight, we took their will running the football. Our offensive line really dictated the whole entire game.”

The game had an incredible eight lead changes in the first half as both teams swapped touchdowns.

Liberty High (1-0) grabbed control of the game late in the second quarter when senior linebacker Nathan Burnett intercepted a pass, the first defensive stop for either team.

“We have got a bunch of ballers out there,” Liberty High junior linebacker Landon Bell said. “If you throw it over the middle, that is what happens.”

The Lightning capitalized with a three-yard touchdown run by Koller and a 35-26 halftime lead.

Drapeaux and Koller both added touchdown runs in the second half, while a 46-yard touchdown pass from junior Reese Rettig to Dallas Miller with 1:35 left in the game provided the final nail.

Rettig threw for 150 yards, two scores and ran for 64.

Miller threw a 50-yard touchdown pass to Collin Decker and also corralled an interception on defense.

“It’s a great start, but we have got to keep going,” Rettig said. “That’s all we have got to do. It’s on to the next one now.”

The “next one” is another rivalry game.

Liberty High visits City High (0-1) next Friday.

“I think our guys get up enough for City High,” Chandler said. “We don’t have to do anything else except say, ‘We’re playing City High this week.’”

Quarterback Jack Wallace threw for 249 yards, two touchdowns and also ran for a pair of scores for West (0-1).

                                    ICW                 ICL

First Downs                27                    23

Rushes-yards              38-187             55-354

Comp-Att-Int              21-32-2           9-11-0

Passing yards              249                  200

Total yards                  436                  554

Punts-avg.                   1-44.0              2-39.0

Fumbles-lost               0-0                   1-0

Penalties-yards           4-25                  7-36

West High      19   7  6 13  – 45

Liberty High  14  21 7 14  – 56

ICW – Butali Butali 10 run (run failed)

ICL – Landon Bell 15 pass from Reece Rettig (Collin Weis kick)

ICW – Jack Wallace 9 run (Adam Salem kick)

ICL – Owen Drapeaux 1 run (Collin Weis kick)

ICW – Mason Woods 87 kick return (run failed)

ICL – Collin Decker 50 pass from Dallas Miller (Collin Weis kick)

ICW – Mason Woods 1 pass from Jack Wallace (Adam Salem kick)

ICL – Owen Drapeaux 4 run (Collin Weis kick)

ICL – Sutton Koller 3 run (Collin Weis kick)

ICL – Owen Drapeaux 2 run (Collin Weis kick)

ICW – Julian Manson 26 pass from Jack Wallace (run failed)

ICL – Sutton Koller 7 run (Collin Weis kick)

ICW – Jack Wallace 1 run (run failed)

ICL – Dallas Miller 46 pass from Reese Rettig (Collin Weis kick)

ICW – Butali Butali 4 run (Adam Salem kick)

Individual Statistics

RUSHING – West High: Butali Butali 21-127, Campbell Janis 10-45, Jack Wallace 7-15. Liberty High: Sutton Koller 12-80, Owen Drapeaux 23-168, Reece Rettig 10-64, Brody Beaver 8-32, Dallas Miller 1-7, Parker Ehrman 1-3.

PASSING – West High: Jack Wallace 21-32-2-249; Liberty High: Reece Rettig 8-10-0-150, Dallas Miller 1-1-0-50.

RECEIVING – West High: Chase Bopp 5-45, Julian Manson 7-102, Mason Woods 3-28, Nick Caylor 1-7, Butali Butali 2-22, Henry Elser 3-41. Liberty High: Dallas Miller 4-92, Collin Decker 1-50, Landon Bell 1-15, Sutton Koller 1-22, Evan Colsch 1-13, Parker Ehrman 1-8.

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